04: Cognition and Words
Or, what's up and what's thinking!
I just published this blog post about “basal cognition”, which is explained in the post itself, and since I did, nearly an hour ago, I have been pointed to a couple of other interesting resources. First is the non-fiction work In Search of Memory by Eric R. Kandel (affiliate link). I haven’t read it yet, but it is available from the public library (yay libraries!), so I will do so soon. Probably in the next month or so. Thanks to the fine fellow writers in the Just Keep Writing Discord server!
What’s next? I plan on writing a blog post each month, and I have several topics already lined up. I also plan on sending out one of these newsletters via Substack every two weeks or so. We’ll see how well I keep it up. I promise not to spam you. If you think of topics I should write about, please do comment and let me know.
What’s Going Into My Head:
Or, what I’m reading right now.
I just finished A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen. It’s a delightful story about two people who find love while stuck in a time loop. Highly recommended. Now I’m reading, fiction-wise, The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis. Connie Willis is one of my favorite writers; her fiction ranges from the absurd to the deadly serious, and I appreciate that, since my own fiction does the same thing.
I’m also reading The Gospel According to Tolkien by Ralph C. Wood. In this book, Wood argues that The Lord of the Rings and other works by Tolkien display deeply Christian themes, and demonstrates his thesis throughout. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, of course, and that probably did inform his writing. I’m not sure I agree with everything Wood’s written so far, but it’s an interesting book.
What I’m listening to:
Mostly, movie soundtracks. I listened to the soundtracks to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as to The Theory of Everything and Oppenheimer. Also podcasts. Various podcasts, such as the above-mentioned Just Keep Writing, which is definitely one of my favorite writing podcasts.
That’s all I’ve got for now. As I said, I plan on posting every other week or so. If you object, let me know. If you want more, let me know that too!
Take care all, and thanks for reading!