“Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.” -H.F. Hedge
A dream was the inspiration for The Ride. However, when I began writing the story, it took a very different direction from my nighttime vision. About the only thing my dream and the finished book had in common was a backyard rollercoaster. (I know, an amusement park ride in the backyard sounds strange but it isn’t. Google backyard roller coasters if you don’t believe me!)
Anyway, back to the topic—dreams. Evidently dreaming and writing goes hand in hand as I discovered in a couple of posts by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, How Dreaming at Night Inspires Famous Writers and Published Authors on the Dreaming and Writing Process.
The information for the blogs came from the book called Writers Dreaming: William Styron, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and 23 Other Writers Talk About Their Dreams and the Creative Process by Naomi Epel. I haven’t read this book, but I plan to look for it next time I visit the library.
According the posts, Stephen King added one of his own dreams to his book It, without changing anything about the dream.
Sue Grafton and Maurice Sendak say that dreams only affect their work in the emotional sense.
Several writers including Stephen King, Anne Rice and Amy Tan mention a dream-like state while writing.
Be sure to visit both posts if you’d like to read the direct quotes from these authors and others. I found them quite interesting.
From Twelve Famous Dreams, I learned that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Misery by Stephen King were all inspired by dreams.
I really recommend the article for details about the dreams mentioned above as well as for other interesting information, such as a dream that led to a Nobel Prize in medicine; how Paul McCartney dreamed the tune to Yesterday; and, how Lincoln dreamed of his assassination.
Do you remember your dreams? Do dreams ever inspire your writing? If you’re not a writer, do dreams affect your actions in any way?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: H.F. Hedge, dreams, The Ride, Shakespeare, Dante, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Anne Rice, Shelley,R.L. Stevenson,
Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Longest Books Ever Written
“Good things, when short, are twice as good.” -Baltasar Gracian
Before starting, I’d like to thank Helen Ginger of the Straight From Hel blog for granting me the Friendship Blog Award. It’s an honor to be included in that list of outstanding blogs. In case you don’t know, Helen writes an excellent blog offering writing advice, publishing news, and book reviews.
Now for today’s subject – long books. I recently read that Stephen King’s new book Under the Dome, to be released in November, will be 1,200 pages. Using the average of 250 words per page, that’s the equivalent of approximately 300,000 words. The average novel usually runs between 80,000 to 150,000 words.
This led me to wonder about the longest books ever written. Much to my surprise, other people have wondered the same thing and answered this question for me. I first read A List of Longest Novels on the Writing Pages which referenced a Wikipedia article.
According to Wikipedia, a couple of self-published books are way out in front. Marienbad My Love by Mark Leach weighs in at 17-million words and The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm is13-million. Hmmm, I think I may know why they are self-published.
At Listverse.com, only traditionally published books written in English are listed. Out of the ten mentioned, the top three were L. Ron Hubbard’s, The Invaders Plan, at 1,200,000 words; Sironia, Texas by Madison Cooper at 1,100,000 words; Clarissa by Samuel Richardson at a mere 969,000 words. For the top 10, visit the site, which also shows the cover of each book and gives a nice synopsis.
In comparison to these books, The Dome, will look like a novella.
In the past, length was never a factor in whether or not I read a particular book. However, I’m growing older at an alarming rate and there are still so many books I want to read with new ones being added everyday. Now I’m beginning to ask myself if I should be more discriminating. Do I want to invest the time needed to make it through one really long book or read several shorter books?
When the author is Stephen King, I feel certain I will read the book regardless of the word count. In the end, I guess it all boils down to quality over quantity.
Would the length of book ever kept you from purchasing or reading it?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Gracian, Stephen King, L. Ron Hubbard, Madison Cooper, Samuel Richardson,
Before starting, I’d like to thank Helen Ginger of the Straight From Hel blog for granting me the Friendship Blog Award. It’s an honor to be included in that list of outstanding blogs. In case you don’t know, Helen writes an excellent blog offering writing advice, publishing news, and book reviews.
Now for today’s subject – long books. I recently read that Stephen King’s new book Under the Dome, to be released in November, will be 1,200 pages. Using the average of 250 words per page, that’s the equivalent of approximately 300,000 words. The average novel usually runs between 80,000 to 150,000 words.
This led me to wonder about the longest books ever written. Much to my surprise, other people have wondered the same thing and answered this question for me. I first read A List of Longest Novels on the Writing Pages which referenced a Wikipedia article.
According to Wikipedia, a couple of self-published books are way out in front. Marienbad My Love by Mark Leach weighs in at 17-million words and The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm is13-million. Hmmm, I think I may know why they are self-published.
At Listverse.com, only traditionally published books written in English are listed. Out of the ten mentioned, the top three were L. Ron Hubbard’s, The Invaders Plan, at 1,200,000 words; Sironia, Texas by Madison Cooper at 1,100,000 words; Clarissa by Samuel Richardson at a mere 969,000 words. For the top 10, visit the site, which also shows the cover of each book and gives a nice synopsis.
In comparison to these books, The Dome, will look like a novella.
In the past, length was never a factor in whether or not I read a particular book. However, I’m growing older at an alarming rate and there are still so many books I want to read with new ones being added everyday. Now I’m beginning to ask myself if I should be more discriminating. Do I want to invest the time needed to make it through one really long book or read several shorter books?
When the author is Stephen King, I feel certain I will read the book regardless of the word count. In the end, I guess it all boils down to quality over quantity.
Would the length of book ever kept you from purchasing or reading it?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Gracian, Stephen King, L. Ron Hubbard, Madison Cooper, Samuel Richardson,
Friday, May 29, 2009
Publishing Opportunity or Marketing Technique?
“Do something. If it doesn’t work, do something else. No idea is too crazy.” – Jim Hightower
Move over hardbacks, paperbacks, soft covers, Kindles, and e-books! Clear the shelves! We need room for toilet paper books. Yes, you read that right—toilet paper. Sorry to be a bit indelicate here, but if the new literary experience being launched in Japan succeeds, carrying reading material into the bathroom may no longer be necessary.
