A free John Burroughs printable art print on books

A free printable art print with the famous John Burroughs quote on books: “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”


When I was 21, I walked into the lobby of Simon & Schuster for the first time. I remember stopping to look at the lit glass displays of books lining the front hallway and thinking “Wow. This is where they make them. I’m going to be working on books.”

Books. The word still has magic for me.

I remember the first time a Senior Editor handed me a manuscript as an editorial assistant and said, “Here. You edit this one.” I thought even the word “manuscript” was amazing–here I was, a very regular girl from suburban New Jersey, working on a manuscript. For a book. Those two words were so sweet, and I loved rolling them over in my mind like a jolly rancher.

At that first editorial assistant job, I had amazing women mentoring me, and they actually let me do books–they let me acquire a big book from Animal Planet; they let me have my own list of authors; they never once put me through the phone-answering and schedule-handling years that most assistants have to go through.

I couldn’t believe how cool their jobs were. So I decided right then: I was going to be a Senior Editor by the time I was thirty. That was my goal, and I was going to get there, have that job, and do all the exciting things the editors I admired were doing.

In two weeks, I turn thirty. I’m not a Senior Editor at a publishing house–even better, I’m a Literary Agent to a whole crew of authors I get to call mine. I get to do all those exciting things that go into making a book, and I get to live a life that seems more awe-inducing by the day. It’s a little weird, honestly. It makes me sappy just thinking about how very good it all is.

Tomorrow, Jarrett and I leave for a week in El Salvador with Habitat for Humanity. I don’t have a clue what to expect–I mean, guys, I have a desk job. I’m an Olympic level sitter. With a bronze medal for lying on the couch and reading.

I’m going to be a puddle of wobbly bits by Day 1, but if I can squeegee myself back together, I’ll be back next week to catch up with you all. But in the meantime, here’s a new printable art print to tide us over and add to our collection! Last week I wrote about how much I love this John Burroughs quote:

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

And so I turned it into an art print, so we can all stare out the window and daydream about having the gift of enough time.

john burroughs quote books printable

Click here to access the archive & download this free John Burroughs quote art printable!

 

Get one free tip for reading more + living better each week!


The c&b gift guide is here!

By the way, if you’re feeling like you don’t have enough time and the holidays are getting stressful, my 2017 Gift Guide for Writers and Book Lovers is just what you need. It shows you how to give–or ask for–the gift of time. It’s perfect for ending the year on a creative note and then starting the new year feeling replenished and reinvigorated.

Click here to check out the 2017 Gift Guide for Writers & Book Lovers!

 


We’ll be back next week with publishing links and dinner plans, but if you want to follow along on our trip to El Salvador, follow me on Instagram!

Cheers!

 

What book lovers really want: 3 ways to gift time this year

A gift guide for book lovers to gift experiences instead of gifts–these perfect day packages will make it a blissful holiday and very Merry Christmas for the bookworm in your life!


“What do you want for Christmas?” I was asked this last week, and I froze like a deer in headlights. Not one thing popped into my mind.

Well, that’s not true. One thing did pop into my mind:

Time.

When I thought about what I wanted—really wanted—it was more time. Time to spend browsing through a bookstore without feeling rushed. Time to wander through Whole Foods instead of marching through my shopping list. Time to have nothing on the agenda but reading a book and taking a walk and cooking a very nice dinner for myself.

None of that is expensive, but all of that is elusive.

That’s why I’ve always loved this John Burroughs quote:

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

Since it’s gift guide season, I wanted to do something a little different and share 3 ways you can give the book lovers in your life the gift of an experience.

I know I’m not the only one who feels like the things they most love get pushed into the margins of the day. And I’m sure we all know someone who works hard and selflessly for others and deserves one whole day of their own favorite things.

best gifts for writers

These gift ideas are perfect for:

  • The busy mom or dad who has a hard time relaxing until everything is “done”
  • The constantly-behind writer who wants less rush and more joy in her writing practice
  • The book lover who never has as much time as he wants to binge read
  • The blogger or creative who wants to learn more skills but feels guilty spending money on herself
  • The person who has it all, or who values experiences over things

Read More

10 quotes that remind us how much we love books (+ free book art print)

The best famous writers’s inspirational quotes about life, writing, books, and reading.

I walked into my favorite bookstore last week, and I was immediately hit by a wave of relief. I stood at the front of the store, looking at a table covered in books, feeling a weight lifting from me.

There was something so luxurious and indulgent about having 15 whole minutes to take in the store, to wander from shelf to shelf and see all the beauty and knowledge bound up and displayed.  I had only a few minutes to pick up a gift before the parade of to-dos set in for the day, but as soon as I got that first breath of bookstore air, I stopped checking my phone and my clock.

i have always thought of paradise as a library quote art print

Isn’t there just something magical about walking in a bookstore? There’s something holy and sacred about it to me, and sometimes it catches my breath how good it feels. It feels like the whole world laid out before me, thousands of interesting voices and people and places and wisdom and adventures to pluck into an afternoon.

It reminds me why I believe in books, and it reminds me why it’s important that writers keep writing and keep sharing their work.

I also know how easy it is to lose sight of that.

Trust me: when you’re working on the nitty gritty of making a physical book, it’s easy to lose touch of that end payoff, that holding-the-book-and-feeling-the-magic moment that we all work so hard for.

But over many years of working on books and flowing through cycles of inspiration and overwhelm, I’ve found that there are other ways to keep the magic alive, even when you can’t get yourself some time to soak up a bookstore.

And by far, one of my favorite ways to get book inspiration is by scrolling through Pinterest (follow me there!) and finding inspiring quotes from writers and cute illustrations about the book lover’s life. (For instance, how cute is this book art?!)

