Three Books on A Desert Island Question For Readers and Writers

Have you ever been asked that question? You know, the one about which books, if you could take only three, or one or five, would you take with you to a desert island? Ah the seriousness of it all, the conundrum. Which books to take? Rack  your brain. Think, think, think.

Well, I’m a long time reader and writer and I have an answer. Nope, not a list of which books I’d take and a lengthy explanation as to why I chose those particular books. It’s much simpler. I’m not big on clutter or complications.

Here it is.

I’d take along an Ebook reader – and a solar charger.  In my case that would be a Kindle Fire, but for others it would be something else. Whatever. The Kindle plus solar charger would take up less space (if that’s an issue) and provide a whole lot more than the basic few books. In fact I could load it up with my old favorites that I like to read more than once and then hit Kindle for lots of freebies I could add to the memory and catch up with discovering new authors. That’s not to say I couldn’t purchase a number of books I’ve been meaning to read along the way as well.  How about Game of Thrones, the complete set? That would keep me busy for quite a while and take up little space on the reader. Whohoo! Just don’t hit any ‘delete’ button accidentally. There’d be no recovery.

And the reader, if it’s more of a tablet, would let me take a few downloaded movies and/or music along as well. Ah, the modern age. The wonderful world of digital. The other nice thing is I could read in the dark. Most screens are backlit so I wouldn’t be forced to attempt to ready by torch light or candle or something.

Only downside is if anything happened to the reader/tablet/Kindle/whatever, or the solar charger, there would be no ‘hard copy’ books or anything else to read, listen to or watch.

Sigh.  Well, we can’t have everything (though I’m not quite sure why not…it’s just that my Grandmother said…well, you know).  Maybe I could then pound palm leaves into some sort of paper and use charcoal from burned out palm stumps to write my own books. It’s a thought.

Anyway, that’s my answer. I’d risk it. Hopefully if it was a castaway situation I’d be rescued before something untoward happened to my electronics. 

From the Beginning – Five Writer’s Gripes About Novel Starts

I’m a writer, but I’m also a reader. Even if you aren’t both I’m sure there are things about the beginning of a book, the very first sentence that just bug the heck out of you.

Seriously. Me too.

So I’m going to talk here a bit about beginnings – specifically the very beginning – the first sentence of a novel which ideally is supposed to grip the reader by the eyeballs and not let them go.

Um, yeah. So here are five ‘do-nots’ from my perspective as both writer and reader.

First, it’s the beginning. I know nothing of what’s going on so let’s not start with a really long sentence. Those usually aren’t too good anywhere in the book, but at the very beginning they can be killers. A long sentence provides just too many ideas and bits and pieces of information all randomly connected for the reader to make any sense of by the time the sentence is finished. And this, as the very first sentence…not a good idea. Way to turn off the reader. Come on! It’s the first sentence.

Second, I’m not wild about books that start right out with dialog. I mean at this point, need I reiterate, it’s the beginning. The reader isn’t acquainted with any of the characters, knows nothing about the plot, where they’re at or what they are doing or intend to do. So why would the reader care what someone is saying at the very inception of the book? When I see a start like that I suspect it’s a sort of a gimmick the writer learned somewhere. I know I know, “it’ll all make sense later”. Probably not for me because that second sentence better be a doozy to keep me reading beyond that first, “So you wanna go to the park?” dialog bomb at the beginning. A beginning like that doesn’t tweak any questions or raise any interest in my brain. Just lost interest. On to something else.

Another thing (I guess this is the third) that gripes me is the revelation the whole opening was a dream or maybe a flashback or maybe a visitation from another dimension. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep on track. Diversions can occur later, but I want that first sentence hook to really give me something. It’s supposed to be a hook, remember?

Okay, next. The fourth gripe on my list. Since this is the beginning and I as a reader have no idea what is happening, why would I care where it’s happening? I mean a writer showing off some purple prose in the first sentence without connecting how it’s relevant to the story is probably going to lose readers. Fast. Readers are in it for the story, not a detailed description of the scenery. As the story evolves the reader might well enjoy a vivid description, but please, make that description relevant. This is not a showcase for the writer’s vocabulary.

And the fifth and final frustration on my novel beginnings

list is the excruciatingly ordinary start. You know, something like: At six in the morning, on March 2, the start of his thirtieth year, John Snow climbed out of bed. There are exceptions of course and writers who can pull this off, but mostly what is there about an introductory sentence like that that would catch the attention of a reader?