According to a recent article on news.yahoo.com, “Horror Story Printed on Toilet Paper in Japan,” a Japanese company is now selling a nine-chapter novella printed on bathroom tissue. Click here to see a photo of the packaging.
The novella, Drop, is written by Koji Suzuki. He’s a best-selling author and has been described as Japan’s answer to Stephen King. Being promoted as “a horror experience in the toilet,” the roll sells for about $2.20. The story takes up about three feet of a roll and requires only a few minutes to read. Appropriately, the setting is a public restroom.
I’d like to know if Suzuki’s royalties are paid by the sheet, roll, or Costco size bundle. Read more about Koji Suzuki here.
Will the trend catch on here? If so, perhaps we’ll soon see an American version with Stephen King’s A Very Tight Place, which for the most part, takes place in a portable bathroom. Personally, I find visiting public restrooms scary enough. I don’t really want to read more horror stories about them.
What do you think of this idea? Are toilet tissue books a new avenue in the publishing world or are they an ‘outside the box’ marketing idea?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Jim Hightower, Koji Suzuki, Stephen King, novella on bathroom tissue, A Very Tight Place, Drop,
Move over hardbacks, paperbacks, soft covers, Kindles, and e-books! Clear the shelves! We need room for toilet paper books. Yes, you read that right—toilet paper. Sorry to be a bit indelicate here, but if the new literary experience being launched in Japan succeeds, carrying reading material into the bathroom may no longer be necessary.
According to a recent article on news.yahoo.com, “Horror Story Printed on Toilet Paper in Japan,” a Japanese company is now selling a nine-chapter novella printed on bathroom tissue. Click here to see a photo of the packaging.
The novella, Drop, is written by Koji Suzuki. He’s a best-selling author and has been described as Japan’s answer to Stephen King. Being promoted as “a horror experience in the toilet,” the roll sells for about $2.20. The story takes up about three feet of a roll and requires only a few minutes to read. Appropriately, the setting is a public restroom.
I’d like to know if Suzuki’s royalties are paid by the sheet, roll, or Costco size bundle. Read more about Koji Suzuki here.
Will the trend catch on here? If so, perhaps we’ll soon see an American version with Stephen King’s A Very Tight Place, which for the most part, takes place in a portable bathroom. Personally, I find visiting public restrooms scary enough. I don’t really want to read more horror stories about them.
What do you think of this idea? Are toilet tissue books a new avenue in the publishing world or are they an ‘outside the box’ marketing idea?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Jim Hightower, Koji Suzuki, Stephen King, novella on bathroom tissue, A Very Tight Place, Drop,
Monday, April 6, 2009
Choosing a Book Title
“Lost illusion is the undisclosed title of every novel.” –Andre Maurois
Coming up with a name for a novel is not an easy task. I selected The Ride for several reasons. It describes the book in a literal and figurative manner; the protagonist is taken for a ride in more ways than one; and, I hope the reader comes away with the basic premise that life should be one fun trip.
ArcheBooks kept my title. However, often the name of a novel is changed by publishers. John Mullen has a list of 10 great novels with terrible original titles. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first submitted as “First Impressions.” War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy was “All’s Well that Ends Well.” The Great Gatsby could have been “Trimalchio on West Egg” or, (according to the Rinzler article) “Under the Red, White and Blue.”
Mullen’s list says that Stephen King changed the title of one of his books to Dreamcatchers at his wife’s insistence. She feared the original name, “Cancer,” would bring bad luck.
In the article, Choosing a Title for Your Book, Alan Rinzler offers some helpful suggestions such as: Less in better; More can also be better; and, Avoid clichés. But my favorite was the last suggestion which was, “Ignore all of the above.”
For fun you can hop over to Lulu for their Titlescorer to find out the percentage for a certain title to become a best seller. The Ride came up at 26.5% which sounds like pretty good odds to me.
Is it the cover art, the title or both that entices you to pick up a book when wandering through a book store?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: The Ride, ArcheBooks, Tolstoy, Stephen King, The Great Gatsby, choosing a title,
Coming up with a name for a novel is not an easy task. I selected The Ride for several reasons. It describes the book in a literal and figurative manner; the protagonist is taken for a ride in more ways than one; and, I hope the reader comes away with the basic premise that life should be one fun trip.
ArcheBooks kept my title. However, often the name of a novel is changed by publishers. John Mullen has a list of 10 great novels with terrible original titles. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first submitted as “First Impressions.” War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy was “All’s Well that Ends Well.” The Great Gatsby could have been “Trimalchio on West Egg” or, (according to the Rinzler article) “Under the Red, White and Blue.”
Mullen’s list says that Stephen King changed the title of one of his books to Dreamcatchers at his wife’s insistence. She feared the original name, “Cancer,” would bring bad luck.
In the article, Choosing a Title for Your Book, Alan Rinzler offers some helpful suggestions such as: Less in better; More can also be better; and, Avoid clichés. But my favorite was the last suggestion which was, “Ignore all of the above.”
For fun you can hop over to Lulu for their Titlescorer to find out the percentage for a certain title to become a best seller. The Ride came up at 26.5% which sounds like pretty good odds to me.
Is it the cover art, the title or both that entices you to pick up a book when wandering through a book store?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: The Ride, ArcheBooks, Tolstoy, Stephen King, The Great Gatsby, choosing a title,
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Beginning of Writing Careers
“It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.” - Lucille Ball
I was slow to throw myself into the writing arena. Though I recognized that writing made me happy from a very early age, I didn’t complete my first manuscript until I had finally run out of excuses and reasons not to sit down and write on a daily basis. I decided to satisfy my curiosity and find out when or how other authors embarked on their writing careers.
