Day 87: Who would join me?

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 87: Who would join me?

Would anyone join me at this cottage? I'll get to the why later.

We’re halfway through the NaNoWriMo challenge and for several people, it’s going really well. Every day I read about people who write 3,000 – 5,000 or even 7,000 words per day. I sit and wonder … where do these people find the time?

Don’t any of these writers have jobs? And if they are stay-at-home people, don’t they have work to do around the house? There’s always something to do: 

making/changing the beds, dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, polishing, laundry, ironing, washing the bathroom, washing the kitchen, washing windows, washing floors, cleaning the deck, shopping, tending to the garden, cleaning gutters, cleaning the car, cooking, doing dishes, and more. Am I to assume that these writers neglect their homes for the sake of writing?

I also wonder what these people write about. I know from experience that the first couple of chapters flow easily. Chapters one to three or five practically write themselves, but then the trouble starts … how to continue. 

Inspiration doesn’t come on command, plenty of good writers sit at their computer, staring at the screen, their fingers motionless on the keyboard. Eventually, they write something, only to delete it. They write something else and that too gets rejected.

In between, there are a ton of distractions: the cat needs petting, the dog needs walking, cups of coffee or tea are made, emails need answering, friends drop by for a chat, Facebook games need playing, etc. etc. etc.

Few will be willing to admit it, but writers are notorious procrastinators. They will start writing tomorrow, or they will start writing after … well, any excuse will do.

A friend of mine took a writing course and while it made her a better writer, it also made her a slower writer. She once told me that, in order to create the perfect sentence, she often plays with the words for 10 or even 20 minutes. Safe to say, my friend won’t write 3,000 words per day. Which begs the question, what is the quality of some writers’ work?

As for NaNoWriMo, it’s a nice incentive for writers to get their bud in gear, but what happens at the end of November. From what I’ve been told … nothing. There are no prices to be won and nobody looks at the manuscripts.

If writers can produce the required 50,000 words in November, why can’t they do the same in any other month? Do writers really need an incentive? Ask most writers why they write and they will say … because I have to. A day without writing is a day wasted.

That’s how I feel. Every morning I wake up with plans to write, but as I mentioned earlier … any number of things get in the way. 

Ideally, I need to hole up in a cottage somewhere, with no WiFi. So, I wonder, when looking at the cottage above, how many writers would join me for a writing getaway. 

Day 86: Fifty Shades of rubbish

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 86: Fifty Shades of rubbish

The writer’s group I belong to is a constant source of inspiration. One of its members, Isaac F., posted a question regarding Fifty Shades. A string of comments followed, but the bottom line is … Fifty Shades was published because the writer knew someone in the publishing world who owed her a favor.

I can’t give you my opinion on the book, because I didn’t bother reading it, but I found this online …

Thanks to my ever-useful Kindle search function, I have discovered that Ana says "Jeez" 81 times and "oh my" 72 times. She "blushes" or "flushes" 125 times, including 13 that are "scarlet," 6 that are "crimson," and one that is "stars and stripes red." (I can't even imagine.) Ana "peeks up" at Christian 13 times, and there are 9 references to Christian's "hooded eyes," 7 to his "long index finger," and 25 to how "hot" he is (including four recurrences of the epic declarative sentence "He's so freaking hot."). Christian's "mouth presses into a hard line" 10 times. Characters "murmur" 199 times, "mutter" 49 times, and "whisper" 195 times (doesn't anyone just talk?), "clamber" on/in/out of things 21 times, and "smirk" 34 times. Christian and Ana also "gasp" 46 times and experience 18 "breath hitches," suggesting a need for prompt intervention by paramedics. Finally, in a remarkable bit of symmetry, our hero and heroine exchange 124 "grins" and 124 "frowns"... which, by the way, seems an awful lot of frowning for a woman who experiences "intense," "body-shattering," "delicious," "violent," "all-consuming," "turbulent," "agonizing" and "exhausting" orgasms on just about every page.

Another writer made the following statement. 

E.L. James, a frumpy little housewife decided one day that she would write a book. By way of research, she found an erotica book, watched a porn movie, and then set to work.

When she was finished she took her work to a publisher who promptly accepted it.

Other writers when they think their work is ready for publication generally have their work proofread and edited. Next, they create a synopsis and a sales pitch. Then they contact one or several literary agents and hope for their work to be accepted. Unfortunately, before that happens, the writer might get one or several rejection letters.

Under no circumstances does a writer ever contact a publisher directly because all of them, at least the respected ones, do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. The writer has to go through a literary agent.

E.L. James had to do none of this. She went straight to a publisher and for some reason, her work was accepted.

She might have sold millions of books and her work might have turned into a movie, but did she gain respect … of course not, she became a laughing stock. Everywhere the book gets slammed and as for the movie … even the cast thought it laughable.

Personally, I think it’s sad and infuriating that such rubbish got published. Writers the world over do their best to produce a good story. They think, they write, they toil for hours to find the right words and tone, they research, and they rewrite their work over and over to reach near perfection.

