Category: Ink Ripples (Page 5 of 10)

September #InkRipples: Celebrating Banned Books

September 5, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Banned Books Week is coming up at the end of the month, so we thought it would be cool to talk about banned books for September #InkRipples. The American Library Association put together a video about the ten most challenged books in 2015 (their Banned & Challenged Books website has a ton of resources for parents, teachers, librarians, and book lovers).

It’s kind of strange that we have a week to recognize these books, that we need a week to do that. Let people read what they to read. Read things out of your comfort zone and learn something new or take in a new perspective. Monitor what your kids read and be ready to talk about the issues that might come up as a result. But don’t ban books or protest them. Just because something might make you uncomfortable, doesn’t mean there is something wrong with it. Check yourself, maybe it’s you that needs to be rethought.

Early on in my blogging days, I scoured my house to find all the banned and challenged books I owned. Then I draped myself in them and took a picture (you can see the original post here). I also talked about one of my favorite banned books THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. It’s been quite some time since I’ve read that one; I might have to pick it up this fall. What are some of your favorite banned/challenged books?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (September is all about banned books), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

August #InkRipples: The Problem with Guilty Pleasures

August 9, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

The problem I have with the term “guilty pleasure” is that I don’t think you should feel guilty for enjoying the things you like to do. Whatever you read, watch, or do in your free time is your business (so long as it’s legal and, ya know, not hurting anyone). Enjoy it. Embrace it. Forget those people who don’t approve of it!

I’ve watched plenty of movies and TV and read plenty of books that others might consider guilty pleasures, but I certainly haven’t felt guilty about it. I’m more likely to feel guilty about not doing something. (Like when I read a book while the boys are having quiet time instead of doing, say, the laundry.)

Okay, I might feel slightly guilty when I hide in the kitchen enjoying the last chocolate muffin while the boys are busy playing in the other room. A mom’s gotta have a treat once in awhile, and kids can be real mooches. At least I haven’t resorted to eating in the bathroom to be alone.

Time to fess up! What is something you enjoy that might be considered a guilty pleasure?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (August is all about guilty pleasures), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

The #InkRipples Inspiration Continues with Science

July 18, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m a bit of a science nerd at times. I have a layman’s fascination with astrophysics and love watching programs and videos, reading books, and visiting exhibits on the many topics it covers. (Long time readers of the blog may remember these classic science posts on the Large Hadron Collider, the Big Bang, and dark matter.) And that’s what brings you today’s #InkRipples moment of inspiration.

The boys joke that when they see too many cool things (i.e. trains, fire trucks, police cars, construction vehicles, and the like), their heads explode, complete with hand gestures and sound effects. I feel that way about science. It can make my head spin, but it’s an endless source of head-explosion moments…and inspiration!

The thing about science is that it can make you feel very insignificant, as it does in this video about how small we are in comparison to the largest known star. (I may have shared this video and the following one on the Observation Desk before, but they are totally worth a rewatch if you’ve already seen them.)

With information like that, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the large scale of the Universe and to think that nothing you could ever do in your puny, little lifetime could have any kind of lasting effect. So before you begin to despair, let me share this next video with you, which I think helps us to appreciate the intricate way we are all connected to each other and the Universe. When famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked what the most astounding fact in the Universe was, he head this to say:

So now I want to know what kinds of things induce your head-explosion moments.

Finding Inspiration from New Perspectives #InkRipples

July 7, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

For July #InkRipples, we’re talking about inspiration. Since there are so many things that inspire me, not only in my writing but also in my life, I decided to post something new each week. Since two of my writing friends have new books out next week, I’m all booked up with guest posts, so you’re getting two #InkRipples this week. (Lucky you!)

I love when I come across something that makes me think about the world in a different way. Science often gives me a new perspective on the world. I could probably write a bunch of posts about how science inspires me, and I might be coming back to that later this month. Language also has the power to change the way you experience something. It can be a turn of phrase, a metaphor, a way to use a word you haven’t seen before, an emotion evoked simply from the words on a page–so many aspects of language can open your eyes to something new.

The moment when you come across something, and say, “I’ve never thought of that before” or “how come I never thought of that before” or “I never would have thought of that, but this is really amazing,” those are moments of inspiration. When I came across the headline “What Do Tree Rings Sound Like When Played Like A Record?” (granted this isn’t a brand-new story, but I hadn’t seen it until recently), I was like, “What?” And then I listened, and I was like, “Wow!”

YEARS from Bartholomäus Traubeck on Vimeo.

July #InkRipples: A Dose of Musical Inspiration

July 4, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m an ideas person. There are so many things out in the world and in my own private world that inspire me. But instead of inundating you with a huge, random list of things that I’m currently feeling inspired by, I thought I’d drop one little ripple of inspiration in the inkwell each week in the month of July.

This a song that my whole family is loving right now called “Ophelia” by The Lumineers. The Prince makes requests for it, and I even overhead him singing it to himself in bed one night. “O-o-phelia…” The Boy claims he’s getting sick of it, but I think he still enjoys it. They both like to point out how in the video the guy dances in the street and that’s not safe!

It’s inspired a really solid story idea for a future novel. It’s a retelling of a very famous work. There will be a hurricane and mental illness and doomed love. I think. I may never write it. I get ideas all the time and whether or not I write it depends on how long it sticks around. So far this one seems to be sticking. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Anyone else digging this song? What’s been inspiring you lately?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (July is all about inspiration), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.