According to the web site of Nora Roberts, her career was born during a blizzard in 1979. “She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn't reading or making up stories. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born.”
In, On Writing, Stephen King tells of the time when he was six and copied a story from a comic book. He showed it to his mother who then encouraged him to write a story of his own. He did. In fact, he wrote four stories and his mother paid him a quarter each. Obviously, he was paid for his writing at a much earlier age than most of us.
According to Chevron Cars.com, as a young man, Theodor Seuss Geisel worked for an oil company writing ads that consisted of cartoon drawings of people. This began his love for writing and drawing. In 1937, while on a trip, he was inspired to write his first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. He used the name Dr. Seuss, because he wanted to use his real name for more serious books. Seuss was his middle name, and he put Dr. in front of it because his father always wanted him to be a doctor.
From factmonster.com, J. K. Rowling wrote her first story, Rabbit, about a rabbit with measles, at age five or six. Later, she tried her hand at writing novels, for adults. But she never finished writing any novel before she wrote the Harry Potter books. The idea for Harry occurred to her while she was stuck on a delayed train between Manchester and London.
Roald Dahl, according roalddahlfans.com became popular among Washington's rich and famous for the wild yarns he would spin about his RAF adventures. He wrote a story called Gremlin Lore about the mythical creatures that supposedly sabotaged RAF planes. Since he was a serving officer, Dahl was required to submit everything he wrote for approval by British Information Services. The officer who read it, Sidney Bernstein, decided to pass it along to his good friend Walt Disney, who was looking for War–related features for his fledgling film company. Disney decided to turn Dahl's story into an animated feature called "The Gremlins."
Readers, do you know how your favorite author started out? Authors, when and why did you decide to pursue a writing career?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Lucille Ball, Nora Roberts, Stephen King, Dr. Seuss, Rowling, Dahl,
I was slow to throw myself into the writing arena. Though I recognized that writing made me happy from a very early age, I didn’t complete my first manuscript until I had finally run out of excuses and reasons not to sit down and write on a daily basis. I decided to satisfy my curiosity and find out when or how other authors embarked on their writing careers.
According to the web site of Nora Roberts, her career was born during a blizzard in 1979. “She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn't reading or making up stories. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born.”
In, On Writing, Stephen King tells of the time when he was six and copied a story from a comic book. He showed it to his mother who then encouraged him to write a story of his own. He did. In fact, he wrote four stories and his mother paid him a quarter each. Obviously, he was paid for his writing at a much earlier age than most of us.
According to Chevron Cars.com, as a young man, Theodor Seuss Geisel worked for an oil company writing ads that consisted of cartoon drawings of people. This began his love for writing and drawing. In 1937, while on a trip, he was inspired to write his first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. He used the name Dr. Seuss, because he wanted to use his real name for more serious books. Seuss was his middle name, and he put Dr. in front of it because his father always wanted him to be a doctor.
From factmonster.com, J. K. Rowling wrote her first story, Rabbit, about a rabbit with measles, at age five or six. Later, she tried her hand at writing novels, for adults. But she never finished writing any novel before she wrote the Harry Potter books. The idea for Harry occurred to her while she was stuck on a delayed train between Manchester and London.
Roald Dahl, according roalddahlfans.com became popular among Washington's rich and famous for the wild yarns he would spin about his RAF adventures. He wrote a story called Gremlin Lore about the mythical creatures that supposedly sabotaged RAF planes. Since he was a serving officer, Dahl was required to submit everything he wrote for approval by British Information Services. The officer who read it, Sidney Bernstein, decided to pass it along to his good friend Walt Disney, who was looking for War–related features for his fledgling film company. Disney decided to turn Dahl's story into an animated feature called "The Gremlins."
Readers, do you know how your favorite author started out? Authors, when and why did you decide to pursue a writing career?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Lucille Ball, Nora Roberts, Stephen King, Dr. Seuss, Rowling, Dahl,
Monday, February 23, 2009
Muse Amusement
“Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.” –Saint Bartholomew
A muse is the real or imaginary person a writer considers responsible for their inspirations. Most of our modern day muses still come from the nine muses of Greek Mythology: Calliope, Euterpe, Clio, Melpomene, Thalia, Terpsichore, Erato, Urania and Polyhymnia. Together they are supposedly infinite sources of wisdom and creativity. Holding a wax tablet and stylus, Calliope is probably the one most poets, writers or storytellers draw upon.
Stephen King in his book On Writing, says of his muse, “…the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic.”
This made me think that instead of a generic or Greek muse, I, like Stephen King, needed a more personal one. If I could visualize her, then possibly I’d be able to successfully call upon her more frequently. I had fun with the idea. I named my muse Metteccup, derived from the first letter of the names of the original nine muses. I defined her name as meaning ‘metaphysical cup.’ I’m using the archaic definition of metaphysical which, according to Dictionary. com, is: imaginary or fanciful.
I picture her as an elderly Tinkerbelle type character whose pink tutu is a stretched a bit tight around the middle and slightly frayed around the edges. She has a rosy completion, laugh lines around her sparkling dark eyes, a ski-slope kind of nose and a Mona Lisa type of smile. But don’t let her looks fool you. She can be very mischievous and has, at times, vanished for days.
However, when I’m on her good side and she uses her magic wand to shower me with cupfuls of imaginary and fanciful ideas, I wonder how I ever managed to write a word without her. I have no idea how a psychiatrist may interpret my use of an imaginary muse, but I’m almost certain that since she’s come into my life, my writing has improved.
Do you have a real or imaginary muse? If imaginary, how would you describe him, her or it?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Stephen King, On Writing, Muse, Calliope, Saint Bartholomew, mythology,
A muse is the real or imaginary person a writer considers responsible for their inspirations. Most of our modern day muses still come from the nine muses of Greek Mythology: Calliope, Euterpe, Clio, Melpomene, Thalia, Terpsichore, Erato, Urania and Polyhymnia. Together they are supposedly infinite sources of wisdom and creativity. Holding a wax tablet and stylus, Calliope is probably the one most poets, writers or storytellers draw upon.
