What is The Treasure Trove?
Short Answer: An Annotated Record of Readings
Long Answer:
I am a reader, a writer and a literary agent. I am also a writing craft junkie. One of my favorite things about graduate school, when I was getting my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, was that each semester I had to keep an annotated bibliography of everything I read. There were several benefits of doing so, the obvious being a record of all the books that I read. Another benefit was that keeping an annotated bibliography developed in me the habit of reading with a critical eye. Finally, it became a wonderful reference tool. By the end of my time as a student I had a list of several hundred books with notes about plot, structure, character, setting, writing style and tone, etc. This was (is) a fantastic tool for when I want to teach on specific aspects of writing craft.
But through the years I’ve lost the art of the annotated record. This sting of postings is my effort to revive the resource. It’s for me first and foremost—a record of what I’ve read, and a musing on elements of writing craft that have stood out to me as I have enjoyed each work. If others can benefit from it—wonderful! As artists, we all have something to learn from the work of others. Iron sharpens iron, art stands on the shoulders of giants, etc., etc.
How often will I post? I hope to record something from every book I read, but as my reading schedule is erratic, I am not sure how often that will be. But when I DO post, I would love for comments and dialogue (positive, kind, uplifting—the nature from which others can learn and benefit), and best of all, if the book I’ve highlighted sounds intriguing to you—go out and read it!
