"Few
pleasures, for the true reader, rival the pleasure of browsing
unhurriedly among books: old books, new books, library books, other
people's books, one's own books - it does not matter whose or where." ~ Aidan Chambers
I came across this quote a few days ago and it started me thinking. What if someone I didn't know well, and if they didn't know I'm a writer, came to my home and perused my bookshelves? I have a wide variety of books, fiction and non-fiction. It's those non-fiction tomes that make me wonder what that stranger would think.
Some of the more interesting titles in the non-fiction bookshelf are: The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, Crime and Detection, The Poisons and Antidotes Sourcebook, A Prisoner's Duty, Deadly Fighting Skills of the World, the US Army Survival Manual, Unarmed Combat Guide: Hand to Hand Fighting Skills, Extreme Survival Guide, The Regency Underworld, The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes, various books about life in the Regency period, various books about WWII and Vietnam, and one lonely book about Egypt -The Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt.
Would the person think I just had an interest in a wide variety of subjects, or because of those first few books I listed think I'm looking into ways to exact revenge on someone and not get caught? Given those first few books I listed, would they think I'm sympathetic to military type survivalist groups?
Then I started thinking if my bookshelf might cause someone to wonder about what type of person I am, what would they think if they could see what I've looked up on my internet search history?
Do you have any books on your shelf that might make a stranger think twice about you?
Monday, October 13, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
This I know for sure...
One of the things I look forward to every fall is making apple butter with my mom. We didn't make it last year. Time got away from us and before we knew it, the holidays were here. With all the hustle and bustle that comes with them, there just didn't seem to be enough time to spend a day making the apple butter. All of my other family members were just as disappointed as I was. They usually each get a jar when they come for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
This weekend we're going to a local apple farm and picking the apples we need. The weather is supposed to be bright and sunny and in the high 50's - perfect fall weather. I'm going to try and talk her into making pumpkin butter this year too. We've never made it before. Wish me luck. :o)
This weekend we're going to a local apple farm and picking the apples we need. The weather is supposed to be bright and sunny and in the high 50's - perfect fall weather. I'm going to try and talk her into making pumpkin butter this year too. We've never made it before. Wish me luck. :o)
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): I revised the first five chapters, eliminating some wordiness and adding depth to the characters. (I hope. ;o) )
News from the publishing world: An interesting article, but I'm not sure I agree with the concept. Reading is very subjective. Link: Crowdsourced Editing
Quote of the week: "The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one's destiny to do, and then do it." ~ Henry Ford. While everyone has his or her own definition of success (mine is a bit different than what's stated here), I liked what this quote conveyed.
Health news: According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine a strong mid-section can help ward off ACL tears by absorbing the brunt of the force on your joints and bones during a high-impact workout. As someone with really bad knees, I found this to be interesting.
Random things: The snapdragons I've been nurturing all summer long have finally started to flower...in September. I guess it is true that good things come to those who wait.
Random photo of the week:
My current WIP (work in progress): I revised the first five chapters, eliminating some wordiness and adding depth to the characters. (I hope. ;o) )
News from the publishing world: An interesting article, but I'm not sure I agree with the concept. Reading is very subjective. Link: Crowdsourced Editing
Quote of the week: "The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one's destiny to do, and then do it." ~ Henry Ford. While everyone has his or her own definition of success (mine is a bit different than what's stated here), I liked what this quote conveyed.
Health news: According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine a strong mid-section can help ward off ACL tears by absorbing the brunt of the force on your joints and bones during a high-impact workout. As someone with really bad knees, I found this to be interesting.
Random things: The snapdragons I've been nurturing all summer long have finally started to flower...in September. I guess it is true that good things come to those who wait.
Random photo of the week:
This car was parked outside my local bank.
Monday, October 6, 2014
But It's Important
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the friend of a friend if I'd mind looking over the first thirty pages of the person's novel. *The writer wanted a fresh set of eyes to look it over. As a way of giving back for all the help and advice I've received over the years from other writers, I gladly said I'd be happy to look at the pages.