So those are my gripes. Have you got any novel gripes that really bug you? Either a beginning or something else? Things that might make you just close a book and forget it. Toss in a comment below if you do…or if you disagree with any of my complaints. Go ahead, you know you want to. 

Destructive or Constructive Criticism And The Writer And Reader

All right readers and writers, gather around. This isn’t going to be a whiny rant about how people are mean to writers and how their criticism is the pits (though at times it can be), but a bit of a quick analysis of the situation and how everyone, readers and writers alike can deal with it.

Look, constructive criticism is a good thing and writers should get over their ire at having anything they create criticized by anybody. Hey, that’s life. And, constructive criticism can point out flaws or maybe a bit of a slip in editing that would, when corrected, make the book, short story or article much better. Really.

Oh, and readers who post criticism, think about how you couch it. You’re entitled to your opinions and of course if there are glaring editing or grammatical errors in a work you might want to point out that’s happening so other readers will be aware, but it can be put in language that isn’t a personal attack. You might feel the urge to be a ripsaw, but curb it. Remember that writer, whoever it is, put a lot of thought and work into the project. Because it isn’t up to certain standards now doesn’t mean the writer isn’t striving to improve and will, indeed improve. Helpful criticism is one thing, an all-out attack is another. Think about it. Does attack make you in some way feel good? What if your work, whatever it is, was attacked with a vicious edge and you were left feeling naked and abused? You might consider, even with a poorly written work, turning your own thoughts around and saying something encouraging instead. Or just plain shut up. If you have to point out a flaw, maybe you can point out a good thing as well. Maybe the book needs a lot of typo fixing but the story itself is interesting, just hard to see through all those errors. Pause and reflect. Just sayin’.

Okay, now writers, it’s your job to write well, to edit like a pro and cut mercilessly so you don’t surround your readers with needless fluff. It’s also a fact of life that no matter how good you get, no matter how well-known, you’re going to get those personal attacks and not just criticism for the obvious typos or grammar errors. Sadly, it comes with the territory.

BUT you don’t have to let that get you down. Of course they’re going to find the typos you miss no matter how hard you try and the grammar slip-ups and the story twist that didn’t quite do the pirouette you planned on. Take it with good grace when they’re pointed out and correct or you can decide their point isn’t valid. Up to you as writer.

Of course there’s going to be the ‘nasty’ out there who lives to do nothing more than try to tear others down. You don’t have to buy into it. Let the moment pass. You already know there’s no critic out there who can be harder on you than you are on yourself. Forgive the nasties, you don’t know what they may be dealing with that creates the inner demons who just want to attack and destroy. And if you can’t forgive them, cultivate your own positive attitude and don’t bother to respond.

Writers keep writing. Keep moving forward. Readers enjoy and give an occasional thought to the person behind the writing.

10 Great Writer's Quotes

Great Writers quotes about and I thought I'd take the holiday season to share a few with you. 

What better time to take a break from writing and reflect a bit, both soberly and with some humor?

So here are some of my faves - Oh ye writers out there, think about them and reflect.

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway

          - Who can argue that?

“I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book.”
—Roald Dahl, WD

          - I'm there!

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”

—Stephen King

          - There's a lesson there.

“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.”
—Gore Vidal

           - Ahhhhh, those voices in our heads!

 “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative.”
—Elmore Leonard

          - Another lesson learned.

 “There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.”
—Doris Lessing

          - So true.

“If you tell the reader that Bull Beezley is a brutal-faced, loose-lipped bully, with snake’s blood in his veins, the reader’s reaction may be, ‘Oh, yeah!’ But if you show the reader Bull Beezley raking the bloodied flanks of his weary, sweat-encrusted pony, and flogging the tottering, red-eyed animal with a quirt, or have him booting in the protruding ribs of a starved mongrel and, boy, the reader believes!”
—Fred East, WD

          - He's giving the involve the reader advice - don't just tell them what's going on.

 “Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.”
—Ray Bradbury, WD

          - Love the poetry of this one.

“There is only one plot—things are not what they seem.”
—Jim Thompson

          - Think about it, it's true. 

“Beware of advice—even this.”
—Carl Sandburg, WD

           - That about sums it up. 

In closing I must mention the release of the third in our comic series Planet Of The Eggs - Mummified Egg. An exciting adventure far from
Eggland where our superhero eggs find the lair of the Mummified Egg and the horror is unleashed. Grab your copy today! 

