My Ideal Bookshelf

So Tattered Cover sells this book called My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force, and I came across it yesterday.

This is a coffee table book where well known authors, designers, movie producers, poets, doctors, and so on select the books that represent who they are. It's a cool assignment, and this is how it works:

"Select a small shelf of books that represent you - the books that have changed your life, that have made you who you are today, your favorite favorites." 

So this is my book shelf: 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L'engle

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

StarDust by Neil Gaiman

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

Best-Loved Folktales of the World by Joanna Cole

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Dune by Frank Herbert

Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw 

A Walk to Remember by Nicolas Sparks

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Mattimeo by Brian Jacques

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'engle

Beastly by Alex Flinn

What's on your bookshelf? 

On writing and Kate DiCamillo

I had the opportunity to get my Tale of Desperaux book signed, and to hear Kate DiCamillo talk about writing, imagination and all things silly. 

I'll admit that when it comes to writing, I've been in quite the slump. Whenever I write something, I feel like I'm only brainstorming. 

Now, I have heard a lot of authors talk about writing. I've read books on writing, I've met local authors at the bookstore and I've been lucky enough to meet one of my favorite authors. 

Kate DiCamillo talked about writing as more of a commitment. I'm glad she didn't just say, "Write." when a kid raised their hand and asked for advice on being a writer. DiCamillo said to make a contract with yourself. If writing is important to you, then you can even write on bad days or during writers' block. Writing has to be important, and in order to make it important, you have to believe in yourself and your writing. Even the most famous author will sit at their desk and ask themselves, "How am I going to write a book in this amount of time?" 

As long as you keep writing, you are proving to yourself every day that you can. This proof is important. It builds your self esteem and comforts you on days where you feel down or don't think that you can write. By writing everyday, you can tell yourself "Well, I did that yesterday." 

I think that this attitude is a successful one. So I'm going to write everyday, but I might try and apply this mindset to other areas in my life. This may be the key to facing my fears and following my dreams. 

Everyone writes differently. No one writer has the same method or muse when writing. As DiCamillo says, "That's the scary part." But once you commit to it, the work gets done little by little, and you have the opportunity to look back on it all and say "I did it!" which is a great feeling. 

Small steps, small commitments, and small changes to your mindset can work wonders and inspire you to be the best at whatever you wish to achieve. 

So I wanted to pass this message on, and hopefully if you're a writer, singer, author or any other profession, this will inspire you and maybe even ease your fears about following your dreams. Commit to small things a day, and step by step with a hopeful mindset, you will get to where you want to be. Commiting to your dream is the key.