Skip to main content

Selected Writings


This blog would seem to be the suitable place to officially announce my new book. I say that because it is culled from the writings here over the past ten years. It is titled, Decade: Selected Writings (2011-2021). Call it a greatest hits, if you will.

As mentioned in a recent post, I've been writing since I was in single digits. It has, however, been awhile since I've actually finished something. Life often gets in the way. It takes focus and discipline to sit down and write. This blog has served as somewhat of a workaround for that. I can typically work-up one of these posts in under an hour, so it serves as a bit-size way for me to engage in a pastime I love, preventing the skills from dulling, while not taking-up a whole lot of time.

In February of this year, the blog celebrated its first decade. Ten years is one of those milestones, isn't it? I took stock, saw that I had written over 700 posts, and thought that maybe there could be a book in there somewhere? So, the back-half of 2021 has been spent reviewing all ten years of the blog, choosing the posts I liked the most, then doing a read-through of them for editing purposes, ensuring I liked them well enough to collate them into book form.

In the end, 50 of the over 700 blog posts made the cut. There's also an additional, special, revelatory, and very personal post that's included, only in the book. I debated how to organize the entries -- should they be grouped by topic? I tried that, initially, but scrapped the idea after awhile. Instead, the entries are in chronological order. The topics are, much like the blog itself, a cross-section of subjects and ideas. If you find this site interesting, you'll hopefully find the book engaging, as well. And, if not, well what are you doing reading this in the first place?

I've debated how to make the book accessible. The publishing service I'm using offers the options to have the book made available for sale across various web sites. It can also just be printed, on-demand, for the author. I've decided to go with the latter option, partly because it is such a personal project, and also because, well, it's technically available for free online already (this blog). To that end, the book is available from yours truly, at no charge. All you have to do is ask.

____________

If you are interested in reading Decade: Selected Writings (2011-2021), then please let me know by one of the following ways:

- sending an e-mail with your name & address to: MattGladneyBooks@gmail.com. Once I get your order, a copy will be mailed to you (if you live far away).

- leaving a comment on one of the social media links to this blog post (Facebook, or Twitter) if we're able to see each other in real life, and I'll drop-off a copy for you in-person.

Copies will be available in early December.

____________

Earlier I mentioned how it takes focus and discipline to sit down and write. That is true, though it also takes prioritization. That's where we often fall down and make excuses in life -- not making things (or people) a priority. That said, I've made it a point to try and focus more on my writing. It's an important part of who I am -- always has been. I just have to make the space for it in-between working full-time, serving in elected office, having a partner, co-hosting a podcast, exercising, and keeping-up some form of social life.

With that, hopefully this will be the first of many books to come.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Orby-D

Twenty-four-years ago today, we lost one of the greatest singers of the rock & roll era. While Roy Orbison will be forever known in the pantheon of rock/pop legends, for me he will always be the voice that I melded with during turbulent high school years, and that I love to this day. Roy Orbison wrote and (more importantly) sang about love. Mostly, it was tragic love, not the happy-go-lucky love that so many of his contemporaries sang about. No one could do depressive songs better than Mr. Orbison. This is probably why I identified with his music so much. I mean, we all have had our down times but, during high school, I'd cornered the market.
Post a Comment
Read more

Watching The Hours

A Twitter friend named Paula has asked for folks to submit ideas for a blog-a-thon about what we think will be the classic films of the future. In other words, what relatively recent movies (namely, from the 21st century), do we think will be considered classics in the decades to come, possibly airing on such venerable stations as Turner Classic Movies ? While a number of films come to mind for such a category, one in particular stood out from the rest, and thus is my entry for Paula's blog-a-thon.
5 comments
Read more

The Year in Music

There are times in your life when you will read or watch something, stop for a moment, and think to yourself: "This is truth. This is gospel, right here." For some, it may have been the first time you read the Bible, the Tanakh, or the Koran. For others, it could have been when you read self-help books such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , or Chicken Soup for the Soul . Still, for others, it's going to be this blog post right here. The truth is, dear reader, that 1993 was the best year for music. Full-stop. Some of you already know this. For others, it will be a revelation. Please, allow me to explain. Following are some of the albums released in 1993, with a bit of commentary from yours truly. During or after reading this, I think you'll agree that there's really no question anymore that 1993 was king. Ok, here we go.
Post a Comment
Read more