When they submit their work to a literary agent they get rejected over and over and over again. Some take it in their stride and refuse to give in, others get discouraged and give up.

Fifty Shades was utter rubbish and was published, your manuscript might be beautifully written, but might be buried in obscurity.

https://www.mhpbooks.com/fifty-shades-of-grey-now-officially-rubbish/

https://truelovedates.com/5-reasons-50-shades-of-grey-is-trash/

Day 85: NaNoWriMo Project

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 85: NaNoWriMo Project

Anyone doing the NaNoWriMo project? It’s my first time and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Not only do I find it difficult to write on command but writing 50,000 words in one month seems like a daunting task.

We’re eleven days into the project and after a little over 22,000 words, my inspiration is failing me. As I said, I don’t do well writing on command.

When I sit down to write, I stare at my laptop screen and wonder what to say. I type a sentence and delete it. I write another and that one too gets rejected. However, let me start house chores, take a walk, sit in a coffee shop or lie in bed and the ideas come storming into my head.

I remember the day when I started my first novel ‘Waiting for Silverbird’.

I was at work, typing a manual for a military tank when I suddenly got this idea for a story. I started writing and the words flowed effortlessly onto the electronic paper. By the end of the day, the first chapter was completed.

Another thing that I don’t particularly like about the NaNoWriMo project is that at the end of November, writers are supposed to put their work online. This makes me wonder … what if someone sees my work and thinks … that’s a good idea. I can make it my own and make it better.

From what I understand, publishers don’t necessarily have to like a manuscript (they have editors to make the story better), but they have to like the idea, something original and that will sell.

Coming up with something original isn’t easy, it’s almost impossible. Look around at the local library, thousands of books about love, war, aliens, monsters, vampires, murderers, etc.

I can’t be sure, but I think for my new novel I have come up with something original. I’ve never read anything like it before, but then, I haven’t read every book that’s out there. Still, I feel confident about the story and as such, I feel a little hesitant putting it on NaNoWriMo for all to see.

Of course, everyone thinks that their story is the best, that they have a fish on the line that will mean their breakthrough into the publishing world. But what if that doesn’t happen? What if nobody wants to publish the book?

Those who have been published by respected publishing houses will say to keep going, to never give up. Every single one of them will tell you how they contacted literary agents and publishers and received one rejection letter after the other. But eventually found success.

I’ve been through the process a few times myself and I can tell you, it’s hard keeping your spirits up when one rejection letter follows another. For starters, it takes time and effort to contact literary agents. Then, there’s a waiting period. Some take only a matter of days to get back to a writer, others take a few weeks. 

Whenever I saw a reply from an agent in my inbox, I got my hopes up. Was this it? Did I finally find someone who was willing to take a chance on me? It never was. Eventually, I gave up.

Now it’s the NaNoWriMo project. Me, along with a few thousand others, are thinking and typing as if our lives depended on it. From what I understand a few writers have been discovered through the NaNoWriMo project. This time, I’m not giving up.

Day 80: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 80: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

I don’t know about you, but when I go into a bookstore, it takes me ages to decide which book I want to buy. If one of my favorite authors has a new book out, I don’t hesitate to pick that one, but if none of them has something new, it’s a case of wandering the aisles, picking books up and putting them back. Too much of a good thing.

Now it so happens that I visited a Dollar Store earlier this week and to my surprise, they had a book section. Well, I couldn’t leave without checking that out.

The book selection was very limited, and I do mean very limited only about ten books. And surprise, surprise, I found three of them I liked. Since the price was only $3 I didn’t think twice, I picked all three of them.

The first one I read was ‘The Disappearances’

Synopsis:

What if the ordinary things in life suddenly…disappeared?

 

Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has always been a mystery: vibrant yet guarded, she keeps her secrets beyond Aila’s reach. When Juliet dies, Aila and her younger brother Miles are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town far from home—and the place where Juliet grew up.

Sterling is a place with mysteries of its own. A place where the experiences that weave life together—scents of flowers and food, reflections from mirrors and lakes, even the ability to dream—vanish every seven years.

No one knows what caused these “Disappearances,” or what will slip away next. But Sterling always suspected that Juliet Quinn was somehow responsible—and Aila must bear the brunt of their blame while she follows the chain of literary clues her mother left behind. 

As the next Disappearance nears, Aila begins to unravel the dual mystery of why the Disappearances happen and who her mother truly was. One thing is clear: Sterling isn’t going to hold on to anyone's secrets for long before it starts giving them up.

It was a surprisingly good book with believable characters, beautiful scene descriptions a suspense plot, and best of all, a satisfying ending.

All too often I found that, while the story of a book was good, the ending was rushed. I got the impression that the author was fed up with the story and wanted to end it as quickly as possible.

Not in this case, Emily Bain Murphy pulled it nicely together and made this all in all a satisfying read. The book is classified for young readers but readers of any age will enjoy this story.

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Day 61: In pursuit of a book

Between You, me and the Lamp Post

Day 61: In pursuit of a book

Many of us, readers/writers are familiar with ‘A Women of Substance’ by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It is generally agreed that this is Bradford's masterpiece. I tend to agree. I read this book many years ago and found it riveting start to finish.

