Writer’s Rage!

For some time now, I’ve had trouble getting back to reading…and enjoying the books. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve become critical as a writer or I’m pre-occupied with so many other things. And since I’m having problems reading, I’m also having problems writing. Reading helps me learn the craft of writing by seeing what other authors do—and don’t do. When I decided to become a writer, I wanted to be a great writer, not one who writes because a story popped into my head and wrote it with little regard for the writing itself.

I’m 74 pages, and 37,875 words into my current WIP, and BAM!, I’m at a loss. I don’t know where my book is headed…it’s tough. When I wrote Net Switch during NaNoWriMo, I didn’t have a problem—the story pretty much wrote itself. Of course the story is different from the original draft, but at least I had the entire story written. This time, blank, and I’ve even created a few documents for organization, Cast of Characters and Chapters and Synopsis. This time around my chapters have names, so I’ve run into a writing block with that, too. I’m aggravated, and sometimes infuriated that the words aren’t flowing the way they used to. It’s more like Writer’s Rage than Writer’s Block; the more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Other writers claim that they just continue writing during writer’s block, and in time, the story will catch up and find itself. But I’m too wary to continue. I don’t want to have to rewrite pages…then again, that will happen anyways. My Love suggested doing a Brain Map. I write down my book in the middle of a page, circle it and then make extended lines with things about the book—about the characters—about the storyline. Sometimes several are needed to get the juices flowing. So far, I’ve done one and it hasn’t sparked any ideas.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my writing issues are connected with my reading issues. I’ve enjoyed a few books this past year, but so many, traditional and self-published have failed for me. Either the story wasn’t good, they told more than showed, created bland characters, the plot was predictable, or the writing and editing itself was bad. But I haven’t given up! To write, I must read, and to read, I must learn and enjoy, right? Yesterday, I ordered books from Amazon that I’ve been VERY interested in reading.

The first book I plan to read is Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. The synopsis reminds me of The Book Thief, which I loved, and it was written by a Lithuanian, so I gotta support part of my heritage. The other books I ordered were The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. I hope these books will help me enjoy books again and bring me back to writing.

What are you currently reading? What book do you really want to read but haven’t gotten to it yet?

Reading and Writing,

Bea

Now I Know!

Back in the day when learning words and telling time were all I needed to do, I remember my grandmother teaching me how to read from the Dick and Jane books. They were vintage books used to teach children to read from the ‘30s into the ‘70s, and are still sold today. There was a lot of repetition in them, such as “Look. Look Up. Look Up at the sky”, so it was easy for children to learn words and sentences. I also remember the colorful illustrations in these books.

Then many, many years passed before I had any desire to read again. When I started back, I went through a phase where I would only read Sidney Sheldon books. At the time, I had no idea how much this man accomplished with international praise for his scripts, movies, plays and novels, let alone that he was from Chicago. He thought of his writing success as a miracle. “I was born in Chicago during the Depression and both my parents were third grade drop-outs," he recalled. "My father never read a book in his life and I was the only one in the family to complete high school." His books were mostly crime fiction and thrillers. He was the only author I’d read, and that was the last time I ever stuck to only one writer. Unfortunately, Mr. Sheldon passed away in 2007, but left behind a legacy of words.

I then ventured out and started reading Mary Higgins Clark and Victoria Holt, and both of these women wrote suspense with a romantic flare. I’ll admit that I didn’t know what genre any of these writers wrote until now. I always thought they were romance novels with an ingredient of suspense. After these female authors, I started reading Sandra Brown, who also writes suspense.

I find all of this interesting because for a few years I didn’t read many women authors (this in no way suggests that women authors aren’t great writers). Since my early favorites, I’ve gone on to read many authors of both gender and all different genres. After finding out that all of my favorite writers, who got me back into reading, were suspense and thriller writers, it now makes sense that I have written a psychological suspense thriller. 

Genres are and will always be foreign to me. Each category has its definition, but some of these definitions blend in with others, such as thrillers and suspense. I believe they both go hand in hand. How can you have a thriller without suspense, and how can suspense not be thrilling? Since I’m not one who has done extensive research in genre categorization, I’ll have to leave it up to the experts.

What’s your favorite genre, or who is your favorite author? Has it changed since your earlier days of reading?

Revisions and Tea,

Bea

Summer on Fire by Kevin Craig

It’s time I stop by my blog to let you all know that so far, during my relaxing summer, I’ve had the opportunity to read Summer on Fire by Kevin Craig. Summer on Fire is a young adult (YA) novel, which isn’t my usual reading genre, but I know Kevin from a writing forum and wanted to expand my reading horizons.

