Favorite books of 2017

For the last three years, I’ve made reading goals because I feel that it’s important as a writer to also learn from other writers. Last year was the first year I actually accomplished my writing goals, and I read 47 books in the year of 2017. There were so many amazing books, and I want to share my top ten with you. This is in no order, because it’s hard enough to choose just ten!

Traitor’s Kiss – Erin Beaty

Oh my goodness. I don’t even know where to start without gushing. The story is amazing, and so are the characters! There were some twists that I definitely did not see, and there are definitely sections that I’ve gone back and reread over and over since my first reading.

War Cross – Marie Lu

I’ve read Marie Lu’s books before, and the premise to this book sounded so different than anything I’ve read before. The technology imagined for this was fascinating, and the main character was so much fun! I mean, why wouldn’t you cheer for the person who accidentally hacked into the biggest virtual reality game in the world? Definitely made me think about the direction technology is taking us!

Wraith and the Dawn/Flame in the Mist – Renee Ahdieh

How have I never heard of Renee Ahdieh before? I actually read three of her books this year, and I was blown away by each one. Each one pulled me through so many emotions, and made me love characters I was determined to hate. Her worlds are so fascinating and extensive, and seeped with culture. I’d suggest all of her books!

Heartless – Marissa Meyer

I feel like I can’t go without one of Marissa Meyer’s books on here. This book was not what I expected, and although I knew the premise, my heart was still torn out at the end. Marissa Meyer’s characters are so real that in the end, I only want them to be happy.

Poison’s Kiss – Breeana Shields

I loved the culture here. It’s set in ancient India, and based on a specific folklore about women who could kill with their kiss. It’s one of many I read that were fantasies set in more than just the European culture, and I have to say, I love the trend!

Forbidden Wish – Jessica Khoury

This was an Aladdin retelling that I’m not going to forget anytime soon. Again, this was set in the Arabic culture, and was full of plenty of angst and deceit. I could not put it down. Honestly, go read it!

Caraval – Stephanie Garber

This book was fascinating to read. The rules of the world made little sense. I told my friends it’s like Alice in Wonderland – on crack. So many things going on, and it’s a murder mystery type story as well. I loved all of the twists and turns!

Daughter of a Pirate King – Tricia Levenseller

Okay, I did read quite a few pirate themed books this year. Mostly because I have pirates in my books as well, and I’ve become slightly obsessed. I will say, the pirates don’t play a huge role in this book, but there’s enough seafaring to sate my needs. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

Unwind – Neal Shusterman

This one is a little bit older, but it definitely made me stop and think for a long time afterward. If you like happy endings, I definitely don’t recommend reading this the same week as Heartless and then going to watch Rogue One. Unless you have no heart. But the science behind it is fascinating, and I loved the concept.

Noble Servant – Melanie Dickerson

I’m a huge fan of Melanie Dickerson’s books. They’re just the right amount of fluff and story, and they always bring me out of a funk. I read several of her books this year, but I have to say that the Noble Servant was probably my favorite. Probably because Goose Girl has always been one of my favorite fairy tales of all time. 

2018 Writing and Reading Goals

2018 means a brand new year with brand new goals!

Reading wise, I’m going to stick to the same goal as always. 45 books. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but I’ve only achieved that once, so I hope this year makes it a streak! If any of you have books to recommend, I’d love to hear it!

Writing wise:

Finish this rewrite of Commissioned. I’ve had several requests, but they always seem to get stuck on page 50. I had an awesome beta reader help me tear it apart, and I’m slowly building back. I think it’ll make the novel much stronger, but it’s a lot of work. I don’t have a set date for this, which is unusual, but the first few months of 2018 might throw me for some unexpected spins. We’ll see.

I’d also like to revise Jackie and the Giants. I had some betas go through it and give some feedback. I’ve finally gone in and fixed the (put science stuff here) sections, and so now it’s time to work on wording and pacing.

