Scribbles & Munch

      So: what does a writer read?
      You may have noticed that I keep a regular page where I talk about the books I'm reading (it's on the left hand sidebar). My tastes are pretty eclectic, everything from commercial fiction to classics, non-fiction to kids' books. Lately I've been reading more non-fiction and classics, partly because they're good and - to be honest - partly to off-balance my other interests, which tend to be less sophisticated.
      To use a food analogy (because what other analogy would I ever bother to use), I am a woman who enjoys a 2008 Terra Blanca Cabernet Savingon paired with a cheese plate of Humboldt Fog, Rogue River Blue, and real Spanish Manchego...but every now and again I crave a root beer and a bag of "Cheetos." So in what are my literary vices? To be frank, I am a fiend for online comics.
      Which isn't to say an online comic can't be sophisticated. Some have simply marvelous artwork (everything from the monochrome Run Freak Run and to the culturally elaborate A Redtail's Dream), some are rich with literary influence (like the dark and whimsical Namesake), and some are socially and politically thought-provoking (consider the beautifully rendered Prince of Cats, or the visually eloquent comics of Colleen Clark). Then there are some I read because I'm hooked on the story, like Supernormal Step, Olympus Overdrive, Ava's Demon, and Toilet Genie (weird name, amazing comic). And finally there are those that simply crack me up, like Hubris, Skull Kickers, The Hero Business, and Axe Cop (best sibling collaboration EVER). These are some of my favorite comics*, and I like to ignore them for a few months and then binge on all the updates over an hour or two. It's one of my favorite things the interwebs has to offer!
      There are also comics I read every day they update. Daily, there is Sinfest: the first online comic I ever read, I have been devotee since 2001, and I've followed it with enthusiasm as it morphed from a Dudebro chuckle-fest to a passionate statement about women's rights (Tat, you are one of my heroes). I also read Sandra and Woo because I find it silly and witty, plus it updates on Thursdays (here's a hint to you online comic writers: try to update on off-days, because that's when readers get bored). My other regular read is Shotgun Shuffle, which I found amusing at first, then increasingly funny, and then made me into an undying fan with this mash-up of Forrest Gump and Star Wars. I mean seriously? GENIUS. I know people who have sold their soul for that level of creativity, and what they got out of the bargain doesn't come close.
      So why do I call these my "vices?" I mean, online comics are a far cry from, say, tobacco, or gambling with my life savings. But here's what they have in common: distraction. Once I decide to dip in and start reading a backlog of a good online comic, say goodbye to anything else on my list that doesn't require immediate doing, because it ain't gonna happen. I have had library books go overdue because I didn't finish them on time - library books I liked - because I was reading an online comic. I've snuck them into the loo for uninterrupted reading. And yes, I have read them at work while I was on the phone with clients...but only when the clients weren't saying anything important, I promise! 
      Other vices include cooking magazines, Indian food lunch buffets, and anime.**
      I suppose there are far worse vices one could have on the spectrum of things, but really it's not the activity, it's the fallout. My life requires strict regulation to resist falling into the bottomless pit of online comic reading. Take today, for example: I wrote about thirty pages on my novel, and then...then...Saint for Rent. *sigh* But what a great premise!
      So what are come of YOUR vices? And which ones should I try?


*I actually read, like, twice this many, but listing them all would make me feel like too much of a directory.

**No, I'm not going to tell you which ones! I can't have you losing all respect for me before I even get a short story published!