Stephen King in his book On Writing, says of his muse, “…the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic.”
This made me think that instead of a generic or Greek muse, I, like Stephen King, needed a more personal one. If I could visualize her, then possibly I’d be able to successfully call upon her more frequently. I had fun with the idea. I named my muse Metteccup, derived from the first letter of the names of the original nine muses. I defined her name as meaning ‘metaphysical cup.’ I’m using the archaic definition of metaphysical which, according to Dictionary. com, is: imaginary or fanciful.
I picture her as an elderly Tinkerbelle type character whose pink tutu is a stretched a bit tight around the middle and slightly frayed around the edges. She has a rosy completion, laugh lines around her sparkling dark eyes, a ski-slope kind of nose and a Mona Lisa type of smile. But don’t let her looks fool you. She can be very mischievous and has, at times, vanished for days.
However, when I’m on her good side and she uses her magic wand to shower me with cupfuls of imaginary and fanciful ideas, I wonder how I ever managed to write a word without her. I have no idea how a psychiatrist may interpret my use of an imaginary muse, but I’m almost certain that since she’s come into my life, my writing has improved.
Do you have a real or imaginary muse? If imaginary, how would you describe him, her or it?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Stephen King, On Writing, Muse, Calliope, Saint Bartholomew, mythology,
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Best Sellers
“A best seller is a celebrity among books. It is a book known primarily (and sometimes exclusively) for its well-knownness.” Daniel J. Boorstin
In the much talked about Stephen King interview with USA Weekend, he said, “The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." I have not read the Twilight series so I have no comment on Stephenie Meyer’s talent. However, I did wonder how it’s possible to be a best selling author if you are not a good writer. One does not seem doable without the other so I tried to find out exactly what it takes to turn a book into a best seller.
A Midwest Review article explains how the lists are compiled but not the qualities a book or author needs to land on one of these prestigious lists.
Pam Perry’s article, Top 10 Things Every Best-Selling Book Must Have mentions things like timing and word of mouth but nothing about content, quality or a good story line.
Dee Powers wrote in her article What Gets a Book to the Top of the Bestseller List that “Quality of writing is paramount. For writers yet to produce a bestseller, comfort can be taken in that both agents and editors rank quality of writing highly. Great writing wins out. However, there are no hard and fast criteria about what constitutes “great writing." It comes down to subjective judgments made by individuals. Book reviewers may argue that a successful book by the very virtue of its sale's success can not be considered great writing.”
It’s all so confusing. Is it better to be considered a great writer and only sell a few books or a best-selling author whose books sell out within hours of hitting a store? Is it possible to be both?
I think I’ll still dream my “best-seller” dreams. I’d love to know I touched thousands of individuals whose subjective judgments all loved The Ride.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Boorstin, Stephen King, Stephanie Meyer, The Ride, Midwest Review,
In the much talked about Stephen King interview with USA Weekend, he said, “The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." I have not read the Twilight series so I have no comment on Stephenie Meyer’s talent. However, I did wonder how it’s possible to be a best selling author if you are not a good writer. One does not seem doable without the other so I tried to find out exactly what it takes to turn a book into a best seller.
A Midwest Review article explains how the lists are compiled but not the qualities a book or author needs to land on one of these prestigious lists.
Pam Perry’s article, Top 10 Things Every Best-Selling Book Must Have mentions things like timing and word of mouth but nothing about content, quality or a good story line.
Dee Powers wrote in her article What Gets a Book to the Top of the Bestseller List that “Quality of writing is paramount. For writers yet to produce a bestseller, comfort can be taken in that both agents and editors rank quality of writing highly. Great writing wins out. However, there are no hard and fast criteria about what constitutes “great writing." It comes down to subjective judgments made by individuals. Book reviewers may argue that a successful book by the very virtue of its sale's success can not be considered great writing.”
It’s all so confusing. Is it better to be considered a great writer and only sell a few books or a best-selling author whose books sell out within hours of hitting a store? Is it possible to be both?
I think I’ll still dream my “best-seller” dreams. I’d love to know I touched thousands of individuals whose subjective judgments all loved The Ride.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Boorstin, Stephen King, Stephanie Meyer, The Ride, Midwest Review,
Friday, August 8, 2008
Bloopers
“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.” –Edward J. Phelps
I’ve gone through the galleys for The Ride. With trepidation, I hit the send button to return a list of corrections to ArcheBooks Publishers wondering if I missed something major. The manuscript has been edited by professionals and myself many times, but I still worry that readers may focus on my errors and not the story. I’m sure this apprehension and fear is familiar to all writers.
I try to ease my anxiety by reminding myself that if mistakes do crop up, and I’m sure they will, I’ll be in good company. At http://www.slipups.com/ I found a list of bloopers that have been found in books (movies, TV and quotes). I copied a few from well-known authors, with permission from the site, to share with you.
A Clockwork Orange, (Antony Burgess) - Anachronism?
In his Introduction, Blake Morrision states that the book is set "somewhere in Europe, circa 1972". But when Alex and his droogs steal the car from the cinema car park, we're told it's a 95 model -- and I don't think Burgess meant 1895...
Carrie (Stephen King) - Back from the Dead
In part two "Prom Night" (about 22 pages in), Margaret White is thinking back to a time when Carrie was not quite 1 year old. She almost killed Carrie, but her husband Ralph stopped her. Yet earlier in part one "Blood Sport" (about 8 pages in) we learned that Ralph died about 7 months before Carrie was born!
Cujo (Stephen King) - Olives and Cucumbers
Before going out to Camber's garage with Tad, Donna packs a lunch box (in my book it's on page 142 -- King doesn't use chapters in Cujo). She wraps green olives and cucumber slices in foil. Later, when they eat the food (page 165) she is "holding the Tupperware dish with the olives and slices of cucumbers inside, each wrapped neatly in Saran wrap".
