Are Writers Introverts or Extroverts?

I came across a Freshly Pressed blog post at Exploring Pixie that made me think about something.  What are writers and authors more inclined to be, introverts or extroverts?

In general, writing and creativity is generally an introverted trait, but certainly not exclusive to introverts.  Introverts tend to be quieter, although not always, and are less likely to be outspoken and wordy.  Writing gives introverts a way to express themselves in a more comfortable way, without being watched.

I am an introvert.  I always have been.  As a child, I was very shy.  As an adult, I’ve gone through a call centre job, requiring me to speak to many people, and later as a team leader at the same call centre.  That put me in the position of having to speak with authority, and even brief up to 50 people on a project.  I’d never spoken in front of that many people before that job.  And now, I’m an English teacher in Japan.  I spend my days talking to others.  Over the past 12 years, I have talked so much, that I’m sure people wonder if I really am introverted.  For example, when I played hockey, I was afraid of scoring a goal because I didn’t want any attention.

I’m the complete opposite now.  I write blogs, I am writing a book, I want people to see what I write.  I want that attention.  I want to interact with people.  Does this mean I’m an extrovert now?  Absolutely not!  I am still an introvert.  I prefer to listen than to speak.  I’m an observer, and I learn a lot about human behaviour from watching.  That has helped me a lot in my work as both a call centre team leader and an English teacher.  I can read people quite well and adjust how I speak with them.  I rarely ever have difficulty speaking with someone because I can quickly judge how they’ll respond.  I believe this can also help me with writing fiction.  I understand how people behave, so I can adapt this to my writing.

But I wonder, are writers more inclined to be introverted or extroverted?  I’d like some responses.  So please leave a comment.  If you’re a writer, are you introverted or extroverted?  Even if you aren’t a writer, I’d still like to know.  Thanks!

Incredible Home Libraries

I would like to share with you some amazing home libraries.  Last year, I wrote about my dream office/library, but I’ve found a website that features 37 home libraries that look great.  Some are incredible!  Take a look here, then come back here.

Finished?  Good.  So, which ones do I like?  I like many of them, but these ones stand out:

The first one looks nice and cozy.  It’s nothing really special, but I like the atmosphere.

The second one looks incredible.  I love the looks of it, and it’s very creative.  It can be a library and an office.  I believe this is a famous author’s writing studio, as I’ve seen this picture elsewhere.

I like the vertical one in the fourth picture.  It just seems to feel so open and lots of room for books.

The sixteenth picture with the bookshelves accessible from a raised platform on the wall looks interesting.  I like the looks, but I’m not sure about the comfort, though.

The eighteenth picture has bookshelves everywhere!  It’s modern, bright, and room for a huge number of books.  I really like this one.

The twenty-fifth library is huge.  Long shelves and an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows.  It feels more like a real library.

The twenty-seventh library appears rustic and comfortable.  I prefer modern, but this one just seems pleasant.

The twenty-ninth is very interesting.  It has two levels with a great shape.  The upper level is just bookshelves, while the lower level has windows all around, though bookshelves are placed in front of them.  Not sure how the sun will affect the books.

The thirty-second looks great.  It has a long, wood bookcase that curves along the wall and has comfortable-looking chairs.  It’s also pretty open and bright.  I like it.

I like the thirty-third, as well.  The shelves are all above everything, accessible by stairs.  I seem to like the libraries with high shelves.

Which do you like?  Do you have a favourite?  Leave your comments.

Book Review – The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe by Douglas Adams.  This version is from A Trilogy in Four Parts omnibus edition. It continues right where the first part left off, and it appears this is just one long continuous story. It’s a quick read, as it didn’t take me long to finish. As a comedy, it can’t be taken seriously.  It is pretty humourous.

The characters are mostly the same as before.  There are some new and some recurring characters, but the core remains the same.  Zaphod Beeblebrox is as crazy as ever, seeming like the star, rather than the main character Arthur Dent.  Arthur’s character is often serious and humourless, so doesn’t really stand out.  Ford Prefect continues as usual, and I would say he’s my favourite character at this point. He always finds something interesting in every situation.  Marvin the Android is very depressed, and didn’t care if he were destroyed.  He’s there for more comedy, of course.  Trillian actually seems pretty normal.  All around, a good cast with some surprising chemistry.

