The Read: Once a writer gets a reader to buy the book, they have to keep them hooked long enough to keep reading. Right? Well, Caitlin Kittredge has pulled me pass the middle of PURE BLOOD. Hey, I'm squirming here, but still reading. [Duty is a harsh mistress.]
The writing isn't that bad. The structure is twisting tighter with a bomb blast starting the change in the dynamics of the MC's partnership with the Barbie detective. I'm at the last third of the book, and Kittredge is finally concentrating on the war between the two witch clans. Must admit I'm hooked enough to want to see how she semi-resolves the issues with MC's personal and professional life. But ...
The DVD set of True Blood arrived. [Have you notice fantasy has gotten decidedly bloody in the last couple years? Oh, for simple marauding orcs!] The HBO series is based on Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark. Like the casting of the Bill Compton character, but I don't think Sookie Stackhouse is portrayed with enough dippiness. Grew up with kids like her [without the ability to hear thoughts], once removed (by parents moving to California), and don't think Paquin quite catches it. Still, I look forward to the news ending so I can fire up the next episode.
The reading of Pure Blood is going to take a long time. Too much competition for my free time.
Web Notes: Got my horizons broadened by a blog again yesterday. Nugget of wisdom: You shouldn't limit your visits to classrooms to promote your book -- if you're lucky enough to be published. Jewel Allen did a guest blog on Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents with a wonderful suggestion to find out what kind of stories children like. Visit their classrooms with a partially written story ... and have the kids put the ending on it. Visit http://tinyurl.com/yge42uk to read all her excellent suggestions.
Blogging: I'm thinking more and more that the web/social media are a huge time vampire. Maybe that's why so many people are writing about the undead, you think? They're trying to use the research they did when trying to discover ways to escape from vampires? -- I now follow so many blogs, you have to hook me into clicking as I rush through my allotted web time.
Progress: I'm staggering on with Maren's metamorphosis.
Trivia: On a more positive note. Had tempura for lunch. Love unhealthy vegies.
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4 comments:
The unhealthy veggie line made me LOL.
"I now follow so many blogs, you have to hook me into clicking as I rush through my allotted web time." This is so true, isn't it? Sometimes it just feels like there is NOISE. As a writer you have to hook so fast no matter what form you write in.
Well, I hate to give up on a book once I've gone maybe a quarter way through because I tend to think of my time as "wasted" meaning time already spent, not the time I WOULD spend reading something I think is horrible. Like you said, duty is a harsh mistress. I like the idea of having school kids finish story endings. They are always so full of imagination.
I haven't really given up on the book. Much to the cat's disgust, I read a couple chapters while providing "the morning lap", aka muse time.
The worm shopping idea from Ruby was a good one. So now I'm wondering if I should go to the bait shop to buy worms for composting or if I should just go fishing. :)
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