I’d like to continue querying Commissioned once it’s polished up again. And possibly get Jackie ready for querying as well.

For NaNoWriMo, I want to write a new book. Which means I have to come up with the idea. I’m not too worried yet, but it’s only January. Ask me again in September.

Also, this year, my awesome group, Rexy Writers, is starting the 500 club, where we write, edit, revise or read 500 words a day. It was suggested by one of my co-coordinators, and I'm already in love with the idea! If any of you want to join us, we would love to have you!

How about the rest of you? What are your goals for this coming year? Need help sticking to them? I’d love a goal buddy or two!

Visualization

It’s amazing how brains work. Sometimes, it seems like we’re all on the same page, and then other times… we see things very differently.

When I was probably 12 or 13, I remember reading the Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. I really enjoyed the story, and I thought one of my parents’ friends would like it too. I’ll never forget my mom’s response when I suggested it.

She told me that he doesn’t ‘see’ when he reads. She thought he wouldn’t enjoy the book because he wouldn’t be able to visualize the images that the author used.

For little twelve-year-old me, this was an absolute breakthrough. Mostly because I never knew that anyone could see the images in their heads. I assumed the description was just there to give the story more depth. I had no idea that it meant something to a lot of people.

So yes, I’m a writer who can’t visualize anything. Every once in a while I can pick out shapes in my mind, but usually, it’s blank. You know what I can do though? I can hear sounds. That’s what draws me into a book – sparkling and realistic dialogue because I can hear it. I love the back and forth, and it’s a lot of what I focus on in my own writing.

Even now, when I write, I have to remind myself to put in physical descriptions. If I didn’t collect pictures of my characters on Pinterest, I would have no idea what they looked like.

I’m curious about what other readers focus on. Do visuals draw you in? Or do they just leave a blank?

My Favorite Books of 2016

For the past two years, I’ve made reading goals, and I still haven’t quite reached my goal. Last year, I was close. I wanted to read 45 books in the year 2016, and I read 34 published books, and 4 nonpublished. (Beta reads for other writers). Many of them were really fun reads, and I thought I’d let you know the top in my list!

Also, this is in no particular order.

Shades of Milk and Honey – Mary Robinette Kowal

I hadn’t heard of Mary Robinette Kowal. I knew of Writing Excuses, but I didn’t really listen to their podcast. Last year, I went to a writing conference with a friend, where Mary was on multiple panels. I thought she was hilarious, and I really wanted to read her book, especially since my friend highly recommended it. I loved the Austen feel with magic, and I’m pretty sure I read the whole thing in less than a day.

Ian Quicksilver – Alyson Peterson

Alyson was another writer I met at the writers’ conference. She hadn’t published Ian Quicksilver yet, but after meeting her, I was dying to read something she’d written. Let me just say, Alyson knows how to write teenage boys. Ian was a character who jumped off the page and kept me laughing through the entire book.

Healer’s Apprentice – Melanie Dickerson

I discovered Melanie Dickerson last year when one of my sisters recommended her books. Apparently, I was in the mood for a lot of historical type books last year. I actually read a lot of her books, but this was the first one that I read, and I loved her style of writing. I’m also a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so it was just the perfect balance for me.

Passenger – Alexandra Bracken

I love Alexandra Bracken. I devoured her Darkest Minds series, and when I found out that she had a new book, I just had to read it. This book was completely different, but I still loved it. She addresses so many issues in a way that made me want to keep reading. She addresses gender and race as her characters time travel to different times and different areas of the world.

The Originals – Cat Patrick

I have no idea how I discovered this book. I got a notice from the library that my reserved book was ready, and I couldn’t remember reserving it. It was definitely a happy accident though. Cat Patrick writes light science fiction, and I think she’s the reason why I tried writing science fiction last November. I read several of her books, and I loved that there was a slight mystery to everything. She’s the one who turned me on to contemporary science fiction.