This book is about three friends, Jeff Barsell, Arnie Wilson and Zach Carson (the narrator), who are about to embark on the freedoms of summer only to be involved in a horrific fire. As the chain of events unfold, each friend battles their personal challenges along with the loyalties of friendship. In the end, Jeff, Arnie and Zach learn some valuable lessons about people and the lengths they’ll go to for community and friendship.

I enjoyed this book. From the first page, I was engrossed in the story by Kevin’s gift of bringing vivid actions of the story and characters to life. As the three friends scramble to get out of the burning barn, I felt myself praying for their safety. “Fire formed a hot umbrella of flames above us, swallowing the place…The roof beams, resembling the ribcage of a mammoth beast, were now engulfed.” I grew a love or hate relationship with each character and sympathized with some of their debilitating weaknesses.

I highly recommend Summer on Fire by Kevin Craig. It’s a coming of age book that reminds us again about  the importance of friendship and loyalty.

The Murderer’s Daughters

A friend of mine recently made a blog post, Complete, Yet Incomplete, about a book having so many great things about it, yet parts of it failed. She asked her readers several questions, such as how we consider a story a success, or if we didn’t like a book by an author, would we attempt to read that author again?

In The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers, I can honestly answer with a booming response that this book is a success and I’d definitely read another one of her books. It was the first since The Book Thief where I wanted the end to tie everything up in a little bow, yet even though that didn’t happen I was content (with a smile). The Murderer’s Daughters is beautifully written and executed with emotional depth and truth from two points of views (POV)—Merry and Lulu (the daughters).

This book spans about 30-years of Merry and Lulu’s lives. They struggle with who they are and how to get through life after family abandons them, spending years in an orphanage and then college to be free of other’s help. Each girl has her own demand of life, very different from the other, and each one remembers from the age of loss. “Trying to catch memories of mama felt like trying to hold rain.” (173)

The story begins with Merry (the youngest) and Lulu’s (the oldest) father killing their mother, stabbing Merry and trying to kill himself. From the first page, my throat constricted and I cried for these two girls.

Essentially, Mama regarded me as a miniature hand server:

Grab me a Pepsi, Lulu.

Get the milk for your sister’s cereal.

Go to the store and buy me a pack of Winstons.

Then one day she upped the stakes:

Don’t let Daddy in the apartment.

Each chapter is Merry and Lulu’s POV of how they see the world, their father, and how they cope with life. Lulu, the oldest and practical thinker, tries to bury the past and makes plans to better their lives—it’s her survival mechanism. Merry, the youngest and emotional child, tries to please her father by visiting and relies on her sister’s direction. Many times they are at odds for their feelings toward their daddy. Lulu wants nothing to do with him while Merry feels obligated because daddy has no one else. How they deal with their father is how they deal with life; one wants to be free of the past and the other can’t let go.

The Murderer’s Daughters reveals the struggles and sadness when horror strikes a home. It shows the after effects of how a family has to pick up the pieces and carry on; some unable to glue the pieces together; and some tossing them away. As Merry said, “Did he know that sometimes I hated people so much it burned?” (40)

I highly recommend The Murderer’s Daughters. You won’t be disappointed.

To Meet a Friend Among Words

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I am so excited to go to the 2011 Printers Row Lit Fest. It is one of my favorite Chicago Fests and every year it gets bigger and bigger. The fest has discount, Indie, chain, and rare bookstores that line the curbs and the center of the streets. Since I’ve been going there, they’ve increased it to suit the whole family. If you click on the above link, you can get a calendar for Saturday and Sunday’s events.

What is even more exciting to me is meeting an online buddy of mine for the first time at the Lit Fest. In 2007, I met Barb on a writing forum we both belonged to. Of course we had alias’s, but over the course of time, Barb and I continued to talk—mostly outside of the writing forum. On the forum, we didn’t interact much, which is strange that we became friends. She is the one person who seems to enjoy the same types of books as I do.

Barb and I have sent each other emails for holidays, words of encouragement, condolences,  to say "Hi", BUT we’ve never met. This isn’t a one-way relationship; we support each other in life and writing. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to meet her among one of the loves of our lives—books. We have so much catching up to do that I’m guessing we will wind up missing many of the booths.

There’s one important thing I want to point out, and that’s loyalty. Even though I’ve never met Barb, and even though we’ve only spoke through words (never heard her voice), she has been there for me as a writer and as a friend. That is HUGE in my life. She’s been a supporter of my writing for years, and I can’t begin to tell you how important support is to a writer. I have many people in my life that I love, but to them, my writing isn’t important, and I’m not saying it in a mean way—it just isn’t. We all have important things to us in our lives that aren’t to others. Such is life. And it’s especially nice to have a writer friend support you

Barb is a great writer. She puts much thought and emotion into what she wants to share with others, and you can see it in her writing.

