Fifty Shades of Writing

If you’ve been one of the masses who read through E. L. James’ FIFTY SHADES OF GREY trilogy, you might be interested to know she’s releasing a new book through Vintage Books. It might not be what you’re expecting, however. It’s a journal about her journey to getting published, as well as writing tips for people who might want to try their own hand at breaking into the world of books.

The Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess (A Journal) came about because of her fans. Whenever she met with the public during interviews or to sign books, etc., there were always so many questions about how she got started and how the publishing industry works, that she decided she’d publish a journal that revealed the inner workings of writing a book and her thoughts along the way.  Maybe this book won’t be as wildly successful as her series, just due to the topic, but I’m sure many people will be interested.

While she isn’t the first author to pen a book about writing, many readers complained about the poor writing in her series. Will this be something she addresses in the new book? Does it matter?  Some would argue that it doesn’t matter. She did what she set out to do–write something she was interested in and make readers care. That’s all that really matters.

On Trend

I was putting on a matte bright pink lipstick the other day, which is perfectly on trend for this fashion season, when I thought about book trends. While some of us switch out our wardrobes, hairstyles and makeup at the dawn of each new season, we often stick to what we know and love when it comes to books.  But there are trends out there…both reading trends and writing trends….and the question is, should you read to trend?

Every few years, the book world is blasted by a “brand new” trend, whether it is vampires or zombies, space ships or chick-lit, and everyone clamors to read. We see this quite a bit at the library. A book becomes a best-seller, and suddenly, not only does everyone want to read it…there are dozens of copycat books just waiting to replace it on the shelves. Authors are cautioned not to “write to trend”. It takes so long for a book to hit the shelves from inception to production that by the time a writer finishes a book written on a hot topic, the trend might be cooling.  It would be a big waste of time.

But how about reading on trend? Right now, we’re seeing lots of different trends for different readers.  In the juvenile world, fantasy has given way to the dystopian worlds that teens have been gorging on for the last few years.  And funny books are the be all and end all right now, especially funny books for boys! It seemed like no one was writing books for boys in the 8 – 12 year old range, and now that’s one of the dominating forces on the lists we order from.

In the young adult area, teens are starting to read more sci-fi and contemporary fiction. While thrillers and series are still in high demand, we’ll probably see re-runs through this age group as younger readers start to come up and want to read Hunger Games and many of the other dystopian series that were so popular for so long. Even the adults are starting to drift out of this section now.  Thank goodness there is something emerging called New Adult! (A transition from young adult books into adult fiction where the main characters are either in college/university or just starting out in the world. It’ll be interesting to see how popular this becomes.)

A few years back, the adult shelves were stacked with chick-lit….funny or irreverent fiction where the main character has a witty or sarcastic voice and gets into all kinds of wacky trouble. These days, we rarely see these types of books even cross the desk. While mysteries, thrillers and literary fiction are as popular as ever, we’re seeing more people reading historical fiction, probably due to the popularity of programs like Downton Abbey.

And I must say, our non-fiction bins are full of biographies by aging rock stars.  Not sure why.

So, if you don’t read the trends, why not?  And if you do, like changing your wardrobe…does it make your reading life more interesting?  I might try it!

Thank you!

This past weekend, we were invited to dinner and a movie with my lovely Aunt and her partner. It was a great evening and while I called to thank her for the great meal, I also thought about sending her a little note in the mail.  Today, I came across an article on writing better-than-amazing thank you letters.  Think the universe was trying to tell me something?

We don’t often think about thank you notes. In the past, I’d probably say thank you for inviting us over for the great meal–we had fun.  But there’s a better way, and it will not only make the recipient feel all warm and fuzzy, it’ll keep you in their good books. After all, they probably went to a lot of trouble, probably cleaned the bathroom, shopped, dusted and much more you’d never even think about. They deserve a little extra recognition, don’t you think?

So what would a super fantastic thank you letter look like?  I gave the idea a try…..

Dear Carole…..

You are such an unfairly amazing cook!  Honestly, your food constantly inspires me to try harder in the kitchen. Without a doubt, it was the nicest meal I’ve had in a long time, and I can’t wait to try out that great recipe for the cheesy potatoes. Thank you so much for inviting us over for a wonderful evening.