Winner’s Kiss – Marie Rutkoski

This is the final book in the Winner’s Trilogy, and after several disappointing final books to series, I picked this one up with not very high expectations. But I shouldn’t have worried. Marie Rutkoski knows her characters, and she made me love them even more. It’s one of the best final books that I’ve read in a really long time.

Grave Mercy – Robin LaFevers

I had randomly downloaded this book before going on a writers’ retreat. I had spent the day writing – probably close to ten hours, and I wanted to relax before going to bed. This book wasn’t really what I would call relaxing, mostly because I had to find out what happens next! It’s such a unique idea, and I loved the execution. Plus, the romance was slow burning and just awesome.

The End Hook

This past week, I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading. When I say trying, it’s because I’m still terribly behind, but I did read 3 books since last Saturday.

I’ve heard the phrase that if you want to hook the reader you have to have a good first chapter, but if you want them to read the next book, you have to give them a satisfying ending. Not necessarily an ending that ties everything up in a little bow, but that makes them feel like you’ve met your promise from the beginning of the book. If you don’t do that, then there’s no guarantee that the reader will want to read the next one.

I never really understood that until this week.

Now, there’s obviously been books that when I finished went ‘meh’ and didn’t bother to read the next books, just because I didn’t feel that invested. The characters were fine, the plot was okay, but if I’m going to read something else from that author, I want more than fine. Otherwise, I want something new that will have a chance of wowing me.

This week, I started a book that I’d seen at the bookstore. It had great promise, and I loved the main characters. The story was crisp, and easy to follow. I read the entire book in about four hours because I had to know what happened.

But then the ending came.

This book was the first of a trilogy. When I got to the last 3-4 chapters, I started to get frustrated. Suddenly the story had morphed, it was no longer an action story, but it was entirely focused on a love triangle that really didn’t exist. Or should have been resolved by that point.

It ended on a cliffhanger, a really big one. And I debated between reading the next one. The ending was what swayed the decision toward no. I didn’t care anymore. I was frustrated with the author and with the characters, and I made the conscious choice not to continue the series.

Has this happened to you before? What makes you decide not to continue a series/trilogy? 

Why I Love My Betas

Over the weekend, I read a book that I’d had on my to-read shelf for far too long. The writing was brilliant, the characters well rounded. The world drew me in and I couldn’t stop reading. When I finished, I couldn’t stop thinking about the story, and how good it was.

But as I continued to think about it, I realized that the author had forgotten to clear up one giant plot hole. The more I pondered on it, the more I realized that something like that could make or break a career. And that’s why I rely on my betas to catch things that I may miss.

I started writing at a young age. I finished my first novel in high school, and I edited that thing to death. Or, at least, that’s what I thought I did.

Despite all of my efforts, I felt like maybe there was something missing, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I took a huge leap of faith and exchanged crits with a complete stranger, and she changed my life in ways I never expected.

She tore it apart. She pointed out all of the flaws, all of the plot holes, the pointless scenes, the repetitive dialogue. Because of her, I was able to look at my writing from a completely different perspective, from different eyes, and in many ways, she was right.

As writers, we know our story forwards and backwards. We know where the characters are, what they’re doing, but sometimes, it doesn’t always translate to the page the way we want it to. When I finished the last draft of King’s Councilor, I sent it to my sister. Her response was mainly positive, but then she asked a question.

“What happened to (insert glaring plothole here)?”

It’s important to have other people look at your writing. They’re going to bring their own points of view and they’re going to see things that you don’t.

And that’s why I love my betas. They make me a better writer.

Whiny Girls?

On Sunday, I was talking to one of my cousins.  I enjoy talking to him about books because he’s the age group that most of my writing is geared toward.  It’s also interesting because he’s a boy, and so he has a different point of view.  He’s the one who recommended the Ascendance trilogy (I read the whole trilogy in a week).

I was trying to think of a book that he would enjoy, and I tried to recommend a few books that I’ve read recently, and he asked a question I didn’t expect.

