So as you know (or should) I like books. Collect them from everywhere, various formats as well (i.e.-physical, digital, audio, etc.) The only problem I often have is I get overwhelmed with what to choose to read next. I follow this funny guy on Instagram who has the same issue and uses a spinning wheel decider app to help him out. I have been cleaning out, rearranging and generally going through my writing books specifically. I found I currently have 125 I have not read yet. 😳 Again, just on the subject of writing.
So here’s the challenge, I’ve creating a spinner wheel to help me decide my next read and hopefully clean up my TBR. I’m giving myself one year to complete it starting today and will be posting regularly on here to be accountable. (Feel free to scroll by or unfriend if you like). The first pic is where we are starting, used fall colors for inspiration but will update along the way. And here is the first book to be selected 👇. Wish me luck!
Step 2: Fill out application that asks for your Indeed/LinkedIn links (5 min to complete) and copy of your resume and cover letter.
Step 3: Receive email within 7 days, asking to fill out second application on company website. Asks for second copy of resume and cover letter. (30-45 min to complete.)
Step 4: Wait to hear back, (usually 7 days, some longer.) If approved asked via email to complete an assessment test. (45-60 min for assessment.)
Step 5: After completing assessment, wait another 7 days. Asked via email to do interview with HR rep, who in reality is a recruiter vetting you, saving company time. (Apprx 30 min interview).
Step 6: Wait 7-10 days to hear from recruiter who emails you to say you’ve been approved for an interview and schedules you for pre-recorded video interview. (45-60 min for prerecorded interview taping and 72 hours before you will be sent link for actual video interview.)
Step 7: You meet with one or two supervisors in Zoom/Teams meeting and spend about 45-60 being asked the exact same questions you were given for recorded interview. They read the questions for a list, rarely being polite enough to look directly at you in Zoom. They advise you are in a pool of candidates and it will take them 7-10 days to make a determination.
Step 8: You are sent an email advised they are passing on you, but will keep your information on file for future consideration.
Step 9: (NO REALLY! A STEP 9): Within 72 hours either the recruiters office or company will contact you via email asked you to complete a second video interview for them to “keep on file”, advising, YOU GUESSED IT, 45-60 minutes to complete. (I don’t know if its a new set of questions or not, now they are just wasting my time so I don’t do them.)
Results: Time spent by applicant trying to get job: (low side) 2 hours/3 hours (add 45 min if doing second non-offer, follow up video) Time spent with live people speaking to you: 1 hour Length of time during interview process: 3 weeks for each application
Some people will never understand the frustration that can go with being a true collector. I don’t care what it is you love, (mine is books) when something like this happens the trauma we feel is real.
I fell in love with this author this year by accident, so much so that I decided to add her to my personal collection (You know 90% of what I read comes from libraries, but some you just GOTTA own).
So anyway she’s been publishing for years and so for some reason her books covers took a hard left turn MID SERIES ?!?!? WTF??? The only thing that hurts a collector more is when the sizes change between books in a series, and then we just cry.
I was able to get the first 3 books (all used) no problem and the fourth I had to get from Canada to stay in cover vein. Then Book5 WHAMO! She switched to the more Heraldic type covers. Now what do I do? Continue the collection in the new style and have a mismatch on my shelves? Or do I donate the first 4 to the library for others to enjoy and waste funds starting all over again?
And here’s where the real book lover’s craziness comes in, I will forever know I gave the first four away and those fakes ones I replace them with on the shelf aren’t the TRUE books I fell in love with. How could she do this to me???? Bonus pain points for the last book which just came out in 2022 which are prequels to the main characters adventures and she went BACK TO THE ART STYLE ON THAT ONE!!!
Seriously she’s trying to kill me here. What are your thoughts? How would you proceed with your collection on this???
PS-I intentionally withheld the author/series name as I don’t want my little rant to some how get back to the used bookstore I frequent and then I won’t get shown her future copies.