Love..

Me

Okay, maybe it’s a little over the top, but you get the point. Wouldn’t you love to open up a nice letter like that? I would.  Here are a few pointers to make your own thank you letters extraordinary.

#1.  Always start with “you”.  Everyone loves to hear something wonderful about themselves, so get gushing right off the bat.

#2.  Use specific examples. (Just like I did with the cheesy potatoes.)  They’ll know exactly what you thought was best.

#3. How you felt or benefited. Don’t just say it was wonderful.  Make sure you tell them how it made you a better person. Really, this isn’t going too far. I promise.

#4.  Don’t thank them until the very last line. You want a great way to close and you don’t want to repeat yourself.

Try not to sound insincere, but don’t be afraid to be flowery with your thank you. They aren’t going to frame it or post in on Facebook, but they will remember it.  And you.

Ideas from the upcoming book called Adulting : How to Become A Grown Up in 438(ish) Easy Steps by Kelly Williams Brown

 

 

 

 

Weird!

I think a lot of things are weird.  Okay, not really, but my husband would say I do. Maybe “weird” is just my word for things that make me wonder, things that catch me off guard or seem to be coincidences. And this week, the thing that keeps popping up on my radar (and thus, making me exclaim it’s so weird!), is a book called BORN WEIRD, by Andrew Kaufman.

Today alone, I saw this book reviewed in two magazines and at least three websites.  That must mean I’ll have to read it (I know what book I’m going to purchase for the train trip at the end of the month). So many instances of Born Weird is just plain, well…weird.

It’s a quirky book, from the sounds of it, about a family of five siblings with the surname Weird. They are each born with a strange character trait, called a “blursing” (a blessing and a curse, of course) that starts out good and becomes horrible.  The grandmother to the lot claims she will lift the blursing from each sibling, providing each of them gather together on the day she has predicted she will die. This is a difficult task as each child grows up and moves to various parts of the world, suffering from their cursed lives and never quite knowing how to overcome their problems.

Honestly, I can’t wait to read this book. Kaufman is known for his strange and yet plausible characters, and this sounds like it lives up to the rest. While some of the reviews complained that his characters didn’t quite allow readers to connect enough, sometimes it’s just the unique writing that draws a reader to a book. Plot over characterization, as long as it’s unique, is enough sometimes.  We’ll have to see.

Are you planning on reading this book, too?  How weird!

Postcards

Hardly anyone sends letters through the mail anymore, and postcards are left to those on far away vacations.  But a new website has brought back the art of sending postcards! Postcrossing is a project that allows you to receive postcards from anywhere in the world…and you’ll be sending your own postcards as well.  Just register with the site and they’ll send you your first address. Whip off a fun postcard, register it on the site and soon a postcard will arrive in your mailbox. Once you receive one, register that one and you’ll be on your way to getting more. 

How much fun would it be to connect with someone else halfway across the world?  You don’t actually become penpals (and probably no other contact will be made), but if you like to collect exotic postcards, this could be an exciting project for the New Year! Give it a try….

Whilst I’m thinking about it….

Recently, I read a book by an author who doesn’t like to use punctuation. I won’t go into specifics, but she has written several books and even won some prizes for her writing! Sentence after sentence without commas or semi-colons makes for some confusing reading, I tell you. The book was very good–once I got past the punctuation problems–but I still wonder if style should be placed on a higher level of importance than proper grammar. It doesn’t make for an all-round enjoyable reading experience, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

I’ve read several articles complaining about the poor writing in Fifty Shades of Grey, particularly the use of words that are too formal. That being said, it didn’t stop people from reading.  I sometimes wonder if authors think they need to use BIG language in order to make their work seem more literary. Let’s face it, Fifty Shades is not a literary piece, so why does this author (and others) use words like “whilst”, “thus”, and “heretofore” in her dialogue? A modern setting just doesn’t call for embellished language such as this. It draws a reader out of the story and makes  books clunky.

Is it “bad writing” then, to use long words when a simple word would convey the same thought and move the story along better? Does proper punctuation (or lack of punctuation) make or break a work?Should story trump all? If recent publications are any indication, it would seem so.  What do you think? Is story more important than language?