Is the main character a boy or a girl?

Huh?  I know that I’ve read about boys not wanting to read books about girls, but I’d never actually experienced that before.  I told him that the main characters were girls, and he immediately dismissed the books.  Just because the main characters were girls.

His reasoning?  Girls in young adult books are ‘too whiny’. 

I’ve been thinking about what that means.  If it’s a young adult book, means the character is almost definitely a teenager.  How do you make a teenage girl realistic but not whiny?  Growing up, I feel like I was fairly whiny, and I felt the same way about my sisters.  Now that I’m not a teenager, it feels like they get whiner and whinier. 

Young adult books are about a character discovering who they are.  It’s less about the trials, and the overcoming, and more about determining how they fit in their world.  Growing up like that – it’s going to be rough, there’s going to be learning and overcoming.  And whining.  If there’s a character who never wonders what their purpose is, who never complains or has doubt, I don’t know that they would draw a reader in.  We want to read about someone with flaws.  Someone who isn’t perfect, who doesn’t have complete control of their lives.

But how do we create a character with flaws and doubts without turning off the male population?

Any thoughts?  Ideas?

Spending Quality Time with the People in My Head

Last week, after finishing my NaNoWriMo novel, I decided to celebrate by reading a book.  I’m a little bit behind on my goal of reading 1 book a week, but I’d decided to focus on finishing writing first.  I’d had the Winner’s Curse on my reading list for a few months, so I picked that up and started to read.

Here’s what I love about reading.  It wakes up my imagination.  I see how other writers do it and I think, “Oh yeah!  This is why I decided to become a writer!”  Even if it has nothing to do with what I’m working on, it always gives me new ideas and makes me want to write more.  For those who don’t believe that writing and reading go hand in hand, I’ve got to say: it does for me.

After I finished (Which, by the way, I hate cliffhangers!  Especially when the next book isn’t out yet.) I started thinking about my next project.  Last year, I was working on my second revision of The King’s Councilor, after getting it torn apart by some awesome betas.  I’d spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get the beginning more exciting.  One of the chief complaints was that it was repetitive, and believe me, that’s not what I want in my writing.  I sat down with one of my good online friends and brainstormed.

Back to the drawing board

I wrote the first eight chapters and had her reread it for me.  Before I could keep going, NaNoWriMo came, and I wanted to start a new one for the occasion.

I was also a little stuck.  Now that the first eight chapters had changed so drastically, I wasn’t sure that I liked the direction the rest of the book was taking, so I’d probably been using NaNoWriMo as an excuse to procrastinate figuring out the rest of the novel.

But last week, after reading the Winner’s Curse, the ideas started pouring.  They had nothing to do with the book, but the creativity caused by reading was enough to get the juices flowing.  Saturday, I deep cleaned the house.  I needed something to do while the people in my head talked to me.  I’ve learned that when they talk, I’d better stop and listen.

The longer they talked, the more I realized that they knew what needed to happen in their story.  I know it sounds crazy, but when I let them take charge (not while writing, but in planning) I always come up with a better story. 

This week’s been a little chaotic, but I’ve still written about 3,000 words starting from where I left off. 

Do any of you use the people in your head as a muse?  Am I the only one?

Just One Word

Last week, I inadvertently joined what became a heated debate on whether or not writers should use a Thesaurus.  I’ve got to say, I love my Thesaurus.  So much in fact, that I accidentally bought a second, identical one, because I couldn’t remember if I’d kept mine, or if I’d left it at my parents’ house.  

Using it is almost like a scavenger hunt: I have to search for the exact right word for my writing.

Who knew there were so many different words for blue?

Despite my love for the book, I can also understand the caution used for writers.  There’s that desire to sound sophisticated, or judicious, or sensible… oh wait.  Those don’t all have the same meaning.  When I use a Thesaurus, I search for a word I already know.  Usually, I’m writing, and my brain shorts and for some reason, I cannot think of the word I want to use.  I know words that are similar, but they’re not quite there. 

