Comments on: Is technology bad for reading?

By: here

here — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:55:27 +0000

I love your wp design, where did you get a hold of it?

By: Conseils mode masculine

Conseils mode masculine — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:26:01 +0000

Velvet and lace go great together. Your hair is very long now and I discovered that you are wearing black, red and white colours these days (in your recent posts) , how about more colorful combinations eg pinks, jewel tones and brights ? They suit you very well also. And I love the light in your house a lot, very bright and sunny for taking photos.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:54:02 +0000

Hi Kim, sorry I missed your question earlier. It’s a good one and I think a lot of writers struggle with the concept of blogging. My advice is it depends. For nonfiction, it’s mandatory. For fiction, I think it helps if you are committed to it, enjoy it, and feel you can focus the time and energy it requires to make it valuable. To do it just for the sake of doing it isn’t effective and could have the opposite result. And there are other types of social media that you can spend time developing that could have the same or better results. We’ve blogged about this before, so check it out http://www.dystel.com/2011/08/is-blogging-worth-it/ and happy blogging if you choose to do it!

By: Kim Smith

Kim Smith — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:52:19 +0000

Okay… So, I’ve a question for you: Do you feel BLOGS are worth our times as writers?

Thinking of posting a few recordings, excerpts, and essays; but, the thought of “my blah blah blog” for the day feels time consuming.

Grateful for “others” who agent/publish and the like having their connectivity – but I just can’t bring myself to “BLOG”.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:20:29 +0000

Thanks to all of you for the thoughtful, insightful comments. I think the consensus is we all have to work a lot harder to read books, and that’s too bad.

The good news is that there are many of us still trying very hard to bring books of value to the marketplace so that there are a wide variety of wonderful options to choose from.

And I think it’s so critical to stress reading and the importance of books to kids. That’s really where it all begins, and teaching them to appreciate, enjoy and love books is the best way to ensure future generations of book readers.

Kids learn by example, so parents, read up!

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:13:56 +0000

It’s sad, but I think I read fewer books than I used to, even though there are more I want to read. There is just so much more on the Internet these days that I feel I have to keep up on–news, blogs, etc., in addition to social networks–and it impairs time I might have spent reading a good book. And it’s tiring. Sometimes I just have to cut out for a few days, but then I come back always feeling behind. I’m hoping we’re still in the period where we’re all, as a culture, getting used to new technology, and it will settle down and become a background part of our lives.

By: Kaitlyne

Kaitlyne — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:17:06 +0000

I can one hundred percent guarantee that the internet has decreased my amount of reading in a very, very significant way. I was one of those kids who always had a book in my hand and I read dozens a year. Now I’m doing good to read a dozen.

I’ve actually made an effort this year to read more, which has meant spending less time online, and while I’ve succeeded, I still spend more time checking for news articles on Yahoo than is anywhere near reasonable. I also am someone who doesn’t have a blog, doesn’t use Twitter, and who avoids social networking, so even in spite of not having those particular distractions, I still find myself lacking for time.

If I don’t make a very conscious effort to pull myself away from it, then I find myself having spent an entire day having done nothing of substance. I’m working on it, but part of my strategy is to just avoid the things that I know will make it worse. It may not make me any friends (I’ve been amazed at how often I haven’t been invited to get-togethers because I’m not on Facebook–people won’t just call or send an email anymore), but it keeps me a little more sane.

By: Ryan Field

Ryan Field — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:54:35 +0000

iDisorder sounds interesting. Sometimes you really do have to say, “enough.” I’m taking a break

By: anonymous

anonymous — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:06:35 +0000

I’m back. I turned off the computer right after my initial post and did not turn it back on until this morning. I checked email and then blocked it while I wrote. And guess what? I liked it. I don’t think I’ll do it every day, but it was definitely worth doing and I’m probably going to do it today too. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be either.

By: Heather Moore

Heather Moore — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:50:12 +0000

Between my “social media” stuff as an author, my Android, and my iPad, I feel like I’m pulled in a lot of directions. So it has been challenging. I’ve had to cut way back on blog reading, etc. over the past year so that I can get my word count goal done each day. (but here I am, reading your blog–of course it’s totally worth it). I have tried to keep up with reading regular books, and the Kindle makes it so convenient. Although there are times, when I turn everything off just to hold a read book in my hands and do some good old-fashioned reading