Author

Kristen Cashore’s book, Graceling, is something I picked up at the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library Sell a year or two ago. It’s on audio, and instead of one narrator, it is actually read with a narrator, and individual voices (voice actors) for dialogue. At first, this really threw me off, and I considered turning it off. But, since I was in a cleaning mood, I left it on for a while. Turns out that I got used to the various voices, and it didn’t seem so odd or cheesy anymore. I even started to like the story, and look forward to finishing it.

What do you think? Do you listen to audiobooks and if so, any with multiple voices?

P.s. Graceling is a pretty enjoyable book.

#audiobooks #graceling #yabooks #fantasybooks

A post for writers – Longhand, or Typed?

Do you do your writing on your computer, or do you write by hand? If you use the computer, there are five reasons you might want to try longhand. Keep reading to see why.

Everybody knows that using the keyboard is ten, if not a hundred times faster. Not only that, but once that manuscript is done, all you have to do spell-check, print, proof, hit that “find” button, and type again until… submit/send. Easy, right? Yes, but it comes with several strong cons.

Cons:

1. Ever typed the last chapter of manuscript and somehow lost it not long after? Wow, what a buzz-kill. It can be agonizing. It’s like doing hours of college work only to get ready to submit it and then, WHAM, it’s gone. Yes, we have auto-save, yes, we have flash-drives, but there are still plenty of times that, even with the above mentioned, we have, and can still lose our work.
2. Computer time is time-out/punishment-time for your eyes. Don’t believe me? Ask your eye doctor. Computer light is hard on the eye and will bring on dry-eye like nobodie’s business. It gets worse over the years. Not worth it.
3. We type faster, which is actually a disservice, considering the fact that quality work (writing) takes time. You’ve probably heard it said before: it’s easy to just let words spill out of your fingertips without regulating, or really thinking about it, other than what temporarily flashed in your mind for that nano-second. It’s like slathering paint on a newly constructed building without in the fastest time frame possible. Good luck with that paint job.
4. It gets boring, after a while. And, it’s like you’re always on the same page. In other words, it’s hard to really see, or feel, your writing progress other than looking at the page number on the bottom of the screen. That’s like using a corn-cob instead of Charmin toilet paper. It gets the job done, but… nowhere near as effectively.
5. You can only write with a computer. When inspiration strikes, if you’re not at a computer, you have to hope you have some paper on you, and then transcribe that to the comp later. Because that sounds like a lot of fun, plus, it doesn’t waste any time, at all. 😉

Pros:

1. If you write longhand, you’ll never lose your hard, time-consuming work again. Unless, you know, you do, which should still be much more difficult to do, so, either ways, it’s a win for the masses!
2. There is something extremely rewarding from writing your work out by hand and seeing, and feeling, the pages add up, steadily growing thicker and thicker. For all you visual and kinesthetic people.
3. Save your eyes from strain and dryness. Think about how much time you spend watching YouTube, the tele, or researching the various things you want to know, plus, possibly, college or school work, and then writing. Yikes. My switching to paper, you spare your eyes from the irritating effects of the white screen, plus strain, too.
4. Yes, writing by hand definitely takes longer. But what’s the rush? If you’re striving to push novels out because you want to make money in order to write for a living, remember why you wanted to write for a living in the first place – because you enjoy it. Take the time to really think as your hand forms the letters, and produce quality work, and enjoy and dive deeper into your work. Don’t kill the experience just because you want it done faster. It takes forever to publish a book, anyway. Write what you want, and take your time. Note: yes, it can cause your hand to cramp, so, take breaks. Computers cause carpel tunnel; there’s a surgery to cure that. One is obviously better.
5. The beauty of writing on paper is that you can write anywhere, just about whenever. Unless you’re scuba diving. Bored at a redundant work meeting? (hey, we’re not all working our dream jobs), what better way to get in some brainstorming or a few paragraphs by writing it down? Try that with your comp… and it’s a no-go. In other words, it’s less conspicuous, and you never have to get frustrated because you don’t have internet access to google-drive, or because your battery died, or because you can’t find the stupid document. Write it down, and bam, baby, it’s all there in one spot, wherever you go, or put it.

 

So, you still may decide to write by computer. And that’s fine. But it’s good to at least consider the alternative. If you do decide to give longhand a go, consider keeping your manuscript, (which is usually lengthy,) in a notebook. Personally, I picked out 3 matching (red) 70 page spiral notebooks. If you write front and back, one notebook is 140 pages, two is 280, and three is 420 pages. Plus, for the times when I want to stick some extra pages in the notebook, or even a pen, I can just glue/tape a small, manila envelop inside.

 

Now, no joke, my eyes are tired. I’m getting off this thing. On to the perks of longhand writing!

As always, happy writing.

#writing #typing #longhand #howtowriteabook #authors

If you are interested in Caldecott award-winning books, here is a list of 10 books with summaries, responses, and related connections:

*Just ignore the red squiggly lines 😉

#picturebooks #amreading #kidlit #teachers #librarians

The #ALSC has it wrong.

Click the link to read the article on why they removed Laura Ingle Wilder’s book award.