I know firsthand the difficulty of finding the exact right word.  I also know that the wrong word can alienate a reader forever.  It doesn’t always have to be a sophisticated word either.  Any word can be wrong.

When I was younger, my mom liked to read any books that she bought before any of us could – to make sure that it didn’t have anything that she didn’t want us to read.  As I got older, she couldn’t keep up with the number of books I read, and she started to have me read books before allowing my sisters to read it.

I remember one particular series she had me read.  It was set in Colonial America, just as the revolution began.  There was one sentence, one word, that pulled me out of the series, and even now, over a decade later, I still remember it.  Not because it was written so well, but because in my opinion, the author had used the wrong word.

A soldier visited the family of a girl he’d fallen in love with, and as a token, he’d given the mother two silver candlesticks. 

“Thank you,” she said.  “This is totally unexpected.”

Totally?  Did they use that word in Colonial America?  I don’t know, but if the author had used completely, or even very, I probably wouldn’t remember it to this day.  But I do, and when I think of the series, I think of the word ‘totally.’

Now that’s a lot of pressure for writers.  One single word can ruin a book, or in my case, a series.  So it doesn’t matter if we use a Thesaurus or not.  As long as we get the right word, that’s all that counts.

Skimming the Story

 Over the past few days, I’ve been reading a book that had been recommended on multiple sites and was so popular, it had a pilot created for a TV series (which was unfortunately not picked up.)

Unfortunately, it took me several days to finish.  Usually, if I’m hooked, if I have to put it down, it’ll only take me two days to finish.  This one took me five or six.  And I wasn’t that upset when I had to put it down.  Add to that, I ended up skimming a large portion of the story.  Not because it wasn’t well written, but because it didn’t add to the plot.  There was a lot of background information, a lot of narrative and not so much action.

I’m not a huge action person, but I can get impatient if I want to know what’s going on in the story and all I get is a detail of the trees standing in the yard.  On some beta reads, I’ve told various people “get back to the story.” 

Fortunately, I had one beta tell me the same exact thing.  It’s so easy to see it in others’ writings, but sometimes it takes someone to point it out in our own. 

Conflict and action is what moves the story forward.  Taking long, meandering side trips can sometimes frustrate the reader.  They’d better be some awesome side roads with amazing views.

What about the rest of you?  What makes you skip sections of a story?  What makes you put down a book?

Writing and Reading

Since I finished the draft of The Stone Mason last week, I decided to take a few days off of writing and read.  Not that I need an excuse, but now I don’t feel guilty for spending too much time reading and not enough time writing.

It’s hard to find that balance.  As a writer, I always want to be learning.  And the best way to learn to write is to read.  On the other hand, if all I do is read, then I don’t have time to write.  It’s one of those conundrums that can sometimes suck all of my free time as I try to find a balance.  Fortunately, I don’t have any difficulty leaving my house a mess while I work on the two.

So this week, I started the Lunar series.  I’ve seen several people recommend it and I wanted to check it out for myself.  Plus, it’s a retelling of fairy tales, and I’m a sucker for those.  I’ll read any retelling available.

Picture taken by me

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going in, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to think.  A cyborg Cinderella?  I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve read anything that sci-fi.  After the first chapter though, I was hooked.  Most of the plot twists were pretty obvious after the first few chapters, and there were very few surprises.  What hooked me was the characters and the creative use of the fairy tale.  Honestly, think about it.  

A cyborg Cinderella. 

Of course, I immediately went to the next book, which is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.  Again, Meyer did a fantastic job of blending fairy tale with the futuristic alien invaded world she’d created in Cinder.  If I had the money, I would have jumped right into the third book.

Unfortunately, I don’t.  I spent it all on books.  So while I wait for the opportunity to read the next book, I’ve started revisions on the King’s Councilor. 