The story is a paranormal romance revolving around a jaded woman who hunts down mystical creatures and the leader of a group of Scottish bear shifters. (The writer has a much better tag line than this.) Intrigued by the premise, I couldn't wait to start reading. Fifteen pages in, I was bored to pieces. Twenty-two pages in, my eyes were glazing over. How did this great sounding book become so boring?
Back story. Lots and lots of back story. The story started out telling the reader everything about the heroine whom I'll call Thea. We learned about Thea's childhood, her family, where she went to school, all the crappy experiences she had with men, about her quirky best friend and his family and how they met. We also learned how she came to be a mystical hunter. After a page break, we learned about the hero whom I'll call Bruin. We learned the history of his clan, how they came to be shifters, the hierarchy of the clan, Bruin's family, how the death of his father at the hands of a hunter affected him, and on and on and on.
Starting on page twenty-three, there's a scene where Thea and her friend are hiking. They're suddenly attacked by a black formless shadow. Thea is barely able to hold the entity at bay, her strength is weakening, her friend dying from his wounds when Bruin arrives in his shifter form and saves them. This scene is so well written, I can hear the sounds of her friend's cries of pain, smell the forest, taste Thea's fear. The pacing is incredible.
When I told the writer the story needed to start with that scene on page twenty-three, that all those other pages were filled with back story. She kept repeating, "but all that stuff is important," or "the reader needs to know..."
I explained back story is important. Sometimes it explains a character's motivation or why they act the way they do. But only the relevant back story should be included. Does it matter to the story where the character when to school or who her first boyfriend was? If not, it should be left out. Also never, ever dump all the information you want to give the reader in one large chunk, especially at the beginning of a story. It's a sure fire way to get a rejection letter from an agent or editor.
If you have back story you want to convey, drop it into the story in bits and pieces. There are so many ways to do it -- through dialogue, narrative summary, flashbacks (keep these to a minimum) and perhaps the least popular way to do it, by using a prologue. Personally, I think dialogue is the best method. You can have characters reveal the important parts of their back story through conversation although you have to be careful to limit how much you say at one time otherwise the dialogue can become unwieldy.
The writer sent me her revised pages this past weekend. All I can say is Wow! She took out nearly all the back story and now the story opens with the attack scene and continues at a breakneck pace leaving the reader breathless and craving to know more. She included in her email that at first she didn't agree with me, but decided to rewrite the opening and show it to her critique group. She received raves and wanted to thank me for pointing her in the right direction. Realizing the members of her group suffer from the same problem, she's shared what I taught her with them.
That's one of the great things about writing, sharing what you learn with other writers and paying it forward.
(*This blog was written with permission of the unnamed writer.)
The story is a paranormal romance revolving around a jaded woman who hunts down mystical creatures and the leader of a group of Scottish bear shifters. (The writer has a much better tag line than this.) Intrigued by the premise, I couldn't wait to start reading. Fifteen pages in, I was bored to pieces. Twenty-two pages in, my eyes were glazing over. How did this great sounding book become so boring?
Back story. Lots and lots of back story. The story started out telling the reader everything about the heroine whom I'll call Thea. We learned about Thea's childhood, her family, where she went to school, all the crappy experiences she had with men, about her quirky best friend and his family and how they met. We also learned how she came to be a mystical hunter. After a page break, we learned about the hero whom I'll call Bruin. We learned the history of his clan, how they came to be shifters, the hierarchy of the clan, Bruin's family, how the death of his father at the hands of a hunter affected him, and on and on and on.
Starting on page twenty-three, there's a scene where Thea and her friend are hiking. They're suddenly attacked by a black formless shadow. Thea is barely able to hold the entity at bay, her strength is weakening, her friend dying from his wounds when Bruin arrives in his shifter form and saves them. This scene is so well written, I can hear the sounds of her friend's cries of pain, smell the forest, taste Thea's fear. The pacing is incredible.
When I told the writer the story needed to start with that scene on page twenty-three, that all those other pages were filled with back story. She kept repeating, "but all that stuff is important," or "the reader needs to know..."
