The Devouring

Make a date with immersion

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

I was in the middle of several nights spent mainlining Olympics coverage when I read a short analysis by book marketing consultant, Dan Blank, on why people won’t/don’t simply read what your average creative writer (me) has on offer. His focus was books, and the media has been full of doomsday discussions on this point - people don’t read books anymore; they start, but don’t finish; they pile up TBR (to-be-read) possibilities and then, overwhelmed by it all, ignore them.

There are many culprits to blame - too many other demands on time and attention; too many pages/chapters/words; too little interest in “legacy media” forms, etc., etc.

But we binge the latest streaming drop - you know, the one “everyone” is talking about - hours and hours of butt-on-sofa time. We devote entire days to the Super Bowl, the Oscars. The Olympics goes for two weeks, but in consumption time, they may amount to a month of the average person’s sports intake.

Yeah, paper is old-school. E-readers lack attractive cover art-as-story to signal us from across a room or back into to what we’ve begun. Reading is less passive, harder to do with dinner or even a late-night snack. And people are conflicted - if you’re going to read, should you challenge yourself to more books or better stories, or optimally aligned themes, or the most knowledge to time investment ?

I am not a fan of the “more is better” American way in nearly every arena. But Blank says, “when people don’t read a lot, I think they are even more guarded about the time they spend reading. They want to ensure it will have a payoff.” As a counterpoint, he observes that the more we consume, the more we’re willing to take chances.

We might come across something “meh” as we eat or watch or take in loads of takeout, streaming, social media. But when its a drop in the bucket of our consumption, it doesn’t bother us.

As long as we’ve got more to immerse in, more to gobble down, we can handle something that’s just so-so. I wonder if the magic is a result of the devouring?

As I love the experience of taking in stories, whether curled in a chair or on a beach chaise or lying in bed, sitting in a theater, in front of the TV, or even at the dinner table, I think there’s something to an immersive dive into it. I believe I may even find magic there.

March is already a season for “madness.” It’s known for lion vs. lamb whiplash, for intensity in any number of ways, certainly this year. Why not dig into magic seeking with the vigorous immersion of the season. It is joyful to imagine what the delights we’ll gulp.

So, let’s do it!

List your loves, the things that wake you up, bring you joy; things that you can immerse in, repeat, devour, and then…make this month about embracing them and let me know about it!

Things I do or would like to devour:

• sunshine

• cappuccinos on Italian rooftops (or sidewalk/piazza cafes)

• French café crèmes, Vietnamese cà phê, British cream teas, subcontinental chais…OK, let’s say cafe culture in general, especially if I can write in my journal and look chic while doing it 😊 for the purposes of this month, I think immersing in it locally (or reading about it) sounds very nice!

• chewy mysteries

• stories with characters I’d like to be friends with (from The Thursday Murder Club to The Penderwicks to a bunch of Rosamund Pilcher’s or Sophie Kinsella’s protagonists)

• game nights with friends (Plus wine and snacks and laughter)

• charcuterie in almost any form

• cheese

• cozy getaways (ski cabin - check; beach bar - check; writing retreat - check)

• stories set in cozy getaways, including murder mysteries

• coming of age stories

• wind-in-hair experiences - skiing, skating, swings, boat rides

• puzzles

• mountaintops and, sure, I’ll include the hike up (or chairlift) too !

• warm stews

• thoughtful, introspective analysis

• mood-curated musical playlists - I am terrible at this, but please send me yours

• multicourse feasts - even the visual kind in period tv or film - I’ll eat with my eyes!

• stories about connection

• dancing

• travel

• signs of spring - daffodils, tulips, cherry blossoms, buds on trees, perky dogs

• cuddles

• musical theater; regular theater; theatrical storytelling

• salty potato chips, tortilla chips, nuts, pickles, popcorn, salted caramel…seasoning!

• chocolate

• lovely multi-part harmony

• gospel music

• color

• brand-new textiles - sheets, towels, clothing, etc

• historical detail, especially in visual video reimaginings

• art

• reading to learn

• reading to experience that “warm hug” feeling or follow a plot adventure, to experience a life that’s not mine, to try to make sense of the world, to seek and find solutions to the world’s pains and problems in the world, to challenge my faith, beliefs, and sense of what humans are capable of, and to travel whilst wrapped in a robe and snuggled in my armchair

• lyrical language

• mornings

• I could go on and on, but I’m excited to dive in (notice how few of these things might involve my computer?) Time to immerse, devour, go all in!

  

  Photo by Joshua Taylor on Unsplash