Book It ~ Week Four

Welcome to Week 4 of Book It. If you missed Week 3, click here.

In Section IV of Writer Mama, Christina Katz first writes about a freelancer wearing many different hats, mainly that of an accountant. Personally, I couldn’t have picked a better time to read this book. As I think about transitioning my writing from hobby to productive career and hitting the ground running come January 2008, I will need guidance from someone who’s been there. Katz provides direction as to which documents to save and file, as well as deductions that can be claimed on a tax return. I have to wonder why this information wasn’t at the beginning of the book versus the end.

Page 227-229 lists ways to avoid writer burnout, something I occasionally feel even with my currently lite workload. Katz then touches on the subject of becoming an expert in a particular field, a feat that can take years to accomplish. She offers tips on how to write like the pros, as well as ideas on how to get your name known.

Chapter 22 begins the discussion on attending a writer’s conference and pitching a non-fiction book idea, which was precisely the point where I said, Whoa Nelly! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Lis Garrett.

Having now completed Writer Mama, I have to say that the $14.99 I spent on my copy is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Thank goodness for freelancers, such as Christina Katz, who lay it on the table in simple, easy-to-follow steps and explanations.

Join me in January 2008, and follow with me page-by-page as I implement Katz’s writing techniques. We’ll be published yet!

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We have a new book to talk about this week, A Girl Named Zippy, by Haven Kimmel. Zippy is the true-life memoir of a Kimmel, a girl born in 1965, in Mooreland, Indiana.

Despite growing up in a town perpetually populated by 300 people, Kimmel’s witty recollection of life as a young girl is altogether familiar and funny; I was laughing aloud by page 7! Kimmel writes in a way that is reminiscent of a blog post, in that each chapter shares a short story, which introduces the reader to the integral people and places in her life. We become so familiar with Zippy that her triumphs are our triumphs, her fears, although widely irrational at times, are our fears.

One aspect of the book I enjoy most is Kimmel’s inclusion of personal photographs that work to make the reader feel truly connected to its cast of characters. By golly if Kimmel’s brother, Daniel, isn’t the doppelganger of someone I once knew (a few decades removed, of course).

My mother-in-law recommended this book to me, and I was happy to find her familiar penmanship in the margins. Her notes on the similarities and differences of Mooreland, to those of her childhood hometown of Unadilla, New York, were particularly interesting to read.

Join me next Thursday for the conclusion of A Girl Named Zippy (page 134-275). Now that we are finished with Writer Mama, we’ll talk about chapters 1-3 of A Mind At A Time, by Mel Levine, MD.