Always quirky, sometimes sweet speculative fiction

Flags and Non-Fiction

Fluro Quilled Echidna

I love reading non-fiction. It feels like I’m resetting my brain. Every second page gives me an idea ranging anywhere from just a little thing I can slip into one of my stories to create some authenticity to entire stories that revolve around that one thing.

Whenever I read a book I know is going to spark my creative fires I keep a stack of post-it note flags beside me. Post it note flags let me quickly write the title (or working title) of the story the idea will most likely go in and a little bit about the idea in case it leaks out of my brain in the flood of other ideas. Of course the problem is some of my non-fiction books end up looking like a fluro quilled echidna, case in point pictured here, and I’m only about half way through.

I also like to read non-fiction just to learn new things. Fiction makes me marvel and question and ponder more philosophical things usually, but non-fiction tends to teach me and inspire in a different way.

I read to be inspired, regardless of fiction or non-fiction labels. How about you?

2 Comments

  1. Jessica

    Yes! I read to be inspired and I read all manner of mon-fiction books. Often simultaneously. I like your note-taking system. 😉 I do my share of light underlining or bracketing in the margin with a mechanical pencil – if it’s my own book. I picked up the habit in graduate school. But I loath hand writing so if I want to write an idea or copy a quote, I either type it into the notebook in my iPhone or type it into my favorite Mac writing program – Scrivener – on my laptop.
    But non-fiction is an essential part of my reading. I find it very stimulating and sometimes motivating – giving me a spark I may have needed in some area of my life that I wouldn’t have found on my own.

    • Kirstie

      I love Scrivener, I just started using it a few months back. I haven’t used it for note taking just yet, though. It’s so convenient for finding scenes you want to alter/edit!

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