How about the rest of you?  Any advice on balancing writing and reading?  Any good book recommendations?

Writers are Readers

Growing up, my closest friends were books.  Or maybe my closest friends were in books.  Either way, I was almost never far away from a book.  When we went to Niagara Falls as a family, I read Sense and Sensibility and A Tale of Two Cities on that trip.  Every time we stood in line, every time we waited for a meal, I pulled out a book. 

Every day after school, the first thing I would do is pick up a book and read.  I had a bookshelf full of books and a basket of books underneath my bed. 

I really became the person I am because of the books I’ve read.  But as I grew up, went to school, started working, I didn’t have as much time to read.  Life got in the way, and I think my writing suffered from it.  I never stopped writing, but I did have the tendency to put reading on hold.  I still went to the library, picked out a few books, but not as frequently as before.

For Christmas, I received a tablet, and I use it for reading.  Now, I can buy books for a lower price and carry them around in a pocket.  I love the convenience, but at the same time, I miss the feel of books and turning pages.  Though my sagging bookshelves probably appreciate not having to hold any more weight. 

The small bookshelf at the end of the hall

But on the upside, I’ve been able to read much more than I have in years.  In fact, the past 2 months, I’ve read more than I did all of last year.  And I’ve seen a definite improvement in my writing.  As I see how other writers do it, as I see fantastic plotting, and not so great writing, I’m noticing what I like and what works and doesn’t.  I get ideas and I can’t wait to get back to my own writing once I finish. 

The old adage of improving your writing by reading is true.  Watching and learning from others is a key ingredient to writing.  Just like in nursing, I have to learn from other nurses with more experience than I have.  

There’s always an opportunity to learn, and reading can give a writer new insights to storytelling.

Reading Reviews

I have a question for all of you reader-writers out there.

How much do you read reviews?  Especially before reading something? 

I’m finally through with the first two books in the Divergent series and just bought the third.  Unfortunately, I read a few of the reviews because I was curious.  And a lot of them were not positive, which was disappointing.  I hadn’t meant to do it, and I don’t think I’ve ever read reviews before reading a book.

Now that I’ve read the reviews, I feel like I’m going into the book with my perception already tainted.  I love reading reviews after reading a book or watching a movie because I enjoy comparing my own opinions to the opinions of others.  But knowing their opinions before reading makes me look for what the other readers pointed out. 

So my question is: Do you read reviews before reading a book?  Do you read reviews at all?  

I Think I Just Read That…

This month, I’ve been playing around with my new e-reader, and though I still miss the feeling of turning pages and closing the book when I finish. 

Despite that, I am adjusting, and I’m loving the fact that there are so many books at my fingertips!  Just this month, I’ve read three novels, one anthology and novellas.  And it’s even better because I can finally support all of my writing buddies who are publishing as well.

What’s interesting is that as I’m reading (especially as quickly as I’m reading), I’m starting to notice a trend.  Common themes between stories that makes me compare them. 

A few months ago, my sister lent me a book, one she thought I would really enjoy.  I sat down, started reading and my first thought was: 

Uh oh.  I’ve already read this book. 

I hadn’t actually read it, but I’d read one remarkably similar.  Two siblings with unknown powers that made them gods, they’re separated from their family, guided by mentors who know the magic that they possess.  It probably sounds familiar to you too, though I’m probably not talking about the book that you’re thinking of. 

What surprised and delighted me about the novel that my sister gave me was that it was easier to jump into the world and enjoy the ride with the main characters.  In the book I’d read before, I’d actually stopped reading halfway through because I couldn’t stand the main characters.  (Something that very rarely happens to me as a reader.  I think there are only 5-6 books that I’ve ever not finished.) 

Both books started out with the same idea, the same blurb could be used for them.  But they went in two completely separate directions.  In writing, just like anything else when creating occurs, there is the chance of writing a story remarkably similar to someone else.  Even if they’re across the world.  Does that mean that we should give up?  Stop writing because someone else might be writing it?

