All Blog Posts Tagged 'reading' (108)

Reviews=Sales?

Ah, that is the question. And the answer is, who knows? But as usual, I have a few words on the subject.

First, as I said yesterday, a good review gives a writer confidence. That's good in meeting people and presenting a book effectively. It's no longer just my sister who loves the book. I can say, "Library Journal says..."

Second, I've run into libraries who use reviews as a weeding tool. If a book isn't reviewed in one of the "Big 3", they won't consider it. Since Five… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 4, 2009 at 8:18pm — 2 Comments

Writing Without a Reader Is Like Kissing Without a Partner

One of the guest stops on my Daughter Am I blog tour is the Second Wind Publishing Blog. I talk about a fan letter (well, fan email) I received, and cite a quote by John Cheever, “I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss — you can’t do it alone.”

Many writers don’t consider readers -- they write solely for themselves, or at least they say they do -- but often as I am writing a… Continue

Added by Pat Bertram on November 3, 2009 at 2:42pm — No Comments

THE END - or is it?

I was asked the other day how I feel when I tap out the immortal words THE END at the completion of a novel.

The timing of the question was quite eerie because I was just reaching the final pages of the copy edits of my latest DI Horton marine mystery crime novel Blood on the Sand which is being published by Severn House in February next year. It is the fifth in the Inspector Horton series.… Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on October 21, 2009 at 12:21am — No Comments

Ruined, I Tell You! I'm Ruined!

I've said it here before, so stop me if you've heard it: writing has made me into a very picky reader. Once upon a time I could enjoy a mediocre book: let myself slide into disbelief, allow a few terrible sentences to pass, ignore a character who has no flesh whatsoever. But now that I'm tuned in to the "how" of writing, I'm offended by writers who slack off, the way good doctors and good lawyers must be embarrassed and insulted by the Medicare-cheaters and ambulance-chasers in their… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 14, 2009 at 10:37pm — 3 Comments

Getting the Word Out (R)

This week I'm out doing library talks, and that means getting those ducks in a row. Do I have enough cards, books, handouts, and such? How will I look after a long drive on a hot day? And worst of all, will anyone care enough to show up?

Second-time authors aren't exactly hot properties, and while libraries are usually willing to let me do my schtick, there's no guarantee patrons will show up to watch. I combat the no-name problem by approaching with a theme rather than just "Come… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 22, 2009 at 8:59pm — 6 Comments

Two Good Ones

The best of all possible worlds: I'm reading two books that grip my attention. They both happen to be historical, which you might have guessed, but very different in focus. One is set in India in the early 1900s, and while I didn't think I'd be terribly interested, I am. The other concerns Jan Hus and the Reformation. I"m afraid I haven't even taken note of the authors' names yet, but I will pass them on when I finish the books.

What's nice is that I look forward to stolen moments… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 17, 2009 at 8:44pm — No Comments

What Do Non-readers Talk About?

I had dinner yesterday with cousins I see about once a year, always a pleasant experience. But we always end up talking about books. She has discovered Louise Penny, to her delight, and he was reading a Civil War alternative history trilogy in which the South wins and the historical detail is fascinating. I threw in everyone from Clive Cussler to...well, me.

My question in today's title is rhetorical, but another question follows. Is any pastime anywhere as thoroughly discussed as… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 14, 2009 at 9:55pm — 2 Comments

Is That All There Is?

Not surprising for those who read here regularly, I have a complaint about a book I just finished. WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE MENTION TO THE AUTHOR THAT THE PLOT DOESN'T RESOLVE?

I have every sympathy for the pressures put on authors to get the next book done, and I know from personal experience that a writer can leave big plot holes when there isn't time to let the thing rest in a drawer somewhere until he can look at it with fresh eyes. But surely those who have agents and editors galore… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 13, 2009 at 10:57pm — 3 Comments

1st page of my thriller »The Skin«

Finally! Read the 1st page of my thriller »The Skin« in ePub and Kindle Format.

Added by Christian Heinke on August 5, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Books I Have Loved

Someone sent me one of those quizzes where you have to do something that reveals, at least theoretically, the sort of person you are. This one asked for 15 books that have stuck with me, and the instructions were to make a list quickly, without spending a lot of time thinking about it.

