That was weird. I decided to dig out a couple of my old books to send to Bonnie in Georgia and now a whole day has been shot to hell. I opened a book I wrote twenty years ago, and it was like getting lost in a box of high school mementos. Kind of a head trip, because I hadn’t expected the book to plant me so firmly in my past, in my old life.
My God, I was naïve. I wrote some things that were lame and dishonest, more focused on getting the friggin' book sold than saying what I really should have said. But a lot of it was real. Most of it was real. But I was still a naïve idiot. :D The writing was dramatic and sappy, leaning too heavily on things I’d read in other books, thinking it was expected of me – and maybe it was.
I experience this recall whenever I look at old book covers. I remember where we were living at the time the book was written, what we were doing. The books become markers that coincide with life events. But I never actually picked one up and read it until today. Weird as hell.
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8 comments:
smells seem to be the big one for me.
Wow, I might get some books :D
I totally get the memory lane thing.
I had to help mother clean out some things and I could totally associate them what I was doing when I got them or why I kept something ..ya know cause I got it the day I met (insert random cute guy)
I think a writer is always her best critic of past works and it's great that you can read the books and recall where you were and what you were doing.
What I can't get over is that you never picked up an older book and read it before! LOL! ;D
I'm writing an article today for a Journal, and I had to use lots of my old writings in it. I had such fun reading and remembering. Of course I didn't get the damn article done and it was due by 5 Central Time. But the memories were fun.
kelly, most of my books are packed. most of my life is packed! :D i've moved twice in the past 10 years, each move was supposed to last about a year so i never unpacked!
jer, sorry you didn't get the article done! hopefully you have a new deadline.
This happens to me when I see an old episode of FELICITY or some other show I wrote, or come across an old screenplay that was sold but thankfully never made into a film.
I get embarrassed and nostalgic all at the same time.
i loved felicity. i wasn't as addicted to it as i was to party of five, but i was definitely addicted!
Thanks, anne. Yes, I did get new deadline, it's tomorrow. So I'm relaxed and having fun with the article. Jer
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