Interview With Writer M Pax 's Friends from Settler Oregon - The Rifters

Today I'm turning this blog over to a great writer, M Pax. 

M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide and has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock. Learn more at mpaxauthor.com.

  

So what's on tap next for Pax?  There's the release of her third in the Rifters Series, and here's what folks are already saying about this fantastic series:

“The world Pax creates here is like the Wild West meets Ghostbusters with some Stargate and a bit of Steampunk thrown in. Even though everything seems a bit familiar, it’s not, which is what makes it compelling.”

Got it? Good! Now let's check in with a couple of the folks who're hip deep in the goings on at Settler Oregon where the Rift has settled in for the long haul, Darli Dae Long and Earl Blacke. 

So, tell our readers a little about yourselves. Daelin, ladies first.

Please call me Daelin. I can’t stand my full name (Darlin Dae Long). I had a great job in New York City as an editorial assistant at a publisher. I loved it. Then I was laid off, and on my way home I was robbed on the subway. Lost my last paycheck and the jerk even took my stapler. My sister invited me to stay with her and helped me get a job as county librarian in the dinky town of Settler, OR. Not only do I guard books, I guard the town from monsters.

over to you Earl...

My name wasn’t always Earl Blacke, but that’s what I want to be called in this century. I was plucked out of 1888 after I was released from San Quentin. I went through some rift in Oregon and ended up in this modern century. I own a resort ranch and I fight monsters.

All righty!  Can you tell us what it is about Settler that holds you there and would you remain if the Rift closed for good?

Daelin: My sister is missing. She went through that rift and warns of brewing evil on the other side. Once she’s safe, I might move on with my life. Maybe. Settler is growing on me a bit, and I kind of like battling monsters. It makes me feel powerful, which is better than a sniveling victim on a subway platform. I swore I would never be a victim again, and I mean it.

Earl: If the rift went away, Settler would be quiet. That’s just fine with me. It’d be best if the world didn’t find out who I really am.

Sounds like Settler has a lot to offer other than the Rift, but that's pretty hairy.

Can the two of you tell us a little about the dangers of the rift?

Daelin: So far I’ve defeated a head-stealing phantom and a swarm of volcanic killer ash bees. I haven’t met anything from the rift yet not out to kill us all.

Earl: Hey, there’s me. I’m from the rift. I’m not trying to kill you.

Daelin: Maybe not, but I don’t fully trust you either.

Earl: I’m harmless. It’s my supposed ‘friend’ from the rift that can’t be trusted. He’s hiding something.

Daelin: Yeah, something big. We better find out what it is before we’re all dead.

Hmmm, thank you both. The rest of us will have to ponder just how far this Rift and it's denizens might spread. I urge my readers to read on and keep tabs on what might be coming next. 

To help us all out M Pas has a great offer. If you need to catch up on the Rifters you can read books 1 & 2 in the Rifter series for free by becoming an M. Pax Reader. ENTER MY DIMENSION

Don't pass that up. 

 

And. Dec. 1, the third in the series releases. The Reader, releases!  Grab it quick!  Don't get blind-sided by the denizens of the Rift.  

Buy links for The Reader:

 Amazon

AmazonUK / AUS / CA / DE / FR / ES / IT / NL / JP / BR / MX / IN

Bookcessories

iBook / Nook / GooglePlay / Kobo / Smashwords / inktera / Scribd

With the rift closed for the season and no more monsters to fight, Daelin Long gets bored as librarian in the podunk town of Settler, Oregon. A job interview and her brother’s arrival present a tempting opportunity to escape, until her brother and her best friend, a ghost, disappear.

While Daelin searches for them, more mysteries pile up: dead people coming back to life, portraits of the town founders replaced with strange white trees, and people on the other side of the rift returning. It’s impossible. The portal that allows monsters from other universes to come to Earth is sealed until next summer.

The Rifters, a secret group protecting our world, believe the troubles are nothing more than the tantrums of an offended ghost. Daelin disagrees. If she’s right, the evil hell-bent on destroying Earth has new technology making the rift more deadly.

Before the monster summons the next apocalypse, Daelin must find it and destroy it.

Thanks for the interview Daelin and Earl, and for introducing us to them M Pax. Looking forward to the next adventure and whatever might crawl, sling, fly or splat out of the rift!