The Green Mile (Stephen King) - Percy and the Strait Jacket
In Chapter Two of "Coffey On The Mile" Paul Edgecomb rips the tape off of Percy's mouth. Percy rubs his lips, then lowers his hand to demand release while still strapped in the straitjacket with his arms behind him.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
At the end of The Great Gatsby, Mr. Gatz (Gatsby's father) showed Nick a copy of the book Hopalong Cassidy that Gatsby had used to write a schedule on September 12, 1906. The book Hopalong Cassidy was written in 1907 and published in 1910, so it's impossible that Gatsby could have had it in 1906.
A Man in Full, (Tom Wolfe) - 6 or 8?
On page 199 near the bottom, Wolfe writes, "There was only the hexagonal shape to remind you that it was a stop sign." (Hexagonal=six sides) All the stop signs where I live are octagonal (eight sides).
The Bone Collector, (Jeffery Deaver) - Spare Uniform
On the first page of Chapter 28, Amelia Sachs removes and flings away off her gasoline-soaked police uniform blouse before entering a burning church. 3 pages later in the church basement she cuts a patch off of her uniform blouse to protect her hand from the hot handle of a fire extinguisher. (pages 342 & 345 of paperback edition.)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, (Stephen King) - Aren't Editors Paid to Edit?
During the game against the Yankees where Gordon saves the game, Jason Varitek is mentioned a few times but his name is spelled wrong. It's spelled Veritek. The first time I saw it I thought it was just an innocent editing mistake - but it's spelled with an "E" instead of an "A" every time.
Kiss the Girls (James Patterson) - Kate's Eyes
Toward the beginning of the book, Detective Alex Cross describes Kate as having blue eyes. Some chapters into the book, he mentions her big, brown eyes. He mentions her eye color quite a few times throughout the book, and on two of those occasions, they are said to be blue. The rest of the time, Detective Cross says her eyes are brown.
I have to admit I have read most of these books and did not notice the errors. I guess when I am caught up in a good story, I grant full creative freedom to the author and seldom stop to say, “Hey, that can’t happen,” or “Now what color was her hair, eyes, etc.”
What about you? Are you good at spotting mistakes? Have you found other author errors? If so, I’d love to hear about them.
If you haven’t done so already, please enter the “Guess the Publication Date, II” contest. Simply leave a comment with the month, day and year that you think The Ride will be released or send an email to janekennedysutton@gmail.com. But hurry, the contest ends on August 15.
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Clockwork Orange, Carrie, Cujo, Green Mile, Great Gatsby, A Man in Full, Bone Collector,Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Kiss the Girls, bloopers
I’ve gone through the galleys for The Ride. With trepidation, I hit the send button to return a list of corrections to ArcheBooks Publishers wondering if I missed something major. The manuscript has been edited by professionals and myself many times, but I still worry that readers may focus on my errors and not the story. I’m sure this apprehension and fear is familiar to all writers.
I try to ease my anxiety by reminding myself that if mistakes do crop up, and I’m sure they will, I’ll be in good company. At http://www.slipups.com/ I found a list of bloopers that have been found in books (movies, TV and quotes). I copied a few from well-known authors, with permission from the site, to share with you.
A Clockwork Orange, (Antony Burgess) - Anachronism?
In his Introduction, Blake Morrision states that the book is set "somewhere in Europe, circa 1972". But when Alex and his droogs steal the car from the cinema car park, we're told it's a 95 model -- and I don't think Burgess meant 1895...
Carrie (Stephen King) - Back from the Dead
In part two "Prom Night" (about 22 pages in), Margaret White is thinking back to a time when Carrie was not quite 1 year old. She almost killed Carrie, but her husband Ralph stopped her. Yet earlier in part one "Blood Sport" (about 8 pages in) we learned that Ralph died about 7 months before Carrie was born!
Cujo (Stephen King) - Olives and Cucumbers
Before going out to Camber's garage with Tad, Donna packs a lunch box (in my book it's on page 142 -- King doesn't use chapters in Cujo). She wraps green olives and cucumber slices in foil. Later, when they eat the food (page 165) she is "holding the Tupperware dish with the olives and slices of cucumbers inside, each wrapped neatly in Saran wrap".
The Green Mile (Stephen King) - Percy and the Strait Jacket
In Chapter Two of "Coffey On The Mile" Paul Edgecomb rips the tape off of Percy's mouth. Percy rubs his lips, then lowers his hand to demand release while still strapped in the straitjacket with his arms behind him.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
At the end of The Great Gatsby, Mr. Gatz (Gatsby's father) showed Nick a copy of the book Hopalong Cassidy that Gatsby had used to write a schedule on September 12, 1906. The book Hopalong Cassidy was written in 1907 and published in 1910, so it's impossible that Gatsby could have had it in 1906.
A Man in Full, (Tom Wolfe) - 6 or 8?
On page 199 near the bottom, Wolfe writes, "There was only the hexagonal shape to remind you that it was a stop sign." (Hexagonal=six sides) All the stop signs where I live are octagonal (eight sides).
The Bone Collector, (Jeffery Deaver) - Spare Uniform
On the first page of Chapter 28, Amelia Sachs removes and flings away off her gasoline-soaked police uniform blouse before entering a burning church. 3 pages later in the church basement she cuts a patch off of her uniform blouse to protect her hand from the hot handle of a fire extinguisher. (pages 342 & 345 of paperback edition.)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, (Stephen King) - Aren't Editors Paid to Edit?
During the game against the Yankees where Gordon saves the game, Jason Varitek is mentioned a few times but his name is spelled wrong. It's spelled Veritek. The first time I saw it I thought it was just an innocent editing mistake - but it's spelled with an "E" instead of an "A" every time.
