Geek Bookstore

So, it's finally happened, I've surrendered and given in to my inner geek. To those who may protest that my inner geek wasn't that deeply immerged, I protest! For the most part, I've been a mere dabbler in geekdom - watched some Star Trek, played Zelda for eight hours straight, read Harry Potter fan fiction to feed my addiction until the next book came out, but I've never made the jump to hardcore stuff.

Until I discovered the gateway drug know as Pandemonium Books, where I met this guy :
It started innocuously enough. I was reading David Eddings on the train, when I struck up a conversation with a nice man who told me I could find the book I was missing from the series by visiting this bookstore in Central Square.

I walked through the door, and a little threw shot through my spine - here was a whole bookstore dedicated to what is usually regulated to a tiny corner in the back of Barnes and Noble.

It shames me to say that the only genre I like to read is SciFi/Fantasy, and I could really skip the whole SciFi part. I feel like I'm not a truly literate person, because I ought to be curling up to War and Peace or something else written by a foreigner.

In any case, I pick out my selections, and as I'm checking out, I get asked by the man pictured above if I'd like become a member.

"It's free," he said in that monotonous yet expressive tone that only hardcore nerds are able to affect.

"Free!" I squealed. I'm still working on my tone.

Membership meant that after I spent a $250, I'd get a free $25 coupon for the store. Considering that the books I was purchasing cost less than $4 each, I know it it would take awhile to reach my goal, but what was the harm?

Then I was offered the newsletter.

The newsletter contained all the hip happenings taking place in the store, like gaming, parties, author book signings, gaming, forums, gaming, singles parties, gaming and gaming.

I know I should say no, but I couldn't. Something in my soul cried out to be unleashed!

"Sure, send me the newsletter," I said.

I walked out the door with my books in hand, but I knew that I lost more than $8.95. I surrendered to the dark side, baby, and I could never go back.

Writing

I just finished reading my lastet issue of World Magazine. This was their "2008 Books" issue, which, after their "Year in Review," is my favorite.

I like seeing all the new books coming out. It always boggles my mind how many people are writing down stories and actually getting them published! This has been a semi-secret dream of my for years.

It's also a dream that I secretly think will never be actualized, because I'm incapable of finishing any story that I start. I think the problem is 1. I have a short attention span, and 2. I'm overly critical of my first drafts, mainly because they're pretty terrible.

And yet, pretty terrible books are published all the time. My personal theory is people with personalities that enable them to complete projects aren't always the most creative storytellers. I see the opposite in the webcomic world. I'll find a really great story that has drawn me in completely, only to despair as it slowly disappears from lack of updates.

But when you can combine the driven with the creative, something really great can emerge. A story that wraps itself around you and make you a little different for having had read it.

So how do you do it?