Creativity, bad movies, and bookish life lessons

10 things because 10 is better than 9

Happy Valentine’s Day! I have some things for you! Ten, to be exact.

My word for 2023 is nourish. Part of how that translates into real life for me is nourishment via feeding my voracious appetite for all kinds of different content. This constant need for input is how a writer’s brain (or at least my writer’s brain) is when in between projects. I never know where inspiration will come from—and often it’s from non-obvious sources—so I let myself chase mental whims.

The good news is that while I’m chasing, I run across things that I think might be worth sharing. Here are ten of them from the last couple of weeks that I thought were worth sharing:

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

I would give this book a million stars if I could. If you’re an artist or creative of any type (and aren’t afraid of philosophical books), get thee a copy. I think I underlined half the book. In fact, it inspired my latest post on my new Substack for writers. Speaking of which…

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I have a new Substack newsletter for writers called The Nourished Writer.

Warning: It is not all sunshine and rainbows about writing because I’m working through some things. :) But if you’re a fellow creative, maybe you’ll find some value there.

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I will watch anything Mindy Kaling is involved in.

I’ve talked about my love for shows that Mindy Kaling produced or wrote for like Never Have I Ever and The Sex Lives of College Girls, but I realized I’d never actually watched HER show, The Mindy Project. (There’s a whole chunk of TV I missed when my kidlet was a baby/toddler.) I am fixing that now. I’m only a few episodes in, but I’m really enjoying it!

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It’s okay to love “bad” movies (and books).

Y’all know I read random nerdy books. This week I’m reading Why It’s OK to Love Bad Movies by Matthew Strohl. If you’re considering it, read a sample because it uses some academic language and may not be for everyone, but I love digging into the weeds on things like this.

The “It’s so bad it’s good” effect can be a lot of fun, and he’s coming at it from a loving perspective instead of a “let’s make fun of this and tear it down” perspective. It makes me think of how this can be applied to books and specifically the romance genre. If you listen to the Fated Mates podcast, I feel like Sarah and Jen come at some books, especially older romances, with this loving, “it’s so over the top it’s fantastic” perspective. Like, of course, the pirate hero is also a secret werewolf and heir to a fortune! How could this go any other way?

So, don’t apologize for liking things the general public might deem “bad” or “trash” or “campy.” In The Creative Act, Rick Rubin says, “What’s considered art is simply an agreement. And none of it is true.”

Preach, Rick Rubin. Like what you like.

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Life lessons in books

I’ve started jotting down quotes from books that I think are applicable to life. Some are poignant, some are more humorous (but still true!). This week, I jotted down this one from Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House:

“I’m not as smart as you, but what I do know is that when spooky f***ing haunted dolls start writing messages on the wall, you should get the f*** out.”

Words to live by, my friends.

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I am enjoying these two shows:

Fleishman is in Trouble on Hulu- Once I saw it starred Clare Danes and Lizzy Caplan, I really didn’t need to know anything else. (Definitely don’t watch with your kids anywhere nearby though.)

Shrinking on Apple TV - I’ve only watched 2 episodes but I’m a sucker for a show about therapists. Plus, Harrison Ford as the grump is *chef’s kiss*

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Confession: I’ve read 12 books so far this year and none have been romances.

I’m sure I’m just in one of my normal reading slumps where I need different types of books, but I also think I’m just…uninspired by the sameness of the covers lately, so when faced with a row of them on my shelf or kindle, I’m kind of like…meh, nothing stands out. In traditional publishing, they’re all cartoons (including mine). In indie publishing, they’re stock photos (or cartoons) but often have a sameness to them as well. That’s not a criticism of any books in particular. Trends are trends for a reason. Sameness signals to readers that “if you liked that one, you’ll like this one” but lately, I’m just craving something different.

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I did not need to know that this recipe existed.

When we went to Boston, we had some to-die-for cannolis. Then America’s Test Kitchen sent me this recipe for how to make just the cannoli filling as a dip. DANGER, DANGER. (For some reason, it’s behind a paywall now, but that link will give you the ingredients. The instructions are to just mix it together and refrigerate for 30 minutes.)

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I got an early copy of this audiobook from Libro.fm and I am very excited.

Y’all know I’m a sucker for any story involving a true crime podcast. I even wrote a romance with a true crime podcaster (What If You & Me, which is free in Kindle Unlimited right now!). So, I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai sounds right up my alley, and books with podcast plots are often even more fun on audiobook so yay for an early copy. I’ll report back!

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Put things on your bucket list because you never know.

The husband got to live out a bucket list item this week. His company gifted him with a ticket to the Super Bowl (on his birthday week no less.) So, add things to your list because you never know! This is his I’m-so-happy-I-could-pass-out face. <3

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That’s all I have for you this week! I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day whether you’re celebrating it out or at home, alone or with friends or with your sweetheart! I will happily be on my couch with the fam…and probably some cannoli dip.

Have thoughts on anything above? I love hearing from you, so don’t be afraid to leave a comment! :)

*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.