Kiss the Girls (James Patterson) - Kate's Eyes
Toward the beginning of the book, Detective Alex Cross describes Kate as having blue eyes. Some chapters into the book, he mentions her big, brown eyes. He mentions her eye color quite a few times throughout the book, and on two of those occasions, they are said to be blue. The rest of the time, Detective Cross says her eyes are brown.
I have to admit I have read most of these books and did not notice the errors. I guess when I am caught up in a good story, I grant full creative freedom to the author and seldom stop to say, “Hey, that can’t happen,” or “Now what color was her hair, eyes, etc.”
What about you? Are you good at spotting mistakes? Have you found other author errors? If so, I’d love to hear about them.
If you haven’t done so already, please enter the “Guess the Publication Date, II” contest. Simply leave a comment with the month, day and year that you think The Ride will be released or send an email to janekennedysutton@gmail.com. But hurry, the contest ends on August 15.
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Clockwork Orange, Carrie, Cujo, Green Mile, Great Gatsby, A Man in Full, Bone Collector,Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Kiss the Girls, bloopers
Thursday, May 1, 2008
May is Get Caught Reading Month
During this month celebrities will appear in ads to remind people of the joys of reading. I visited the site, http://www.getcaughtreading.org/ and viewed some of the posters. Though the photography is nice, the book titles were not always visible. It made me wonder what authors actually read.
The Gardiner Public Library in Maine has an online Celebrity Reading List at http://www.gpl.lib.me.us/wrwind.htm. Started in 1988, the list features authors, TV personalities, movie stars, politicians, and athletes. I thought it would be fun to check out what a few authors liked to read and/or recommended.
Stephen King –Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Jodi Picoult – The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
R. L. Stine – Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Jeffrey Archer –Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Robin Cook – A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
Ray Bradbury - The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Mary Higgins Clark -The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
Janet Evanovich - Comics featuring Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck, and Uncle Scrooge
Ken Follett - The Tale of the Fierce, Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Sue Grafton - Snobs by Julian Fellowes
One of my all-time favorites is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving because I can remember laughing and crying all the way through the book. Owen was described by Irving with such expertise that I still have a vivid picture of him in my mind.
The book I’d currently be ‘caught reading’ is The Boxcar Kid by ArcheBooks author Dick Miller.
What are your favorite books? And, what book will you be ‘caught reading’ this month?
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Picoult, Evanovich, Grafton, Boxcar Kid, John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Gardiner Public Library in Maine has an online Celebrity Reading List at http://www.gpl.lib.me.us/wrwind.htm. Started in 1988, the list features authors, TV personalities, movie stars, politicians, and athletes. I thought it would be fun to check out what a few authors liked to read and/or recommended.
Stephen King –Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Jodi Picoult – The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
R. L. Stine – Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Jeffrey Archer –Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Robin Cook – A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
Ray Bradbury - The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Mary Higgins Clark -The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
Janet Evanovich - Comics featuring Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck, and Uncle Scrooge
Ken Follett - The Tale of the Fierce, Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Sue Grafton - Snobs by Julian Fellowes
One of my all-time favorites is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving because I can remember laughing and crying all the way through the book. Owen was described by Irving with such expertise that I still have a vivid picture of him in my mind.
The book I’d currently be ‘caught reading’ is The Boxcar Kid by ArcheBooks author Dick Miller.
What are your favorite books? And, what book will you be ‘caught reading’ this month?
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Picoult, Evanovich, Grafton, Boxcar Kid, John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Duma Key and Me
I recently attended the monthly luncheon of the Southwest Division of the Florida Writer’s Association (http://www.floridawriters.net/). As always, I enjoyed being a part of this group of interesting and diverse writers in all stages of the craft. Michelle Weston, author of A Prophesy Forgotten, (http://www.elysianchronicles.com/MBWeston.htm) gave a hilarious as well as informative talk based on her personal experiences of what to do and what not to do during a road trip for a book promotion. If you ever get I chance to hear her speak, don’t pass it up.
At this same meeting, Robert Gelinas, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, announced that ArcheBooks (http://archebooks.com/) would be releasing The Ride, as well as Henry Hermann’s novel, Beginnings, soon.
I’m not allowing myself to get too excited because I have come to understand that ‘soon’ is a relative term. However, all the books on the production list up to The Ride, have either been released or are in the very last stages prior to release, leading me to believe that the ‘birth’ of The Ride may actually happen.
While exciting and what I’ve been waiting almost a year for, the revelation stirred up all my anxieties about the marketing aspect of a writer’s life. So I haven’t figured out if it’s a coincidence or downright eerie that this week I also happened to be reading Stephen King’s latest book, Duma Key, and identified with something one of his characters said.
King’s character, Edger Freemantle says, “When I was painting I felt filled up and fully realized in some basic way I had never understood before coming to Duma Key. But when I thought about the show at the Scoto and all the stuff that went into making an exhibition of new work successful, my mind went into lockdown. It was more than stage fright; this felt like outright panic.”
If marketing can panic a Stephen King character, what chance do I have of remaining calm?
Obviously, I’d substitute ‘writing’ for ‘painting’ and there’s some comfort knowing that by replacing ‘painting’ with singing, acting, sculpting, or any creative endeavor many other people can probably also identify with Edgar Freemantle.
Still, I’m not sure if it is scarier to think about identifying with a Stephen King character or to think about marketing; I have a feeling they’ll both give me nightmares.
I hope to be able to announce the winner to the ‘when will The Ride be released’ contest soon. By ‘soon’ I mean my definition of the word, not a publisher’s .
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Florida Writers Association, Michelle Weston, A Prophesy Forgotten , Robert Gelinas, Stephen King, Duma Key, : Henry Hermann, Beginnings
At this same meeting, Robert Gelinas, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, announced that ArcheBooks (http://archebooks.com/) would be releasing The Ride, as well as Henry Hermann’s novel, Beginnings, soon.