No.  But it does give us the challenge to make our story ours.  What is it about your story (or my story) that stands out?  What’s the theme, who are the characters?  Two of the novels I read this month include children who are separated by special abilities by color.  Almost identical in that idea and aspect.  It’s a way of categorizing, of separating them.  And it’s something I’ve used in novels of my own.  Yet when comparing the two stories, they are remarkably different.  Enough so that I was able to enjoy both without worrying about whether I’ve “already read it.”

Create something that’s yours.  Find what makes your work unique.  Because chances are, that’s what your reader is going to remember.

1st or 3rd Person?

I read an interesting article on Nathan Bransford’s Blog the other day.  For those of you who didn’t read it, the link is right here.

He talked about how some critics have decided that first person narrative isn’t ‘serious.’  I’m not sure what makes it less serious, though to be honest, I occasionally find it a bit exhausting.  I don’t enjoy being so deep in someone’s head for so long.

Probably one of the biggest reasons why I’m not a big fan of first person narrative is that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it done well.  Well, that’s not true.  I read a fantastic book a few weeks ago that did it well.  (Now that I think about it).  But I stick with what I said before.  There are very few books that I’ve read that makes me actually sympathize with the character rather than get annoyed.  (I’m not saying that I’m the leading expert on this, it’s just my opinion.)

Maybe it’s the genre that I tend to read.  I’m always drawn toward YA fantasy, and for some reason, there are quite a lot of books out there with very narcissistic main characters.  Characters who are ‘wronged’ and then spend pages with internal monologues about how hard the world is or how mean everyone is to them.  It gets tedious, and usually, I toss the book aside before I get to some kind of a resolution, which I hope ends with them thinking about something beyond themselves.

I’m not saying anything about first person, and if you’re planning on writing in first person, I applaud you.  It’s a voice that I don’t know that I’ll ever master.

When I first started writing my White WIP, it was all in first person.  And it was terrible.  Years later, when I came back to it and started working on revisions, I realized that it just didn’t feel natural to me.  I changed the entire story to third person limited and it was like the story unfolded out in front of me.  All of my stories since have been in 3^rd person.  Mostly because that’s what feels more natural to me.  It gives me a chance to take a step back when I need to and to look at the big picture, rather than what’s in their heads all the time.

But that’s just me.  How do you feel about it?  1^st or 3^rd person?  Does it even matter?  And if anyone has suggestions for a 1^st person novel written well, I’d love to hear it!

How to Choose a Book

This post follows the thoughts of the previous one.  We talked about writing titles and ones that catch our attention, and it made me think about how I choose books to read.  I’m a bookworm, and I always have been.  But I honestly can’t think of a set patter that I have when it comes to choosing a book.

I was one of those kids who loved to go to the library and choose random books off the shelf.  Okay, not just as a kid.  I still do it.  Though I haven’t gotten a library card since I moved here a year ago, which is quite a shame.  And something I need to rectify.  There’s nothing like the thrill of taking home a pile of books (for free!) and delving into them for hours.  I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t like to buy a book until after I’ve read it.  I’ve had buyer’s remorse once or twice, which has made me a bit hesitant to buy a book without knowing whether I like it or not.

When it comes to choosing a book, it’s hard to say what really attracts me.  Is it the cover?  The title?  Usually it’s a combination of them along with the blurb on the back of the book. 

But all of that’s about to chance.  I just got my first e-reader for Christmas.  I was one of those resistant to the e-reader and e-book because I loved the feeling of holding a book in my hands, smelling the pages, and the finality of closing the book when it finished. 

Of course, I still love the idea of holding books while I read, but more and more of my friends are publishing e-books and I want to support them.  And with the price of e-books it may be just between checking books out at the library and buying them in paperback. 

Of course, this means that I have to develop a whole new way of finding books.  Though they’re all laid out, it doesn’t quite look like a bookshelf to me. 

