Milking Books

Today was a nice day of driving to Billings. I love this drive especially in the fall. The colors along the mountain are beautiful and call me to stop and stay awhile each turn. Plus, the big blue sky of Montana seems to sigh with a great relief of joy. Like the clouds just exasperated away and were vacuumed up to hang out over Seattle or the Golden Gate Bridge. The best part, though quite close to be a toss up, was the fact that I got to start a new book. I’ve been in a sort of barren book period. A lull of reading. Such a reality lends itself to two observations: 1) I haven’t had a day off lately where I just sit and read in Borders. 2) Reading inspires me to write.

I just started Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and in 53 pages have laughed hard that I fall silent, shared several clever passages with fellow van riders, and written topic sentences for a dozen different blogs. Reading leads to writing which leads to more reading and ultimately a happy heart. This book specifically talks about the joy of writing and techniques one might adopt to keep improve one’s skills and still write out of pure passion and dreamy expectations.

[Some writers] feel better and more alive than they do at any other time. And sometimes when they are writing well, they feel like they’re living up to something. It is as if the right word, the true words, are already inside, and they just want to help get them out. Writing this way is a little bit like milking a cow: the milk is so rich a delicious, and the cow is so glad you did it. –Anne Lamott

I once read that a good line in a book made the reader want to write for a living. I once read a book that changed my perspective of corporate executives and their role for the average or less the cared for Joe. I once read about a fine meal that made my mouth water. The fact that all of these feelings and sensations could come from ink on parchment amazes me but then again, I guess so does the fact that creamy milk for babies can come from a four-legged beast that eats and re-eats grass. Thankfully, such combinations results in wonderful gifts that one can even share.

Writers block is no longer an issue, nor is reader’s hurdle. Now I just have to find the chance to do both. Maybe along with my morning cow-milking chores…