I’m not allowing myself to get too excited because I have come to understand that ‘soon’ is a relative term. However, all the books on the production list up to The Ride, have either been released or are in the very last stages prior to release, leading me to believe that the ‘birth’ of The Ride may actually happen.
While exciting and what I’ve been waiting almost a year for, the revelation stirred up all my anxieties about the marketing aspect of a writer’s life. So I haven’t figured out if it’s a coincidence or downright eerie that this week I also happened to be reading Stephen King’s latest book, Duma Key, and identified with something one of his characters said.
King’s character, Edger Freemantle says, “When I was painting I felt filled up and fully realized in some basic way I had never understood before coming to Duma Key. But when I thought about the show at the Scoto and all the stuff that went into making an exhibition of new work successful, my mind went into lockdown. It was more than stage fright; this felt like outright panic.”
If marketing can panic a Stephen King character, what chance do I have of remaining calm?
Obviously, I’d substitute ‘writing’ for ‘painting’ and there’s some comfort knowing that by replacing ‘painting’ with singing, acting, sculpting, or any creative endeavor many other people can probably also identify with Edgar Freemantle.
Still, I’m not sure if it is scarier to think about identifying with a Stephen King character or to think about marketing; I have a feeling they’ll both give me nightmares.
I hope to be able to announce the winner to the ‘when will The Ride be released’ contest soon. By ‘soon’ I mean my definition of the word, not a publisher’s .
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/janesutton
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Florida Writers Association, Michelle Weston, A Prophesy Forgotten , Robert Gelinas, Stephen King, Duma Key, : Henry Hermann, Beginnings
Friday, September 28, 2007
Plausible Plots
Well, things aren’t exactly popping since The Ride went ‘red.’ In fact, I can’t tell any difference other than the title appears in red on the ArcheBooks (http://archebooks.com/) production list. I didn’t know what to expect but I’d hoped for some sort of immediate action by my editor. Now, I can’t help but wonder if silence is a good sign, a bad sign or means nothing at all.
The timing seems a bit bizarre, but the book I was reading this week, Stephen King’s, Lisey’s Story, had a scene about editors I really loved (and found rather ironic coming from the master of ‘taking the completely impossible and making it totally believable’). I think I can talk about it without giving the plot away for those of you who haven’t read the book yet.
It’s the part where Lisey’s thinking about her husband, Scott, a famous writer, when he’s lamenting the remark from his editor—“…plot creaks a bit here…” Meaning the editor didn’t find it plausible.
Scott ranted about the amazing true stories appearing everyday in newspapers, such as the one where a dog found its way back to Oregon three years after his owners lost him while on vacation in Florida, or a little girl emerging alive after six days trapped in a well in Texas. Such things would not be accepted as ‘reality’ in a novel and because of this, Scott says “…novelists labor under tremendous handicaps.”
And it is true, in a fiction setting, these scenarios would be shot down by an editor as too far a stretch, not likely to happen, and so on. In other words, fiction has to be believable where facts suffer no such constraints. Or, as Mark Twain put it, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”
I truly hope my editor doesn’t tell me my plot creaks.
Veering off the subject a bit, I just have to say when I picture Lisey’s husband, Scott, he looks and sounds a whole lot like Stephen King. Is that planned, coincidence or just me? Or, is this book actually a creative autobiography? (Yes, I know I did a whole blog on fiction is fiction and has nothing to do with a writer’s life—but, hmmm…I just might have to change my mind.)
Thanks for stopping by. See you next Friday.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Lisey’s Story, Mark Twain , truth is stranger than fiction
The timing seems a bit bizarre, but the book I was reading this week, Stephen King’s, Lisey’s Story, had a scene about editors I really loved (and found rather ironic coming from the master of ‘taking the completely impossible and making it totally believable’). I think I can talk about it without giving the plot away for those of you who haven’t read the book yet.
It’s the part where Lisey’s thinking about her husband, Scott, a famous writer, when he’s lamenting the remark from his editor—“…plot creaks a bit here…” Meaning the editor didn’t find it plausible.
Scott ranted about the amazing true stories appearing everyday in newspapers, such as the one where a dog found its way back to Oregon three years after his owners lost him while on vacation in Florida, or a little girl emerging alive after six days trapped in a well in Texas. Such things would not be accepted as ‘reality’ in a novel and because of this, Scott says “…novelists labor under tremendous handicaps.”
And it is true, in a fiction setting, these scenarios would be shot down by an editor as too far a stretch, not likely to happen, and so on. In other words, fiction has to be believable where facts suffer no such constraints. Or, as Mark Twain put it, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”
I truly hope my editor doesn’t tell me my plot creaks.
Veering off the subject a bit, I just have to say when I picture Lisey’s husband, Scott, he looks and sounds a whole lot like Stephen King. Is that planned, coincidence or just me? Or, is this book actually a creative autobiography? (Yes, I know I did a whole blog on fiction is fiction and has nothing to do with a writer’s life—but, hmmm…I just might have to change my mind.)
Thanks for stopping by. See you next Friday.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Lisey’s Story, Mark Twain , truth is stranger than fiction
Friday, September 14, 2007
Writer’s Block
It’s three-weeks now that The Ride has been next in line on the ArcheBooks production list and it’s making me nervous; actually, it’s making me crazy. I know I said I wasn’t going to obsess about it—I was going to go on with my life and just let it happen when it happens. That was easy to say, but not so easy to do.
I tried to go on. I really did. But, I guess I’m the type that likes to have one project neatly wrapped up and taken care of before immersing myself in another.
It was easier to think about other projects when there were manuscripts ahead of mine, but now for some reason, I can’t stand just dangling with my toe so close to the edge. “Move,” I scream silently in the mornings when I check the status. “Move!” I scream silently again in the evenings. Silent screams do not help. Maybe I should be more vocal!
I think my frustration is causing writer’s block. I sit down at the computer, ready to work, but nothing flows. It’s painful. I couldn’t even come up with a topic to blog about until Kim mentioned writing on writer’s block. How obvious. Why didn’t I think of that?