Then a few days ago I picked up ‘Hold the Dream’, the sequel to ‘A Women of Substance’. In general, apart from the Harry Potter series, I tend to avoid sequels as they are never as good as the original work.

This proved to be the case with ‘Hold the Dream’. The story failed to capture my attention and I was actually rather bothered by the subject of the book. In short ... Emma Hart is nearly 80 years old and leaves her empire to her favorite grandchild. Hm, this seems grossly unfair to me. Emma Hart has several children and a multitude of grandchildren, yet she leaves everything to her favorite grandchild. What about the others?

After a few pages I abandoned the book and went in search for something else to read.

The security guard of the company where I currently work told me that there is a mini library on the 5^th floor. I didn’t let the grass grow under my feet and went in search of that mini library. The guard didn’t exaggerate when he called the library mini ... just two shelves with a few books. 

Some were computer manuals, others were financial investment publications and there were a few self-help books. None were of any interest to me. I don’t understand computer manuals, I don’t have enough money to consider investments and as for self help books ... I’m doing just fine.

Back at my desk I looked up if there were any bookstores in my neighborhood and found one that was very close. According to Google it was a four-minute walk. Between my lunchtime I set off.

First of all, let me say that Google can’t be trusted. A four minute walk my foot, perhaps a pigeon can get there in four minutes, but it took me the better half of ten minutes. When I finally got at the bookstore address, I stared at a boarded-up shop window. According to the shop owner next door, the bookstore had closed some three years ago.

The man had good news for me though, he knew of another bookstore. Okay, where was that one located? It turned out that bookstore would require a fairly long walk, but fortunately, I could hop on a streetcar.

When I got off the streetcar I looked around me and ... there wasn’t a bookstore to be seen. I saw clothing stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, but no bookstore. Never mind, I would pop into the drugstore and see what kind of books they had. As it turned out, none. The drugstore still had magazines, but since there was little or no interest in books the drugstore no longer carried books. Again a piece of good news though, the salesclerk told me where I could find a book store.

To cut a long story short, I found the store. Not a chain store like Chapters Indigo, but an old- fashioned mom and pop store with books on tables, books on shelves, little home improvement items, kids toys as well as a counter serving coffee and baked goods.

The choice was limited, but after all I had been trough, I was gonna walk out with a book come hell or high water.

My book of choice ... ‘The Turn of the Key’ by Ruth Ware. If ‘The Turn of the Key’ is anything like Ware’s other books I’m in for a treat.

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Day 56: Writing - Should we listen to others?

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 56: Writing - Should we listen to others?

A long time ago, I was chosen to compete in a national ten-pin bowling tournament. The question was, did I want to play in the bronze or silver division. Bronze players played with a handicap, silver players played without a handicap.

“Choose silver,” Jean-Pierre, a friend said. “The last thing you want is to lose to someone’s handicap.”

“In which division are you playing?” I asked him.

“Gold,” he said.

In my opinion, he was overestimating himself. While he was not a bad bowler, he was nowhere near good enough to play with men who scored a 200 average.

“If I’m gonna be beaten, I want to be beaten by the best,” he told me.

This got me thinking.

Yesterday I posted a writing sample in a writer’s group and my work got slammed left, right and center. One or two people had something good to say, but the majority found fault with it.

Then today I saw a writing sample from another member. To say that it was awful is putting it mildly. Not only was the piece crawling with typos, the grammar was atrocious and the story itself seemed to be written by a six-year-old.

Here is an extract from what she wrote:

I went to bed last night. I lay in bed looking at the ceiling. I couldn’t sleep. I got up and watched the moon. I couldn’t sleep because my brother was snoring. I wouldn’t wait for morning to come. My mother was out with her boyfriend.

Do you consider this good writing?

The other members of the group, those who had slammed me the previous day had nothing but good to say about the childish writing. They found it fascinating, captivating and looked forward to reading the next chapter.

Thinking that I was perhaps a little biased, because of the bad feedback I had received on my work, I asked two other people to read the work of the other member. Both their reaction was more or less the same ... who wrote this crap and how did she dare publish this online for all to see. Did she actually think this was good writing?

When I told them about my experience of the previous day they laughed and said “Why you do even bother? If you want feedback, ask the professionals, don’t bother with amateurs, they don’t know any better than you do.”

So I did. I asked two well-known authors, who have sold millions of books how they feel about criticism. Both of them laughed and said, “If I had listened to others, I never would have finished my first novel.”

They asked me if I enjoyed writing. When I said yes, they shrugged and said, “Then keep doing it. Who cares what anyone else thinks?”

I guess those are words I have to keep in mind. From what I’ve gathered so far, for some people writing is fun, for others it’s therapeutic, a way to pass the time, or to hang out with their imaginary friends. Whatever the reason, if writing is enjoyable ... go for it.

One more thing to remember ... what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily good for the gender. There’s no accounting for taste. Do you think Stephen King, James Patterson, Lee Child or Dan Brown care about amateurs’ opinion ... no, they have an idea and set to work. We should do the same.

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