Book as talisman

Yesterday, I went to Half Price Books and sold some books,including a few grad school leftovers that I had never read and most likely never will and a couple from past projects that I will not be resurrecting. I made almost $50, which really surprised me. I was expecting maybe $20. The book buyer said that I had brought in titles they don't see often on the north side of the third tier city I currently reside in.

While I waiting for my "offer" to be formulated, I found a used copy of "Words Fail Me" by Patricia O'Conner. She provides a conversational romp through common writing pitfalls and using semi-ridiculous, illustrative examples, she demonstrates what not to do. It reminds me of a book I bought while writing my dissertation. Years later, I don't remember the name, but it had something about finishing a dissertation in the title. I remember the power I derived from that little beige book. It was filled with brief motivational nuggets and strategies about just getting the damn thing done. I found that in addition to the actual advice, just having bought the book was beneficial. I was having trouble writing up and the book validated my membership in the group "dissertators." One of my many obstacles while writing up was the imposter syndrome. I knew that I shouldn't be there and it was just a matter of time until my department realized that and booted me from the program. My book was a shield against imposter syndrome. I knew that I was not the only one that felt this way and struggled with the same nagging issues.

I did finish. At some point I gave the book to a friend when she was struggling. As I gave it to her, I said this is full of hoary bromides that you see on a poster of kittens at the dentists office, but it works. My friend, one of the most cynical people I know, nodded and said "I'll try anything." She read the book and held on to it for awhile. She also finished and I am sure passed the book along to some else.

"Words fail me," is serving the same dual purpose--it has practical writing advice, and possessing it indicates to me that I am serious about improving my writing. I am hoping/assuming that a by purchasing and reading the book, I will validate my seriousness as someone who will write fascinating pieces and get paid for it. Believe me, if I hadn't used this type of crutch before, I would not be expecting it to work now.

This morning I found a carefully clipped Hints from Heloise column, dated Feb. 2000, in the pages of the book. The column is about hard boiled eggs--a reader wants to know how to peel hard boiled eggs without having the shell stick to the egg. Heloise provides a peeling method involving cold water and cracking the shells. At the end of her advice, she supplies a tidbit about the origin of the name "deviled eggs," and how it actually came from the addition of canned deviled ham. What a way to ruin one of my favorite foods.