I explained back story is important. Sometimes it explains a character's motivation or why they act the way they do. But only the relevant back story should be included. Does it matter to the story where the character when to school or who her first boyfriend was? If not, it should be left out. Also never, ever dump all the information you want to give the reader in one large chunk, especially at the beginning of a story. It's a sure fire way to get a rejection letter from an agent or editor.
If you have back story you want to convey, drop it into the story in bits and pieces. There are so many ways to do it -- through dialogue, narrative summary, flashbacks (keep these to a minimum) and perhaps the least popular way to do it, by using a prologue. Personally, I think dialogue is the best method. You can have characters reveal the important parts of their back story through conversation although you have to be careful to limit how much you say at one time otherwise the dialogue can become unwieldy.
The writer sent me her revised pages this past weekend. All I can say is Wow! She took out nearly all the back story and now the story opens with the attack scene and continues at a breakneck pace leaving the reader breathless and craving to know more. She included in her email that at first she didn't agree with me, but decided to rewrite the opening and show it to her critique group. She received raves and wanted to thank me for pointing her in the right direction. Realizing the members of her group suffer from the same problem, she's shared what I taught her with them.
That's one of the great things about writing, sharing what you learn with other writers and paying it forward.
(*This blog was written with permission of the unnamed writer.)
Friday, October 3, 2014
This I know for sure...
"Books
provide solace during hard times, pleasure during good times; they can
inspire you...and comfort you, and educate you, and infuriate you." ~
Anne Stuart
I love the above quote. Maybe I like it so much because it describes how I feel about reading and books. I've learned so much from books. I've reached for a favorite novel to read again and again when things aren't going well. Doing so not only provides solace, but comfort, allowing one to leave behind worries and problems. Sometimes we all need that break, that escape, even if it's only for a short time.
I love the above quote. Maybe I like it so much because it describes how I feel about reading and books. I've learned so much from books. I've reached for a favorite novel to read again and again when things aren't going well. Doing so not only provides solace, but comfort, allowing one to leave behind worries and problems. Sometimes we all need that break, that escape, even if it's only for a short time.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): As much as I hate to admit it, I've hit the wall at about 50 pages before the end. I've tried various ways to get past the problem with no luck. Rather than get nothing accomplished, I've started the revision process and hope that by the time I get to the end, the words will come that will tie up the story and all the loose ends.
News from the publishing world: More information regarding publisher, Ellora's Cave. Link: Trouble at Elloras Cave
Quote of the week: "Books provide solace during hard times, pleasure during good times; they can inspire you...and comfort you, and educate you, and infuriate you." ~ Anne Stuart This quote perfectly described how I feel about books and reading.
Health news: According to Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, many people grossly underestimate the amount of sugar in fruit juice, sometimes by 550%. For example, certain brands of apple juice can contain the same amount of sugar as a soft drink. (As a juice drinker myself, I'll be keeping a closer eye on the sugar content of the juices I buy in the future.)
Random things: There's nothing like enjoying a cup of hot apple cider after you've spent a beautiful autumn day picking apples right from the tree.
Random photo of the week:
The first homemade pumpkin muffins of the fall season. Unfortunately, they were raided before I was able to take a photo.
My current WIP (work in progress): As much as I hate to admit it, I've hit the wall at about 50 pages before the end. I've tried various ways to get past the problem with no luck. Rather than get nothing accomplished, I've started the revision process and hope that by the time I get to the end, the words will come that will tie up the story and all the loose ends.
News from the publishing world: More information regarding publisher, Ellora's Cave. Link: Trouble at Elloras Cave
Quote of the week: "Books provide solace during hard times, pleasure during good times; they can inspire you...and comfort you, and educate you, and infuriate you." ~ Anne Stuart This quote perfectly described how I feel about books and reading.
Health news: According to Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, many people grossly underestimate the amount of sugar in fruit juice, sometimes by 550%. For example, certain brands of apple juice can contain the same amount of sugar as a soft drink. (As a juice drinker myself, I'll be keeping a closer eye on the sugar content of the juices I buy in the future.)
Random things: There's nothing like enjoying a cup of hot apple cider after you've spent a beautiful autumn day picking apples right from the tree.
Random photo of the week:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)