April 28, 2008: Today I learned that the library is no place to try to write your novel. It is not, as previously believed, quiet and free of distraction; it is mostly quiet, but loaded with distraction. Sure, there's no TV or internet or radio, and I had the sense to leave my iPod at home, but I'm surrounded by books. Very distracting, books. Just while sitting at this handy little desk, I've seen:
-> Sebastian Junger's Fire.
-> a book called Tyrants.
-> Explore: Stories of Survival from the Map.
-> Several books about the Crusades.
-> The provocatively-titled 1900. What happened in 1900? Must know what happened in 1900.
-> 1968: see 1900.
-> Since 1945: Aspects of Contemporary World History, which sounds like a college textbook, and one I would have enjoyed, at that.
-> And last but never least, a road atlas of Europe, which I actually jumped up and grabbed off the shelf before some other map-nerd could get a hold of it.
There's no hope. I'm going to check out a few of these books, plus "Hot Fuzz," and go home and watch the end, where Nicholas and Danny fire two guns at once while jumping through the air. And maybe the bit where Nicholas brains the big bald guy with his Japanese peace lily.
***
(Epilogue: once I got this out of my system, I actually did manage to write a few pages of my alleged novel. And then I checked out some books, and a certain film. "The greater good..." "Shut it!")
2 comments:
Hot Fuzz--very funny movie. Was introduced to it by my friend Janine one weekend, and I liked it so much I rented it to watch with TMK the next weekend!
We're just wrapping up watching the whole series of "The Vicar of Dibley." Have you watched that? Very funny series!
I've tried to write at the library before. I usually fail miserably, because there are just so many books that I want to sit there and read instead! It's insane! I've found, though, that if I want to write and want to be out of the house while doing it, I go to a little coffee shop, get a nice drink, and bring my iPod along but set it to some instrumental stuff. Gregorian chant, monotonous as it tends to be, also helps me concentrate, and helps block out the conversations of people around me.
Speaking of writing, I have a partially-finished novel that I need to get back to working on! :D
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