So how do all of you find e-books?  What’s a good process?  What about a book most attracts you?  The title?  The cover?

Pulling Your Reader Out of the Story

Have you ever read a really great book that made you think: “This would be absolutely perfect, except….”

I read a book like that recently.  It was a fantastic book, full of emotion, tugging at the heartstrings.  It appealed to my nursing side as well as my writer side.

Except.

I really wanted to overlook it.  I wanted to pretend it wasn’t there, but I couldn’t.  The author made a mistake.  He forgot his own timeline.  A chapter jumped forward in the future, then he had to scramble backwards and for a second, it took me out of the story.  I was confused about the timeline of the plot and I couldn’t figure out why the author had jumped like that.

I hoped that I had made a mistake, or that I read it wrong.  So I reread it.  But I wasn’t wrong.  There was a continuity error that not only pulled me out of the book, but it also dropped my opinion of the story because no matter how much I liked the book, there will always be that nagging whenever I think about it.

When writing a story, there’s so many elements that go in, setting, characters, objects, etc.  There’s a lot of stuff to keep track of.  But it’s the small details that we need to pay attention to if we want to keep our readers engaged.  Small things make the difference.  Has the main character already learned another character’s name?  If not, then he/she shouldn’t use their name. 

In one of my stories, I have a character wear a necklace.  In several first drafts, she carried it with her everywhere, but in later drafts, she gave it to someone else to keep.  But I had one scene where she still had it with her. One of my betas pointed it out to me, asking how she got it back.  Such a small detail, but it pulled my beta out of the story.

Anyone else noticed this before in their own writings or books you’ve read recently?

Reading as a Writer

At the heart of every writer is a reader.  Many times, I’ve read the advice that if you want to writer better, then you should read.

There is a grain of truth to that.  When reading, a writer can observe how others do it.  What works?  What doesn’t work?  There’s always something to learn.

Over the past two weeks, I read two novels, and I learned from both of them.  One taught me what to do while the other taught me what not to do.

I’ll start with what NOT to do.

1.       Don’t cheat your reader.  This may sound obvious, but I haven’t wanted to throw a book in a long time.  In this story, there was a ‘big bad’, the one thing that no one wanted to happen, the motivation for every characters’ actions.  During the ending, the big bad appeared, and for some reason, it was on the same side as the main characters.  The big bad ended up defeating the bad guy, and defeating the entire purpose of the book.  At least, that’s how I felt.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Your reader went on this journey with you.  Don’t tell them that there’s a short cut after they stayed with you.

2.       Don’t have too many extraneous characters.  I have a hard time with this.  I like creating characters.  But don’t have two characters who fill the same exact function, have the same attitude, behaviors and opinions.  When all that separates them is their name, the reader won’t be able to keep track.  And they won’t really care. 

3.       Don’t keep repeating the same information over and over.  This should be pretty self-explanatory.  If your reader learned something with one character, they aren’t going to want to read it with another one, or a third.  More on that to come.

What to do:

1.       Give your protagonist a unique and strong voice.  This book was in first person.  I’m not a huge fan of first person, but this book was written so well that I barely noticed.  The MC had such a unique voice that I immediately fell in love with her.  Everything she described was from her point of view and seen through her opinion. 

2.       Don’t be afraid to give your characters flaws.  These characters were so flawed they were incredible.  When you have characters that are so ‘perfect,’ who never question who they are, or break down when dealing with trials, it’s hard for the reader to relate.  These characters were as flawed as they could come and I completely understood their point of view, even when I couldn’t imagine being in their situation.

3.       Don’t give everything away all at once.  There were two or three major revelations that occurred near the end of the book.  One that amazed me so much that once I finished, I had to go back and reread the book, now knowing the secret reveal at the end.  That’s the ultimate goal, right?  Making the reader want to reread the book right after reading it?

How about you?  Read any good books recently?