So I’m ecstatic to meet Barb, and hear about her life, her love of books and her writing.

A Toast to Friendship! When you find true friends, near or far, hold onto them—they’re a rarity.

Reading and a Writer's Speed Bumps

I was recently talking with friends about books, and they expressed their love and excitement for the book turned movie, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Now I’ll admit it wasn’t my favorite book, and I don’t plan on seeing the movie. But this discussion opened my eyes to the fact that I’ve become a critical reader since I’ve been writing. The writer in me acts like a speed bump when I read—the pure enjoyment of books is replaced with a writer’s critique.

While crafting my own works, finding flaws, pulling my hair and crying that I can’t get it right, I wind up groaning when I read a published author doing what I’m trying to avoid. It goes to show that story trumps great writing, but it also goes to show that we ALL have our own tastes. If your story appeals to the majority, then you will be a great success as an author.

One of my favorite books is The Book Thief by Mark Zusak, which was also made into a movie but I don’t know the release date. You can read a review I wrote of The Book Thief on Helium. I love Mr. Zusak’s writing—his words—along with the fact that this book shows the hardships Germans went through during the Third Reich. It’s narrated by Death and one thing it says is, “I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases…or I’d throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms.” When a writer can express something so beautiful and horrific at the same time they get high kudos from me.

Writers are told to show not tell—bring the reader into the story instead of telling them about it. This is one of my biggest weaknesses. Don’t introduce things into a story that doesn’t move the story along. Create flawed characters, not unrealistic ones readers can’t connect to. These are just a few things I’ve learned in my quest to become a better writer. So when I read books, my writer’s critique comes out, leaving me disappointed in books that might veer away from the writing rules—rules that are there to help a story thrive.

I miss the days where I could just sit and read a story without my inner red pen coming out, but  I have to admit it helps me in my own writing endeavors.

P.S. I believe reading The Book Thief, and living in Germany the past five months, gave me a huge appreciation and understanding of history, today’s Germany and my country.

What’s one of your favorite books?

Jakie's Interview!

For anonymity sake, I’ve decided not to ask some questions and allow Jakie to choose to answer those he felt comfortable answering.

We took a stroll down this bridge while I interviewed him. Just kidding. It was a virtual stroll, but a girl can dream. Before starting the interview I just want to welcome Jakie and thank him for participating in the interview.

Bea: Hello, Jakie. Welcome to my blog. Could you tell us how you heard about my blog?

Jakie: Hello, Bea. Thank you for giving me the pleasure of this interview. I was told about your blog by a young, aspiring writer from Chicago. She told me it was new and quite interesting, so I checked and got hooked.

Bea: Well thank that young, aspiring writer from Chicago for me. I appreciate her sending a reader my way.

Bea: Do you have a favorite genre?
Jakie: *blushes* um.... that's SciFi to be totally honest. But NOT the crappy stuff, I swear! When I read I very often do it because I want to be entertained, and SciFi takes me to distant worlds and times with problems that are so distant that they don't really concern me ;)
Bea: Some of my writer friends write SciFi, so I'll refer some books to you. :D
Jakie: That would be nice, Bea. I'd really appreciate that.

Bea: Is there a particular poem I've posted on my blog that you really liked?
Jakie: The poem we wrote together: 'Distant Exploration'
Bea: That was fun to write and it was my first collaboration poem.
Jakie: It was first my poem ever. And when I said I was faced with a challenge each time your sent me your new additions I really meant it.

Bea: What is your favorite color?
Jakie: Blue
Bea: I think that's the favored color amongst most men.
Jakie: I kind of had that impression too, now that you mention it ;)

Bea: You're one of my shy blog readers in the sense that you don't post much. Are you shy in real life?
Jakie: Yes, kind of. I don't post many comments on your blog because I very often think too long about what to post, and by the time I've made up my mind you've already made another entry....
Bea: LOL! I know how that is but I love hearing from my blog readers whether it's on a recent post or an older one. To me, all my posts are important just like my blog readers. ;)
Jakie: um... I was afraid you might say that, Bea. And really, there is no excuse. I promise I'll do better, especially now after winning your quiz. *blushes*
Bea: Aw, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I just wanted you to know that old or new, I'd love to hear from all my blog readers if you have the time.
Jakie: I know that, and that is why I do feel guilty. You write so much for us, spend so much time on what you post, and I do enjoy dropping by to read what you have to say. Your poetry always produces a smile on my face or makes me think. In that sense you do deserve appreciation and a simple way to show it and to thank you is by commenting on it.

