Last fall, as the weather turned cold and the economy turned harsh, I noticed an increase in orders at ChicagoWriter.com for our personalized bookplates. It seems people were staying in more with good books and building libraries with personal flair.
I began designing bookplates a couple of years ago as gifts for book-loving friends and family. As the designs outgrew my personal needs, I began offering them on the website. I figured that writers are natural book lovers.
Not always the same people who buy our books purchase our bookplates, but, happily, there seems to be a renaissance in collecting and maintaining personal libraries. And bookplates are a natural adjunct to proclaiming ownership of beloved titles.
As sales have increased, it was time to make a permanent space for our bookplates on the internet. So, today, BellaBookplates.com was launched. No books, no workshops, no consulting services. Just beautiful, bella bookplates.
Bella Bookplates are full color printed on self-adhesive paper. They come six bookplates to a sheet and sell for $3.00 per sheet. There are currently 36 designs and all can be personalized with your name. They're also great for gifts! And the best prices on the web.
The art of bookplate design goes back to the mid 1400s. I think it's time to revive the custom of putting our personal touch on an important part of our lives.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
08 April 2009
07 May 2008
Just Do It Write
Here's one of my favorite situations. You're at a cocktail party, dinner, or some other social event and someone asks you what you do for a living. When you tell them, the first thing they say is, "Oh, I could write a book, easy."
Been there?
In my younger, less published days, I would not so patiently attempt to explain to the person that writing isn't as easy as it looks. That the best writing entails endless hours of rewriting. That the hardest work begins when the manuscript is finished.
And the response I'd usually get was a smug look and a, "Guess you're not as good a writer as you thought you were."
Now that I'm a mature adult with an established career, I take a more fulfilling, immature conversation route.
"Oh, I could write a book, easy."
"Uh huh."
"Really. Writing's a piece of cake for me."
"Great. Do it."
"I would, but I don't have the time right now."
"Whatever."
Short and sweet. No arguments. No explanations. No wasted energy. Makes me smile.
This type of conversation illustrates the critical difference between writers and wannabe writers. The wannabes are all talk. They posture. They discuss their ideas. They lament their hurdles to getting their projects complete. But they don't write.
Writers write. They know that even great ideas require effort to complete. They know that energy spent discussing their writing depletes their stores of energy for actually writing. They don't make excuses, they just do it. They write.
It's great to want to be a writer. That's the first step. But to avoid getting stuck as a wannabe, it takes action. Start a journal. Start a blog. Start a story. Outline a chapter. Get the creative juices flowing. Get the writing process in place. Do it.
Just do it write.
Been there?
In my younger, less published days, I would not so patiently attempt to explain to the person that writing isn't as easy as it looks. That the best writing entails endless hours of rewriting. That the hardest work begins when the manuscript is finished.
And the response I'd usually get was a smug look and a, "Guess you're not as good a writer as you thought you were."
Now that I'm a mature adult with an established career, I take a more fulfilling, immature conversation route.
"Oh, I could write a book, easy."
"Uh huh."
"Really. Writing's a piece of cake for me."
"Great. Do it."
"I would, but I don't have the time right now."
"Whatever."
Short and sweet. No arguments. No explanations. No wasted energy. Makes me smile.
This type of conversation illustrates the critical difference between writers and wannabe writers. The wannabes are all talk. They posture. They discuss their ideas. They lament their hurdles to getting their projects complete. But they don't write.
Writers write. They know that even great ideas require effort to complete. They know that energy spent discussing their writing depletes their stores of energy for actually writing. They don't make excuses, they just do it. They write.
It's great to want to be a writer. That's the first step. But to avoid getting stuck as a wannabe, it takes action. Start a journal. Start a blog. Start a story. Outline a chapter. Get the creative juices flowing. Get the writing process in place. Do it.
Just do it write.
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