Reading

i am a librarian. reading should be an assumed hobby. it just didn't happen that way.

i find myself in search of a hobby, awake at night when i should be sleeping, and overall distracted with way too many thoughts running around in my mind.

the answer: reading

i was never much of a writer, a talker yes, a writer no. that is why i had trouble writing. i always got in trouble for writing how i spoke. i was told you don't do that. bogging is great because there is no grade. i can avoid caps all i want and guess what it's all good.

how does one write? they read. all authors say they read. i always kinda got annoyed at this answer. i didn't really get it. when i wrote for school i knew that the more i read the more i was afraid of just giving up and stealing or plagiarizing the thoughts of others and so i tried to keep it to a minimum. i just didn't get it. it hurt come time for library school too. not only didn't i get it i didn't have much experience with research either. its always been easy to just know who to get help from. i didn't go to the library much in college. two people i did get to know tho, on work study male student, the librarian was the other. i'd be a really vain person if i intentionally made this friendships, i assure you it just worked out that way.
feel free to laugh here, god played a role. the guy that worked in the library lived in my freshman dorm. we both went to church every sunday night throughout our four years. since we were coming from the same dorm we landed up walking over together. eventually became friends and guess what this friend worked at the library.
the librarian? yes her too. god had a role. you see not only did i go to church every sunday in college i also joined the intervarsity christian fellowship group. we prayed, sang songs, it was just a nice break from the whole college experience. i dont know if it was at an actual meeting or a luncheon with a friend from the christian group, but through one of those was how i met the librarian - outside the library. thanks to god : )
so when i went to the library either my friend from church, or the lady i knew thru the christian group was pretty eager to help me find what i needed without having to exert much brain power myself. i just needed to be smily happy shannon keep the conversation going and i walked out with my answers in hand.

now my answer is reading. its calming. its southing. it offers perspective. it offers an alternate reality, a temporary escape from your own thoughts and happenings. at the moment i prefer reading really easy chic lit fiction. im on my way to the end of the young adult novel sloppy firsts by megan mccafferty. through reading i am inspired to write. i had wanted to write before but just it was just not happening. then i started reading. then i realized those authors knew what they were talking about. i get it! you read, you read more, and then you write. you are not stealing anyone else's words. perhaps thoughts but with your own words. or maybe you do take some of their words and the you write your thoughts about them. essentially i think you are always doing one of the two things. it is when you make a very unique spin or new idea on words familiar with all of us that you become a writer with fresh ideas. its always the same words, just new combinations. how do you pull it off? read, read more, then write. does this make me a good writer? no im just starting to read. im reading young adult fiction because it makes sense to me. my emotions are raw and im feeling very connected to the disconnect many teenagers experience. how? through reading, and writing, and thus my new found hobby i have been searching for. not only am i reading but now also writing. i didnt say it was grade worthy but its expressive and theraputic and i like it. i will go back to reading, read some more, then write again. i highly recommend it : )
goodnight.