Have You Ever Heard a Great Story?

Most of us talk about reading books, watching movies, or attending plays. We know what the verb is that fits best with each activity; in fact, we know it so well, we don’t even have to think about it.

Reading books. That phrase just hangs together as naturally as drinking milk or licking a lollipop.

There are, however, times when we want the distraction or the excitement of a book when we just cannot read, such as when driving in a car. Listening to the radio puts us at the mercy of whatever stations are available as we drive along and especially on a long trip the stations keep fading out as we leave their signal area.

Some of us resort to CD’s or iPods or the like. Then there are the rest of us. We think hitting the open road is a marvelous time for an audiobook.

For a recent trip to South Carolina, my husband and I hit the library the night before leaving and picked up Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom. We fell in love with listening. No matter who was driving over those two days we would decide to pick up where we left off in the story. The miles simply slipped away as did the time. I usually drive for two hours and the last half hour I am always looking at my watch.

Not this time.

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, we loved listening to a good book. So, of course, my writer’s brain began to go off on tangents asking questions.

7 Questions Related to Audio Books:

1. How hard is it to read a whole book for a recording?
2. Do actors do this or is this a special niche job?
3. What is the percentage of published books that make it into the audio book category?
4. Is there a genre or book length that works better?
5. Is creating an audio book something that is only done by renowned authors through their publishers or is the process easily accessible by any author?
6. What makes an audio book great?
7. What are the pitfalls to avoid?

Once again, I am off to learn about something new related to my writing. This time, however, I am asking you, my readers, to share any thoughts you have on making audio books.

Consider leaving a comment about anything but especially about audiobooks.

Download your free copy of 10 Ways to Improve Your Writing from the link in the side column!

Coming Soon!

The Loyalist’s Wife by Elaine Cougler

 

Does Being a Writer Change Your Reading?

Three Ways My Reading Has Changed

1. What I read has changed. I don’t have as much time to read historical fiction as I used to have. All my life I’ve kept journals of the books I’ve read and I would compare years to see what my yearly count was.I still read for about 20 minutes before I turn out the light at night and I read during the day as time permits. Okay, that last part is just funny. Time permits? Not so much. These days, what I read might be edits from my editor, how-to-write books by writers who have gone before, writing magazines–I love The Writer and the Historical Novels Review!, or books in other genres by writers I’ve met in person or online.
2. How I read has changed.Plot. I was such a reader for plot I would forget the characters’ names and have to go back and check them out. Paragraphs of description were annoying and I became a great skimmer for the ‘good stuff.’ I preferred books that got to the details and wove in character, setting, themes, as needed and certainly not obtrusively. I still love to see how it will all turn out but I find myself looking at the writing differently. Rather than rushing through the story I am noticing just how the author wedged in that essential bit of backstory or just why he or she chose third person or first person. I see the plan behind the story like the framework of a house. I notice whether the framework is steel or wood timbers. And I learn for my own writing.
3. How I record what I’ve read has changed. As mentioned earlier, I was a great keeper of my reading record. Now I consider whether the author might be someone I’ll interview on this blog. Shall I do a review on Goodreads? I ask myself. Or will I just let the book and my reading of it quietly die? And I love this change as I’ve discovered amazing people through interviews, reviews, and contacting the author to tell them I had written about them. Just this past weekend I finished Barbara Kyle’s 4th book, The Queen’s Gamble, a great read. And now she has the 5th in The Thornleigh Series out so I’ll put it on my list as well. How did I meet Kyle? I found her writing course online a few years ago, took it, signed up for a couple of her workshops, and now I am a Kyle convert. Just this morning I found that she is speaking at Stratford’s Shakespearean Festival this summer and I’ve marked the date on my calendar.

How have your reading habits changed over the years? What has affected them, having children, working full time, change of jobs, change of circumstance or taste? Consider leaving a comment below.

 

Download your free copy of 10 Ways to Improve Your Writing from the link in the side column!

Coming Soon!

The Loyalist’s Wife by Elaine Cougler

 

Matt L. Holmes Talks About Writing and No Brother of Mine

So far, I only know Matt Holmes through No Brother of Mine, his second novel, but I feel I know him very well. From his amazing wife, Vicki, I bought a copy of Matt’s book and so began my initiation into his writing and his attitude towards his work. Because of the long, well thought out answers Matt has written to my questions, I am dividing this instructive interview into two parts. The concluding segment will be posted next week.

Part I

1. No Brother of Mine, your second book, among other things tells the story of two brothers who have an abusive father. How did you keep from letting this plot become mundane and ordinary?

What a great question to lead off with, Elaine!  Unwinding the plot of No Brother of Mine a bit, I needed a reason for the two brothers to be estranged, and for it to be dramatic enough that the reader would feel it was both realistic and credible as a catalyst for such a significant rift between brothers.  That led me to the idea that the boys had decided to kill their father