Removing Laura’s Award

They decided to remove Laura Ingle Wilder’s book award because:

“This decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness,” the board of the Association for Library Service to Children said on its website.”

Whatever happened to freedom of expression and freedom of accessibility? No, you’re not banning them, but you’re aggressively sending a negative message concerning freedom of expression when you remove an award that both freely expresses a time consistent with the past, and that offers a glimpse into that time period. If you want to condemn books, there are plenty to do so with today for their moral impurity, not because they don’t include everyone in a “positive” light.

This matters because you cannot erase the past. And removing an award because it spoke unkindly of a certain people does not make the book any less valuable and worthy of acclaim. If anything, it teaches you about the mindset of people, allowing us to reflect on how wrong we were, and how far we’ve come. You’ve upheld her for so long for her contribution of depicting life as it was, allowing individuals to take their own learning into their own hands, making of it what they will, but here, you’ve denied them that before they even pick it up, not allowing them to make their own judgements about her “stereotypical writing,” because you’ve already done so when you labeled it unworthy by removing her award.

For librarians everywhere, we’re taught that we shouldn’t ban books because of the people’s rights, even when that material is very questionable, which a good bit truly is, but here, the message given is: we can’t ban it, but we can make known our distaste for it because it doesn’t fit with inclusiveness, integrity, respect, and responsiveness. My response: since when do we get to label books like that, if we’re the same people who won’t ban them?

It’s not banned, but you’ve done just as good by removing her award. Very distasteful to her memory and family, who very likely don’t share the same, “stereotypical,” views.

“The Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association released a statement defending Wilder’s work, saying that while her writing included “the perspectives of racism that were representative of her time and place,” it also made “positive contributions to children’s literature”: (Chow, June, 2018).

“We believe it is not beneficial to the body of literature to sweep away her name as though the perspectives in her books never existed. Those perspectives are teaching moments to show generations to come how the past was and how we, as a society, must move forward with a more inclusive and diverse perspective.”

If you want some reflective summaries, the strengths and themes of a work, and connections to teach with and get more from the author, here is a sample of one of the many book reviews I do for children. You can find more under, “Analyzing Literature,” the children’s tab on my home page.

“The Three Pigs,” by David Wiesner

Summary: This is a story that starts out very similar to “The Three Little Pigs,” only to end up being very different. As the pigs slowly get their homes blown down, they all run to the last one when they suddenly discover that they can leave the story by exiting the photo. It’s then as though they are on a white space within the book, but for them, it’s not a book at all until they go and venture into other stories. By doing so, they completely change their fate, and meet many other characters.

Commentary of Strengths: This book does a very good job of depicting what is happening by the choice of images, as well as where the images are placed. It also gives off a very adventuresome, fun vibe, inviting children to keep reading. The theme seems to suggest that you can create your own story, rather than live out the one “written” for you. By trying something new and going somewhere they’ve never been, they’re able to save themselves from the wolf, and have fun along the way. The book also uses thought bubbles to show when the pigs are speaking, and has a great variation of color. It is durable with glossy pages, but as with a lot of picture books, there are no page numbers. At the end, even the letters on the page start to move, as though they are falling, suggesting that everything can change if shook up enough.

Teaching Ideas: As a middle and high school teacher, I find that when it comes to teaching ideas, I always find ways to make a picture book valuable, even for older students. This book thinks outside of the box, and is a great tool for showing students how to get creative on projections and presentations.

Connections: If you were wondering about some of the visuals of this book, check out this video:

This is an audio recording of another book by David Wiesner, “Hurricane.”

#library #libraries #librarians #schoolreads #childrensbookreviews #picturebooks

 

If you like psychological thrillers and short-stories, I’ve got you covered. “A Familiar Face Short Story, Parts I and II,” is available now on Amazon as an ebook for 2.99 and soon as a paperback for 3.99.

#psychologicalthriller #shortstories #amreading #whattoreadnext #ebooks #Amazonbooks

Because sometimes you need the 90’s and a little teeth to write your book.

And then, my favorite playlist to write to:

#TheThreadThatKeepsMe #amwriting #writing #yabooks #music #Vampirediaries

As a self-published author, I have my own particular thoughts on publishing a book with my name/pen-name on it. But, how do you guys feel about ghost writers? These are the books by NAME with NAME. They are told by one person, and written by another, called the ghostwriter.

Can you fairly call someone who told the story, but didn’t write it, an author? From a writer/author standpoint, what are your thoughts? Please comment and share if you’d like, I’m interested in your thoughts.

A good example is “Mirror Mirror,” by Cara Delevingne (Rowan Coleman) and “Raw” by Pamela Anderson (Emma Dunlavey).

 

#authors #writers #ghostwriters #celebritybooks #books

If you like reading children’s books to your kiddos, students, or just for fun, or want to know what’s out there to help you become a better children’s book writer, make sure to check out my growing page (under Book Review Services) where I review various children’s books, as well as leave author links and other information. This is a great way to find authors that inspire you, or just authors who you’d like to read from.

I’ll also be commenting on the illustrations, and quality of the book, itself.

As always, happy reading!

These are the top 20 of all time, of which I may or may not read some of from Amreading.com.

#amreading #bookreviews #childrensbooks #whattoread