How Do I Choose What to Read?

I've had a few people ask me who some of my favorite authors or books are.  I really have a difficult time answering that question, because I don't have favorites when it comes to books.  I don't generally reread, even the best books.  Sometimes, if something has struck a particular chord with me, and I haven't read it in years (and I mean long enough to forget much of the message or plot), then I might pick it up and read it again.  Otherwise, I'm constantly in search of new books to enjoy.  I do have favorite authors, which I'll talk more about next time.

I'll continue to say that I don't read a lot of  books that are a part of large trends.  You know the ones, that fly off the shelves and usually are followed up with a blockbuster movie.  Sometimes it is the movie that makes the books popular.  For whatever reason, a lot of these stories don't have plots that I am interested in. There are exceptions to almost every rule, and so there have been books that I've enjoyed that have been very well known and/or movies at some point in time. However, I tend to read something because the blurb catches my attention, and continues to hold my interest as I read.

What about reviews?  As a writer, I love to get reviews of my book (soon to be books).  I know that reviews hold value and many readers select partly based on reviews.  As a reader, I don't read a lot of book reviews when it comes to fiction.  If I do glance at them, I keep in mind a few things: we all have different preferences, some reviews are left by people who haven't read a book but have ulterior motives, and others don't read enough about a book and then find themselves disappointed when they wanted a light beachy read and get a dark memoir instead.  What does this mean for me?  The premise that the book is built upon is still the strongest reason for me to choose to read or not read a book.

Stay tuned for next week where I talk about some of my favorite authors.

A Moment of Thanks

I want to take the time to thank those who have supported me the past couple of months, and really, beyond.  I've found readers from places that I haven't expected, and that makes me smile.  When a book sells in a faraway place like the UK, I know that there was a reason for me to write.  It also helps me keep going.  Sometimes a writer needs encouragement, just like anyone who pursues turning a hobby into something more.

Meanwhile, I have been busy working on a couple of projects and hope to have at least one of them ready soon.  Keep reading in the weeks ahead to stay updated with The Inheritance Inn and Seasons of Joy.

Pen Graveyard

So I've been writing the past week or so by hand, which is quite a change for me.  I mentioned that it helps me keep focused, away from the computer distractions that eat up some of my writing time.  What I've also discovered is that pens don't seem to have much ink in them anymore?  I'm pretty sure it is the type of pen I'm using, the gel pens with a medium tip.  There's something about the way the ink flows that makes my writing feel "solid" on the page.  However, after writing a few thousand words, the pens dry up.  I've hand written about 10,000 words and have gone through two and a half pens already.  My husband asked about the collection of pens on the end table.  I told him that they were there in hopes that they would magically start writing again after a rest.  Ha.  They do not, in fact, write anymore once they have died.  It is almost enough to make me get out an inkwell and use that instead.  What would Jane Austen do?

An "Off" Week

Let's face it, sometimes life changes our plans.  This past weekend was Memorial Day.  My husband and I planned a road trip and I was going to bring my notebook along to write in while on the road.  A few things happened along the way and we chose to be with friends and family who were going through very difficult times.  Why am I making a point to mention this?  Because life brings challenges and setbacks.  Difficulties must be worked through.  Sometimes my writing, as important as it is to me, will get set aside for the love of a friend or family.  That's okay, there will be time for me to catch up on my writing.  There may not be time to see that loved one again.   Mary Kay Ash put it well when she advised her salesforce to put "God first, family second and career third."  One of my favorite scriptures states it best:  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"  Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Writing Without Distractions

One of the most difficult things for me as a writer is writing without distractions.  It seems as though I love to create stories in my head all day long, when completing other tasks: walking on the treadmill, baking cookies, doing laundry, cleaning house.  But when it comes to sitting down and focusing, I find it challenging to stay in one place and write.  Sometimes I wish I could carry around a recorder and record my thoughts all day.  The problem is, people might stop to stare, especially if I did so in public.  However, I know that some writers use recorders, although it is more common with non-fiction, such as interviews for articles and biographies.  Another thing I have started doing is using pen and paper versus the computer.  This past week I have started using the old-fashioned way of writing, so I can get comfortable on the sofa and avoid any computer distractions.  It is slower, and requires the second step of typing it all up, but I can consider that as my second draft if I make changes as I go.  I'll give it a try and see how it goes.  I like the idea of being able to record my thoughts anywhere, at least on paper and write wherever I may be.

Inspiration This Week

My goal this week is to make substantial headway toward completing The Inheritance Inn.  It currently sits at 56,000 words, and my goal is around 80,000 at completion. I had hoped to be a little further by now, but I tend to edit as I go.  I can't stand leaving typos, incomplete scenes, and convoluted sentences for later.  Sure, there will certainly be plenty of edits and corrections needed in the next round, but I like my first draft to be as clean as possible.  One of the things I had to do this week to get my word count up was to write a scene that occurs later in the book.  I knew how I wanted the scene to go, so I decided to go ahead an put it at the end in a different color.  That way, I know it goes elsewhere, and can continue working until I'm ready to weave it into the story.  Another thing that took some time was an idea that came to me this weekend while I was visiting my mom.  I wanted to change up an earlier scene in the book.  That meant writing the scene, but also looking for places in the text before and after the scene that were affected by the scene change.  There needs to be coherence.  Making those changes, however small, was a tedious but "worth it" process.  The thing is, I know how I want my current WIP to end.  I know the general sense of the conflicts that are present.  But I'm not sure how those conflicts will be resolved.  Sometimes as I write, the characters just tell me as I go.  Maybe that sounds crazy, but if you're a fellow writer, you'll understand.  Back to the keyboard for me.

Writing Is...

Writing is hard work!  I know that probably sounds like a given, but it is something a lot of non-writers might not think about.  I don't think I could write if I didn't enjoy it.  I enjoy getting lost in my fictional worlds, composing characters, messing with their lives, and working hard to find the words that will engage my readers.  Just yesterday I was working on a scene in The Inheritance Inn when I decided to take that scene in a completely different direction: which means that I had to remove it and start all over.  Just so nothing is lost, I keep a file of "out-takes" where I copy and paste any major scene that is taken out of my work-in-progress.  That allows me to feel free to make changes without worry of losing something should I choose to go back and change things again.

Right now, I'm about to go into my "writing mode" and try to work through the rest of that scene and work into the next few pages.  I have nothing to distract me at the moment, which is the best time to write.  Unlike other writers, I keep no daily targets: some days I write little, others a lot, but as long as I can make steady progress toward completion, I'm happy.