It was an interesting mix that emerged, but just as interesting is the residual effect, where other books crop up that might have been included. How did I fail to include any of James Michener's works?… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 31, 2009 at 9:54pm — No Comments

It's All My Mother's Fault (R)

Really. I mean, the woman started reading me Edgar Allen Poe when I was still too short to reach the kitchen faucet and get my own drink of water. She would often appear in our bedroom doorway with a book and share a snippet of poetry or prose that had grabbed her imagination, and it was usually something spooky. She talked about words and the usage of words, why things were better said this way than that. And she put into my hands at about age thirteen the most unlikely of English teacher… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 21, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Time for Reading (R)

Since I started writing, a strange guilt plagues me whenever I read: I feel like I should be writing instead. A really good book overcomes this guilt, because then I consider it research, honing my craft by reading expert writers.

My own study of what I want to write and how I will do it makes me intolerant of what I consider mediocre work, so that I often don't finish a book if it hasn't grabbed me by fifty pages or so.

I've been trying to expand my knowledge of writers'… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 1, 2009 at 7:51pm — 4 Comments

I Hate to Be Critical, But-

I guess I am. Just put down a book after 70 pages or so, and I'd say it suffers from the sophomore jinx. The author's first book won a prize, so I assume it was good. Maybe I should find it and read it, because #2 was just plain dull.

Does winning a prize work against an author, maybe? This book was so self-consciously pretentious and cloyingly historical that the story was buried in quaint characters and city descriptions. I imagined the author thinking, "They said my attention to… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 23, 2009 at 9:18pm — 3 Comments

On Liking and Not Liking Books

I'm mostly amused but sometimes bemused by people who can't get over the fact that I didn't like a book they liked. They suggest a book or an author, and before I can stop myself, I say something like, "I tried it (or read it) and didn't care for it." Suddenly it's as if I proclaimed that I really enjoyed the last time I sawed off someone's legs. By the look on the person's face, I know I've been relegated in her mind to idiot. She might say something to indicate that I obviously didn't try… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 12, 2009 at 9:54pm — 3 Comments

My Voice, Your Voice, His Voice, Her Voice

We hear a lot about voice in writing, and it's one of those hard-to-define things that make a book readable or not. There are some rules, like not switching voice in the middle of a paragraph and such, but the talent for creating voice goes far beyond that. At its best, a character's voice grabs the reader from the first page of a book, making him want to hear that character's story. And nobody can teach you how that happens.

I've been pulled into stories that I never thought I… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 4, 2009 at 10:21pm — 7 Comments

Talking to Myself

The difference it makes is amazing. I've spent the last few days reading the current WIP aloud, and hearing it is better than reading it. Not better as in "This is so good." Better as in, "That sounds fake," or "This whole passage doesn't fit in this spot." So it actually makes more work, but it's productive work. I can deal.

Years ago, when I first started writing for public consumption, it was plays. I wrote for my students' dramatic productions because we couldn't find enough… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 1, 2009 at 9:16pm — 2 Comments

Green Is a Prettier Color Than Blue

I know. It's a matter of opinion. Steak is better than seafood. Girls are smarter than boys. Duncan Phyfe is nicer than Old Mission.

Yet we try to convince others that a certain author is no good or the very best. We think that if we just point certain "facts" out to people, they'll stop buying junk and read what we read. I suppose it sharpens your skills of argumentation, but it isn't going to work.

I recall a student who was hooked on a certain spooky author and asked if… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 20, 2009 at 8:40pm — 4 Comments

Note to Self

It started with a note from someone else, an anonymous writer who found my webpage and wrote to say how much she liked MACBETH'S NIECE. She didn't have to do that, but it was more than welcome in my life at this moment. Talk about throwing someone a lifeline!

Which reminds me of my promise to myself that I would let authors know when I read their books and found them worthwhile. I don't think it matters if you're on the top of the bestseller list or just starting out, specific,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 1, 2009 at 10:14pm — 3 Comments

Creating a World

I recall, a long time ago, picking up a book called EATERS OF THE DEAD. It hooked me immediately, and I was so convinced by the initial claim that it was an ancient manuscript, blah, blah, blah, that I had to stop and say to myself, "This is a novel. He's making it up." But how cool that Crichton could do that to me.

The authors we love build us a world. Sometimes we have to help them, suspending disbelief and letting them show us things that cannot be, but if they're good at it, we… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on April 7, 2009 at 9:24pm — 2 Comments

Protags with Problems

It's become customary to give your protag a problem to deal with on top of the required crime to solve. He's accused of murder AND alcoholic. She's targeted for murder AND struggling with a cheating husband. More often than not, he or she is in physical danger AND harassed by a parent, living or dead, who screwed him or her up royally and made simple, day-to-day living difficult.

I won't comment on the American addiction to Blaming Parents for Absolutely Everything. But I notice that… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 12, 2009 at 8:45pm — 4 Comments