The quotes, especially, give me such a jolt of remembering why I do what I do. And since I love saving my favorite inspirational quotes and turning them into book art, I created this printable art print with the Jorge Luis Borges quote, “I have always imagined paradise to be a kind of library.” You can download it for free here!

I have always imagined paradise as a library jorge luis borges quote

Download this free book art print here!

 

And in case you also need a little more motivation and inspiration today, here are my 10 best inspirational quotes about writing, as well as my favorite quotes about books and reading. I hope they remind you how good being a book lover can be!

10 Quotes That Remind Us How Much We Love Books

best quotes by writers about books

Read More

Free printable cards for writers: the perfect gift for writers!

These free printable cards for writers are perfect for your literary loved ones–check out all the printable cards for writers below!


Do you ever have one of those days where you feel down and even your favorite things–the things that always work–don’t stir even a single spark of joy?

I had a very bad, grumpy day yesterday where nothing seemed to go right.

The only shining spot in the day was a few kind, thoughtful words I heard that helped align me back to my softer, less harsh side.

I bet you know someone who could use some re-centering words, too. Maybe someone in the throes of rejection? Someone in the trenches of self-doubt? Someone too paralyzed by fear to take the first step?

I never seem to know just what to say when I want to cheer someone up, which is why I often rely on our old stand-by of paper and ink–the two best materials on the planet–to say it a little less confusingly.

printable cards for writers

That’s why I created these pep talk cards. These free printable cards for writers make the perfect gift for the writer in your life who’s down in the dumps and could use a scrap of kindness.

And of course, they’d make the perfect sweet little gift for your Valentine, your Galentine, or your Pupentine. (See what I did there? Dad jokes are no match for dog mom jokes.)

 printable cards for writers

These greeting cards are perfect for any writer, blogger, or creative in your life who’s feeling down-and-out about their work. You can print them out on nicely textured paper (this Classic White Laid Card Stock #100 is my favorite, but any paper you have lying around will work well, too), cut them out, and fold them into little greeting cards.

You can use them two ways:

To use these printable cards for writers for yourself:

When you’re feeling inspired, motivated, high on life, just all around on top-of-the-world, write yourself a note about how it feels and why it’s worth it. Scribble down why you have so much to be proud of and how very good those triumphs feel.

Then tuck it away until that rainy day when rejection comes calling. (But tuck it away someplace you’ll remember, because I know I would lose it in a flat second.) When you have that day where you feel defeated, depressed, and very, very done with it all, pull out your card and sit with it awhile. Remind yourself that this feeling will pass, and you don’t have to be so hard on yourself until it does.

You can print 10 pep talk cards and sprinkle them around your house, or do just one at a time when the mood strikes you. As long as your little card makes you feel a bit less alone and sad, it’s doing its job in the world.

printable cards for writers

To give these printable cards for writers to a friend:

Know a friend going through a rough patch or creative drought? Sending her a cheer-up card will probably mean more to her than you can imagine.

Just last week I was curled up on the couch after work, moaning to Jarrett about how overwhelmed I am (the oldest and most boring story ever told). Then he handed me a package that had just come in the mail. It was a gift! For me! From an author! (My actual reaction had many, many more exclamation points than this.)

But that small little gift and the thoughtfulness that went into it cheered me right up. You have the power to do that for someone else, too.

So go right ahead, print these bad boys out, and go cheer up someone who’s having a rough day. They’ll love ya for it.

Click here to access The Library and download these free printable cards!

 

 


5 quick reads for the week:

  1. This exercise is an important way to focus on what makes you happy in your daily life, plus it makes a great writing prompt.
  2. My fellow blogger and friend Kristen Kieffer is creating her first book on writing, and I love her model of letting readers sponsor her work! Now we all get to feel like mini Medicis.
  3. If you haven’t seen this yet…get ready for the ultimate cheer-up.
  4. The phrase “warmest and bubbliest baked pasta dishes” will always get a click from me. No matter how over pasta I might be.
  5. Yikes.

What we’re eating this week

Remember last week when I quit cooking forever and forever aka the whole week?

I’ve been in a drought of inspiration, which I’ll admit, was caused by eating pasta eleven nights in a row due to an ill-conceived Pasta Diet. Noodles and I need some time apart.

Thank God that my authors are much more talented and level-headed than I am, and that I can bum off of their fabulous dinner ideas. So this week I’m letting my friend and client Chungah Rhee tell me what to cook through her new book, Damn Delicious Meal Prep: 115 Easy Recipes for Low-Calorie, High-Energy Living.

It is SO GOOD. It is giving me life again. I want to cook every last recipe, as you can see:

 

Sunday: I got to eat waffles for dinner, and it was the most fun I’ve had all year! That may be a slight exaggeration, but the Protein Power Waffles brought me back to my happiest Eggo childhood moments. I added chocolate chips to mine, because I have unilaterally decided that chocolate is a protein.

Monday: The Ham, Egg, and Cheese Quesadillas from the breakfast chapter, which are so wildly easy yet delicious that I might need to make them every night for the rest of my life. Quesadilla Diet, here I come.

Tuesday: Chef’s night off, so we’ll eat…??????

Wednesday: Asian Garlic-Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which are so good and just the right amount of healthy and contain zero noodles. Check, check, check.

printable cards for writers

Thursday: It’s Valentine’s Day! Prix fixe menus are the scourge of the earth, so we’re staying home and Jarrett is cooking me something fancy.

Friday: The Thai Basil Chicken Bowls Chungah demoed on the Today show, which let me tell you, were the perfect amount of heat. (Watch the clip to see what I mean…)

Happy Valentine’s Day, all!

Get one free tip for reading more + living better each week!