Archive for July, 2012

I was once one of those diehard book fans who insisted on the smell of a good old-fashioned, leather-bound book between my hands.

I loved the pretty design of the covers, the thrill of turning the page and dying to read more, the fun of showing off my book collection on my shelves and arranging them in rainbow-order. Yes, I was that gal.

McDermott

I wasn’t interested in those new-fangled eReaders. Could an eReader sit beautifully on my shelf? Could an eReader give me that warm and fuzzy feeling I got when I picked a new book off the bookstore shelf? No, I thought. EReaders take the fun out of reading and dog-earing the pages of a book I’ve read dozens of times.

I was so young and woefully misguided those six months ago. I’m an official eReader addict.

I picked one up on a whim after I tired of having to wait to pick up the latest books in the “Game of Thrones” series (200 pages to go!). There is no bookstore in Hannibal, and it isn’t a book carried by most box stores.  Waiting to go home to St. Louis wasn’t fast enough for me anymore. Even ordering off the Internet was too much time when I was dying to read the next installment. But on an eReader? I could download books instantly to my little machine.

So I picked up a Nook for a birthday present (thanks, Mom) and a nifty cover with a Mark Twain quote on it (representin’!) and downloaded the first book on my list.

From then, I was hooked. Let me tell you why.

The books are cheaper. This might not be true in all cases, but I purchased a new-release book for $15 that would have cost me $35 on the shelves of a bookstore. Even paperbacks are cheaper, though not quite as steep of a discount. But it makes me feel like my investment is worth something.

Instant gratification. I see a book reviewed online that I want? I get it then and there. Because not only is downloading a snap on an eReader, my Nook is just small enough to fit in my purse. So it pretty much goes wherever I go. And if I’m toggling between two books, I don’t have to jam two books into my purse. Just Nookster.

Everlasting power. I mean, really. I’ve owned my Nook for about six months and I’ve only had to charge the battery twice. I ready almost nightly. It would last me a 12-hour plane ride if I needed it to.

The Nookster has been a good friend to me the past few months. Often times I fall asleep reading at night. Could I do that with a book? Yes. Will I bring some paperbacks on my beach vacation next month? Yes. But only because I couldn’t bear the thought of my little Nookster getting sand in his machine parts. Because now that I’m diehard Nook fan, there’s no way I’m going back.

Brenna McDermott

On Jan. 1, I started the massive “Game of Thrones” book series. My goal? To finish book one. That was surprisingly easy.

McDermott

For those of you who haven’t seen the HBO show or read the source material, “Game of Thrones” is George R.R. Martin’s story of power in the land of Westeros, full of horses, lords, ladies and also frozen zombie creatures that eat humans. Sort of “Lord of the Rings” meets the apocalypse meets King Arthur.

Probably needless to say, these are loooong books. Massive. Books one through five total 4,273 pages (U.S. first edition). Books six and seven have not been released.

I’ve made it to book five. Less than 500 pages to go. And I’m closing in on my marathon.

It feels good to know I’ve stuck with the series this long. At times, it isn’t a quick read. There is a slow build-up in pacing and plotting through each book and the first 200 pages or so can sometimes be brutal. But here I am, well within reach of finishing book five and I feel as if I’ve really accomplished something.

This isn’t your mother’s beach read. It is serious reading and takes serious focus. Sometimes, it feels good to finish reading something you weren’t sure you could finish. I wasn’t even sure I’d make it through the first book. But I’m about to be rewarded.

So come on, give it a try. This won’t be a walk in the park. But when you get to the end, it will feel like you’ve been on a journey. I promise it will be rewarding. Not into fantasy or science fiction? Find a different series that will pique your interest.

Sometimes we need to challenge our brains, especially now that there are mind-numbing things all around us, like “National Enquirer”, Facebook and anything with a Kardashian in it. Completing a difficult book is a reward for all the terrible things we expose our minds to. I promise, there are no celebutantes in “Game of Thrones.”

Brenna McDermott

I’m a pretty traditional girl when it comes to writing — paper and pen, baby. But with the fast-paced life we’re all leading between work, friends, exercise, chores and family, there isn’t always time for me to get the writing in that I want to. Maybe you’re the same way.

McDermott

Luckily, there’s an app for that.

Check out iThoughts, a mind map app. iThoughts allows you to organize your thoughts on any subject, but I think can be great for working out a storyline. You can work on multiple topics, sync to your email and iThoughts automatically saves hundreds of versions of your map, so if you decide you don’t want to kill that character off, you can return to the version that has her being rescued just in time. And you can use different layouts to suit your needs. Sometimes the hardest thing for me isn’t the actual writing, but the planning stage. This will help me figure things out.

iThoughts is on version seven, so it has minimal kinks and is available on iPhone and iPad.

I’d also check out Day One, a journal app that is very easy to use and beautifully designed. It encourages writing, has a calendar, inspirational messages and can sink with iCloud or Dropbox, so your thoughts are saved.  You can keep a day-by-day journal or do a quick entry just to jot down some thoughts, opinions or notes.  There are still some basic elements to be added, like photos, better categorization for entries, etc., but this is a very exciting app for those who just don’t have the time to jot things down — but we manage to play Angry Birds while waiting in the doctor’s office or for a meeting.

Visit apple.com to find more apps that can help you on your way to writing that novel!

Brenna McDermott