Anne Faye

 I absolutely LOVE a brand-new notebook - all those pages just begging to be filled! I even love the smell (Not quite as much as I love the smell of old books, but it is up there on the list). So, when I saw these cups and plates advertised in Writer's Digest , I knew I had to blog about them. They are designed to look like notebook paper! How cool is that? They can be purchased here: http://www.fishseddy.com/browse.cfm/4,1541.html

I think most writers are aware of the fact that writing can be cathartic - getting out on paper all the emotions and pain swirling around inside - some of which we can't even tell our closest friend. Here is a good blog post about one writer's healing through writing: How writing about loss helps you heal

I've been continuing reading Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting . I'm currently on page 314. There is just so much quality information in that book. I would like to get back to writing, but I don't know when that might happen. There is just so much on my plate right now. Still, it is great to at least be reading about writing, and learning some things in the process.

A while back, I was lamenting that I didn't know how to revise the story I was working on. It's not that I didn't have the desire, I just truly did not have a clue and the general advice I was receiving simply wasn't helping. I needed specifics and some hand-holding. A reader commented that I should get Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee. He said that even though it was about screenwriting, it was the best book on creating a story that he had ever seen. One hundred twenty pages into the book, I'm inclined to agree. I've been taking copious notes. McKee is so step by step in his explanations and they all make perfect sense. I know that the implementation will still be a challenge, but I'm eager to finish reading this book and to dig in to my story with fresh eyes. I may even attempt to turn it into a screenplay! This is the hand-holding I needed. Thanks so much for the recommendation! I, in turn, recommen...

What was your favorite faith-based novel of 2010? Vote for it at the Grace Awards

People have been using books as decoration as long as there have been books. They automatically add a certain element to a room whether intended or not. This article by Penelope Green shows individuals taking it to a whole other level. Searching and buying books to decorate the shelves? Now that could definitely be a dream career for a book lover. Selling a Book by its Cover

In the event my recent posts on The Journal Keeper have you inspired to start journaling (the old-fashioned kind - in books, as opposed to blogging), here is a link to a store with some incredibly beautiful journals. I saw them advertised recently, and they took my breath away: http://www.figmentsstudio.com/journals.htm . Of course, one does not need such expensive journals to write in. I've been happy with a variety of blank books over the years. Some were gifts; others were picked up at bookstores; some at a dollar store. All are precious. Other people are perfectly happy writing in spiral bound notebooks or composition books. If you want to journal, you will find a way to do it.