Bea: You're very kind. Thank you.
Jakie: You're very welcome.

Bea: Is there a movie you’d watch over and over again?
Jakie: No, not really, but I do love to watch old movies with James Stewart no matter how often I’ve already seen them.
Bea: One of my favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life," so I can understand you liking Jimmy Stewart.

Bea: What's the first thing you notice in a person of the opposite sex?
Jakie: The eyes! They tell so much about a person's character, and I'd like to make sure I don't get hit before I approach her ;)
Bea: I do too! They are the portals to the soul.

Bea: Describe your perfect date?
Jakie: *eyes get dreamy* The perfect date starts with a long and memorable dinner in the late afternoon of a warm summer's day, followed by a short walk through the park, then some cuddling on a blanket under the trees. To round it up, some fireworks would be nice after dark.
Bea: I have to admit that sounds like a nice romantic date.
Jakie: And it's not really exhausting, so you should still have some energy left when you get home ;)

Bea: You’ve been one of my long time blog readers. Could you explain or describe what you like about my blog that keeps you coming back?
Jakie: That’s simple. I like the quality, the variety and the honesty of your posts.
Bea: *smiles* I knew I liked you. I'm going to have to celebrate with that response.
Jakie: Hey! Please don't stop blogging now only because you've achieved what you wanted to!

Bea: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Jakie: I wanted to be a photographer. I went everywhere with my camera, driving everybody nuts. I even had a dark room in the basement of my parent’s house where I developed the films and pictures myself.
Bea: WOW! You are talented. I wouldn't know where to begin to develop my own film.
Jakie: LOL! Especially in the dark that can be kind of tricky.

Bea: What is your favorite word?
Jakie: hmmm….I could declare one now and pretend I have one, or just admit that I don’t have any quality relationship with any word.
Bea: Sometimes the love of many things makes picking one difficult.
Jakie: Yeah, like ice cream flavors....

Bea: What is your zodiac sign?
Jakie: I’m a Libra

Bea: Do you look younger or older than your age?
Jakie: Some people say I do look younger, but none of them have seen me early in the morning.
Bea: Yes the joys of looking like a 'cereal breath.' I mean, I'm talking about me, not you. :)

Bea: Are you a morning or night person?
Jakie: I am an involuntary early morning riser, but I am definitely a night person.

Bea: What is the best compliment you’ve received?
Jakie: hmm…that somebody has taken me on as a role model and is trying to be more like me. Although….I find that idea kind of frightening ;)
Bea: That is a great compliment! I don't think anyone has ever wanted to be more like me. Then again, this world doesn't need two of me.
Jakie: That's exactly what I thought...not about you though ;)

Bea: Tell us about your ideal vacation.
Jakie: my ideal vacation would never end ….
Bea: Oh yes, that's why I play the Mega Millions weekly.
Jakie: You do

Bea: Could you please explain an important life lesson you learned?
Jakie: Don’t spoil the joy you can have today by moaning about things you do not have. I learned that when someone, who is very dear to me, fought for her life over weeks in intensive care.
Bea: I'm sorry to hear that and hope she won the battle.
Jakie: It was a close call, but she was very strong and brave and she made it.

Bea: What couldn’t you live without and why?
Jakie: I couldn’t live without reading. I love reading and on days I can’t find the time to do so I miss it.
Bea: I'm with you about reading, but there are some extended periods where I have a hard time getting into the reading mode.
Jakie: Usually I read every day, at least for half an hour. Of course there are exceptions, which sometimes have a tendency to become the rule. But I usually have no problem getting back into the habit when I find the time.

Bea: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Jakie:I guess it would have to be James Stewart, to chat with him about some of his movies.

Bea: Is there anything you regret in your life and if so, why?

Jakie: Over the course of the years I accumulated a lot of things that I regret. I will publish the list separately…..hmmm seriously, yes, of course there are, but even the things I regret shaped me to be the person I am now, and I’m not really discontent with who I am, so it’s probably no good to think about those too much. I just try to make sure I don’t repeat doing things I already regretted once.
Bea: Sound advice.

Bea: If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be and why?
Jakie: Same answer as above, for the same reason ;)

Bea: Who is your favorite writer?
Jakie: Bea Sempere of course, but as long as she’s not published I also love books by Peter F. Hamilton.
Bea: *blushes* I'm under pressure now. My next novel better be SciFi.
Jakie: LOL! Naw, write what you feel comfortable with, like you always do. That's when you are at your peak!

Again, I want to thank Jakie for his time and participation. Hope you all enjoyed the interview. Have a great weekend!