I don’t know about anyone else but the summer always gets my travel itch going. I used to love summer vacations each year growing up, the freedom of the day fully determined by whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. But back then I never understood why we didn’t use our free time to travel more. My parents, like most folks, were hard-working blue collar people and they reserved their limited traveling for time to visit with family in Nebraska, usually around fall/winter holidays.
Now as a hard-working adult myself, I understand I’m limited to choices that fit my responsibilities not my desires. So while prices continue to rise (along with the thermometer) I thought I’d spend some time imagining what kinds of vacation I would take if I had all that freedom from childhood, combined with some serious financial fantasy fulfillment to not limit myself.
Here goes:
#5- Ashikaga Flower Park (Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan)
The picture really says it all. Beautiful flowers creating a lovely atmosphere. This is best viewed in late April/early May so I’m starting my imaginary summer travels here.
#4- Douro Valley– Portugal
Beautiful Landscape of the Douro river region in Portugal – Vineyards
Stay in a castle with river AND mountain views, surrounded by vineyards? Yes please! The oldest region in the world to grow wine grapes, this is a must visit for any reader/wine lover.
#3-Zentralfriedhof– Vienna
Okay if you know me this one’s not that weird. I studied music when I was younger and still dream of visiting the Musicians Graveyard in Vienna. The number of prominent musicians resting here deserves the honor of thanking them for the gifts they left the world to this day.
#3-The Pink beaches of Harbour Island, Bahamas
Not really a “beach” type person, I just really want to see if the sands are a pink as they appear to be in photos.
For those in the know W.I.P is writer shorthand for “work in progress”. Whenever I get a quick text/chat from another author friend there’s usually some variation on “WIP? How’s it going? W.I.P good?” So I thought I’d give a quick blog update on my WIP so far.
I honestly know very few authors/writers with just one W.I.P going at a time. Most always have one or two and even something just forming in the background that they are leaning toward researching/daydreaming/sketching out, etc. I am in the multi-W.I.P group myself, so here’s a summary:
W.I.P # 1 (Completing/publishing Book Two in the #hiawathafallsmysteries series): The Title of Book Two is “The Case of the Floating Foreman.” A big goal I have is to get the books in my series set and to align Books Two’s release (which has a summer theme) and Book Three (being drafted now, with a fall theme) more on track with a seasonal marketing campaign. But to achieve that goal, Book Two must be completed first. I had to reread my first book in the series as I had wanted to bring some of the small elements from there back into Book Two but couldn’t remember things since its been two years since it was published. So yes, believe it or not, I had to re-read my own book this month. That’ s not as embarrassing as it sounds, right?
W.I.P #2: For NaNoWriMo I set the challenge of creating something to honor my grandmother, who taught me to love writing as a separate act from reading. It’s a sort of combined story between the two of us, but I haven’t decided specifically what to call it yet. The book begins with a short story my grandmother had written me as a child in an effort to teach me to how to build tension in a story. She wouldn’t have considered it much and NEVER would have tried to submit it publishing, but I saw it as a chance to show how all her hard work at trying to help me get better had turned out. I’m on my half of the book and I think its going well. If I used this time of the long Thanksgiving break for my “paycheck-job” I should have my portion completed and read for publication before the end of the year.
W.I.P#3: Or as I like to call it, THE LONG SHOT. This project, in fact, is not a book but a screenplay. I’ve been picking at it for a while now, honestly can’t remember when I started writing it, but it was and has been my first true case of what we call “Muddle in the Middle.” Yes I know how it was supposed to start, and have a clear view of what I want the ending to be, but somehow everything in the middle sort of got foggy on me for a while. This little project means a lot so I want to get it right, but didn’t know how to break this bog I was stuck in. I think I found the answer this week in a book on writing called “Mastering Character Arcs: How 15 Universal Journeys can power up your Novel Cast” by Lewis Jorstad. Its was wonderful, like taking a deep breath after holding it for a long time. He gave me the answer on how to get this long-stuck character a change to move forward. Now, I have to find additional time to get back to this work while trying to meet the two goals I’ve set above.
So there it is, these are the point and focus of my mind going forward. I’m interested in seeing where they will all eventually lead me.
Dian Burns 