ON BOOKS AND WRITERS

For all blogmates game enough to have done the six weirdness meme a week or so ago — and may now be having regrets for revealing their uniquely strange characteristics — I say don’t sweat it. Check out instead the following five accomplished writers and their peculiar habits*:

- Henrik Ibsen hung a picture of August Strindberg, his mortal enemy, near his writing desk.

- Friedrich von Schiller couldn’t write unless his bare feet were immersed in cold water.

- Jack Kerouac wrote only by candlelight.

- John Steinbeck suffered from the fear of putting down the first line.

- John Cheever used to put on a business suit, leave his apartment, and go to his basement where he would hang his suit on a hanger and proceed to write in his underwear.

We may laugh at them now, but guess who in the end laughed all the way to the bank?

Speaking of writers, recently, I was tagged by a newfound blogmate, Ipanema of Lands End. Her meme is all about books. This, I must admit, has got to be the toughest meme yet only because I’ve read quite a few and to choose one title as the singular response to each of the following questions is absolutely tough. There were instances where I was convinced I was done, but only to go back to make some changes. At one point, it seemed like I was going through one of those neuroses common amongst New Yorkers.

Finally, I just had to say to myself, “Stop it! No more changes. Post the damn thing!”

So here are my responses:

One book that changed your life:

The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes -- absolutely the finest book on anger management.

One book you have read more than once:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – though small and a quick read, it is truly a feel good book.

One book you would want on a desert island:

U.S. Army Survival Manual – I’ve got to eat eventually.

One book that made you laugh:

356 Daily Instructions for Hysterical Living by Benrik – a celebration of one’s innate desire to be silly and frivolous, but too ashamed to admit it.

One book that made you cry:

Sophie’s Choice by William Styron – the challenge alone of reading it from start to finish can make any grown men cry.

One book you wish had been written:

The Deliriously Blissful Life, A Manual -- to be awarded at birth right after you get slapped on the butt by a masked, white-gowned stranger.

One book you wish had never been written:

The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels – it doesn’t work mainly because it lacks an understanding of/consideration for human psyche. Not their fault – when the book was published in 1848, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) wasn't even born and Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) was still a high school student.

One book you are currently reading:

The Passover Plot by Hugh Schonfield – more appropriately, a book I’m currently trying to finish reading

One book you have been meaning to read:

Freakonomics by S. Levitt and S. Dubner – if I could only find a copy here in Manila

Now tag five people:

Since it was a newfound blogmate that tagged me, thought it’d be fitting for me to tag other newfound blogmates as well for this meme. So here you are:

Aurea — Boxing, Grad School, Life…
Bugsybee — Blogging Bugs
Houseband00 — My Life With D (The Houseband Chronicles)
Ladybug — Of Law and Badminton
Wil — Miskina Ano Na Isip
Jhay - Pinoy Explorer

You may post your response on my comment box if you do not wish to post a separate entry of it on your site. Others who may wish to join in the fun can post your responses also on my comment box.

Have fun, y'all!

*Source: Art and Soul, 156 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit by Pam Grout