The story, originally a radio show, continues in this part with the search for someone important (I won’t say who). It leads to many different places, and as the title suggests, they go to the restaurant at the end of the universe, giving this part of the story a good dose of time travel. I found that there were a lot of coincidences, mostly concerning locations.  One of these coincidences involves the end of the story which may surprise some, but I guessed correctly what it was.  Ford is at his best in this segment.  It has me interested in seeing what happens next.  There’s a lot of time travel in part 2, but it’s handled well with a lot of humour.  I wouldn’t worry so much about time paradoxes, though.  You can’t take it seriously at all. I felt the story was stronger in this part.

While it’s funny, I don’t think it’s laugh out loud funny.  I felt like the story was crazier than the first part, but also better.  I really enjoyed it, especially the description of the restaurant.  When I saw the title, I was thinking the end of the universe was a location, which makes no sense.  It is a time, of course.  That makes much more sense.

I think this was a great installment.  I would highly recommend it to any science fiction fans who enjoy a good amount of humour. It is more complex than I expected, but it’s an easy read.  I enjoyed it better than the first part.  I’d have to give it a 4 1/2 stars.  Very enjoyable!

Freshness Burger – Lime Soda

A little quick one this time.  My wife and I went to Freshness Burger before visiting our daughter in the hospital (one reason I’ve been very quiet with blogging recently), and I ordered the Lime Soda.  Let me just say that their sodas are made with real fruit.  Not only do they put the fruit juice in the soda, they also put half of the fruit itself in!  It tastes really good.  I just wish there was more in the glass, and not so much ice.  Definitely try it.

This is some great lime soda!

Busy, busy, busy

Recently, I’ve had a bit of a slowdown in posts here.  Also, my writing has suffered for the same reason.  My wife started a new job, so our daughter started going to a nursery.  However, for the first half of April, she’d been sick, and that took up a lot of free time. But she’s healthy now!

With that said, I’m going to begin focusing on my book reviews and writing again.  I have 4 reviews to write, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Macbeth, The Arrival, and Ringworld. I also have to get the second draft of Part 1 of Journey to Ariadne completed and posted.  I won’t be posting first drafts after this.  Only second drafts.

I’d also like to announce a new project, one that doesn’t take up much time at all.  It’s called Mainichi Dokodemo Photography.  That means Everyday Anywhere Photography.  I take pictures with my iPhone daily and post them on the photo blog.  It takes only a minute.  So, head on over there and take a look!

Hidakaya – Chuuka Soba

I love ramen.  However, I didn’t have ramen.  I went to Hidakaya, a really cheap ramen restaurant that seems to have removed my favourite ramen from their menu.  However, I decided to have something similar, Chuuka Soba.  I usually had Chuuka Chashumen, which is basically soy sauce based ramen with pork slices.  Chuuka Soba is basically the same thing, except fewer pork slices and an added sheet of nori seaweed. Well, it tasted about the same, except for the lack of pork.  It also included some leek and bamboo shoots.  I like it, though it’s not a strong flavour.

Chuuka Soba.

I ordered the gyoza set, so it came with 6 pieces of gyoza.  The gyoza is your usual gyoza.  Not exceptional, but still decent.  You have to make your own sauce with the provided soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil.

Gyoza.

Overall, it only cost me 580 yen.  Pretty cheap!  It’s always nice to find a cheap place to eat that serves good food.  It’s also very popular.

Hidakaya. The sign on the left says “Chuuka soba. 390 yen”

Publishing Tips: Introduce Extras

Reblogged from Shannon A Thompson:

• 

25 days until the Minutes Before Sunset release. 

When I posted Shannon Summary: Six Months In, I received a lot of inquiries about how to bring more readers to your blog and/or novels. I thought about this for a while, and I've come to a lot of conclusions, but one of them in particular kept repeating itself: connect with our readers.

Read more… 366 more words

I really like this advice. I need to work more on connecting with other bloggers through blogs, but the extras thing is something I am going to do a lot of.