Friday, October 18, 2013

2000 words each - Reading to Write


            A writer should read 2000 words for every 2000 words written. This ideas was suggested by a presenter at the LUW Conference in Sept. I think it was Sophie Littlefield. Sophie is from northern California and writes in several genre. Her post-apocalyptic AFTERTIME series is a thriller for YA




I read 11 memoirs and a couple of novels in 2 ½ weeks in preparation for my presentation on memoir. I had more time, but I admit I got burned out so quit.

The World’s Strongest Librarian - Josh Hanagarne
My Father’s House – Sylvia Fraser
Hoda – Hoda Kotb
Year of Learning Dangerously – Quinn Cummings
Boy – Roald Dahl
Blackbird – Jennifer Lauck
Catchcr In the Rye – J. D. Salinger - a novel
Driving With Dead People – Monica Holloway
An Innocent, A Broad – Ann Leary
Homesick: My Own Story - Jean Fritz
Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg – not a memoir but I like this book
Red Midnight – Ben Mikaelsen - fiction
All-in – Pete Hautman - fiction
How Starbucks Saved My Life – Michael Gates Gill




I chose the books by going through the library shelves and picking out the smallest book I could find. I wanted variety and a quick read. It worked. My two favorites were among the first I read.





The vault is unlocked. I heard on the radio that Salinger's works that have not been seen by others after publication of Catcher—although he kept writing for 26 years—are now available.


   
I love covers and will comment more on my bias at a later date. But I have to admit I didn't like Cather in the Rye. Too much foul language for me (and I'm not easily put off) and too much whining. Took that boy forever to think he might need to be responsible for his behavior - come to think of it I don't think that happened in the story.

         Lately I’ve been going to town on MG and YA books – looking for style. Should I continue to write alternate chapters in a male and female voice. Several of the books I picked up, did just that.
            But was I doing it the way it needed to be done? On occasion my story needed to go forward with the female voice in succeeding chapters. No problem according to Sharron Darrow and her book, The Painters of Lexieville.
            And there was the question of length. Years ago I’d attended a workshop where the presenter suggested that chapters needed to be of similar length. Since then I’ve discovered that very good writers on occasion throw in a one page chapter. Yeah.
            This also happened in The Snake-Stone by English author, Berlie Doherty whose book had the same subject as my The Dead Man’s Gold Watch – adoption. 

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