I was skimming through Stephen King’s book, On Writing, hoping for some inspiration. I don’t know about the inspiration part but I did read something that made me laugh. It also helped me to realize that all writers must suffer an occasional block sometime during their career.
It’s about James Joyce and King does mention that it is probably more myth than truth, but it is still a good story. King writes:
“According to the story, a friend came to visit him one day and found him sprawled across his writing desk in a posture of utter despair.
“‘James, what’s wrong?’ the friend asked. ‘Is it the work?’
“Joyce indicated assent without even raising his head to look at the friend. Of course it was the work; isn’t it always?
“‘How many words did you get today?’ the friend pursued.
“Joyce (still in despair, still sprawled facedown on his desk): ‘Seven.’
“‘Seven? But James…that’s good, at least for you!’
“‘Yes,’ Joyce said, finally looking up. ‘I suppose it is…but I don’t know what order they go in.’”
Have any of you suffered from writer’s block? If so, what did you do to relieve it? I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, On Writing, writer’s block, James Joyce
I tried to go on. I really did. But, I guess I’m the type that likes to have one project neatly wrapped up and taken care of before immersing myself in another.
It was easier to think about other projects when there were manuscripts ahead of mine, but now for some reason, I can’t stand just dangling with my toe so close to the edge. “Move,” I scream silently in the mornings when I check the status. “Move!” I scream silently again in the evenings. Silent screams do not help. Maybe I should be more vocal!
I think my frustration is causing writer’s block. I sit down at the computer, ready to work, but nothing flows. It’s painful. I couldn’t even come up with a topic to blog about until Kim mentioned writing on writer’s block. How obvious. Why didn’t I think of that?
I was skimming through Stephen King’s book, On Writing, hoping for some inspiration. I don’t know about the inspiration part but I did read something that made me laugh. It also helped me to realize that all writers must suffer an occasional block sometime during their career.
It’s about James Joyce and King does mention that it is probably more myth than truth, but it is still a good story. King writes:
“According to the story, a friend came to visit him one day and found him sprawled across his writing desk in a posture of utter despair.
“‘James, what’s wrong?’ the friend asked. ‘Is it the work?’
“Joyce indicated assent without even raising his head to look at the friend. Of course it was the work; isn’t it always?
“‘How many words did you get today?’ the friend pursued.
“Joyce (still in despair, still sprawled facedown on his desk): ‘Seven.’
“‘Seven? But James…that’s good, at least for you!’
“‘Yes,’ Joyce said, finally looking up. ‘I suppose it is…but I don’t know what order they go in.’”
Have any of you suffered from writer’s block? If so, what did you do to relieve it? I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, On Writing, writer’s block, James Joyce
Friday, August 24, 2007
Fact or Fiction
One of the first complete strangers to read my novel, The Ride, though enthusiastic and encouraging, asked, “Is it based on your life?”
“Why would you think that?” I responded. “It’s a novel. That means it’s fiction.”
She replied, “Many manuscripts, especially first novels, are based on the author’s experiences.”
Does that mean Stephen King went to high school with a girl with telekinetic powers? I wondered, thinking of Carrie.
I can’t speak for Stephen King or other authors, but in my case, what I write has nothing to do with me, my life, or the people I know. There’s a reason I write fiction—my life is rather ordinary (although I have some extraordinary friends and family). Although I enjoy my existence tremendously, most people (including me) would find it on the dull side if I were to write a book about it.
It is true that occasionally someone I see or hear can spark an idea for a character or a plot but so can fresh air. There’s nothing I love more than walks where I can’t wait to get home and write down an idea that popped into my head along the route.
While it may be true that fact is stranger than fiction, I personally find fiction more enjoyable to write. Although I have written a few true vignettes about blunders I made while living overseas, my focus is on writing fiction. It’s fun; almost like playing God—I’m able to create lives and control situations.
But, alas, I can’t control the production schedule for ArcheBooks Publishing, http://archebooks.com/. I’m still next on the list.
Next week, I’ll be interviewing a New Zealand author of short stories, novellas, novels and poems, Yvonne Eve Walus. I hope you’ll stop by. In the meantime, check out her web site http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/index.html and blog http http://yewalus.blogspot.com/ and let me know if you have any questions you’d like to ask her.
Thanks for your visit.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Carrie, fiction , Yvonne Eve Walus
“Why would you think that?” I responded. “It’s a novel. That means it’s fiction.”
She replied, “Many manuscripts, especially first novels, are based on the author’s experiences.”
Does that mean Stephen King went to high school with a girl with telekinetic powers? I wondered, thinking of Carrie.
I can’t speak for Stephen King or other authors, but in my case, what I write has nothing to do with me, my life, or the people I know. There’s a reason I write fiction—my life is rather ordinary (although I have some extraordinary friends and family). Although I enjoy my existence tremendously, most people (including me) would find it on the dull side if I were to write a book about it.
It is true that occasionally someone I see or hear can spark an idea for a character or a plot but so can fresh air. There’s nothing I love more than walks where I can’t wait to get home and write down an idea that popped into my head along the route.
While it may be true that fact is stranger than fiction, I personally find fiction more enjoyable to write. Although I have written a few true vignettes about blunders I made while living overseas, my focus is on writing fiction. It’s fun; almost like playing God—I’m able to create lives and control situations.
But, alas, I can’t control the production schedule for ArcheBooks Publishing, http://archebooks.com/. I’m still next on the list.
Next week, I’ll be interviewing a New Zealand author of short stories, novellas, novels and poems, Yvonne Eve Walus. I hope you’ll stop by. In the meantime, check out her web site http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/index.html and blog http http://yewalus.blogspot.com/ and let me know if you have any questions you’d like to ask her.
Thanks for your visit.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Stephen King, Carrie, fiction , Yvonne Eve Walus
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