Reader Friday: Writers as Readers
Last week’s answers got me thinking. Most everyone said they saw no reason to finish a book they weren’t enjoying, for a variety of reasons. Someone told me that once you’re a writer, you can never read the same way again.
As a writer, do you think you’re more critical than before you took up the craft? Did you finish more “unfinishable” books when you were “only” a reader? Has your definition of a “unfinishable” book changed?
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
Are you a member of the clean plate club when it comes to reading? Or do you leave books unfinished? How much time do you give an author to convince you to keep reading? What makes you stop?
Note: I was once given the formula 100 minus your age = how many pages you “owe” an author.
Describe your writing and/or your reading life using a Kangaroo word.
Technically, a kangaroo word carries its own synonym within it (called a joey word), but I don’t know how else to describe this game. Bonus points if you do!
Fill in the blanks:
My writing puts the ____ in _______. My reading life puts the _____ in ___________.
To get the ball rolling, I’ll start.
My writing puts the sass in assassin, the laughter in slaughter. My reading life puts the fun in funeral.
Your turn!
The pandemic changed the reading and/or writing habits for many.
Some readers stopped reading anything too real or violent and turned to lighter storylines, or at least stories with a HEA or uplifting ending.
Some writers couldn’t inflict as much pain, emotional and/or physical. Other readers and writers didn’t change a thing.
Did anything change in your reading and/or writing habits? Please explain.
Tell us about your WIP in three or four sentences (no time like the present to nail your elevator pitch). Please include genre.
How’s the writing going?
Are the words flowing from your fingerprints?
Or are you bleeding for every word?
For non-writers or if you’re in between projects: Tell us about the last book you read (in three or four sentences).
Rewriting, love it or hate it?
I love it. Maybe too much. During edits, I often rewrite paragraphs, sometimes entire pages. Drives my editors insane. Drives me insane, too, but I can’t stop. It’s part of my process now. 🙂
Rewriting is where magic happens. The story reaches new heights.
What’s your favorite part of the editing process?
Do you mercilessly kill your darlings?
Do you keep a file for clipped passages?
What’d you name said file?
Ever use those dead darlings?
A killer abducted you, bound your wrists and ankles, and dumped you in his lair. You only have a few hours to escape before he returns.
Don’t panic! I’ve given you a superpower — the ability to change into a fictional hero.
The transformation is now complete.
Who are you? Why did you choose this hero?
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) teaches us to set a completed draft aside for a while. It’s easy to prematurely submit a manuscript to a publisher, or to push publish too soon for Indies. And sadly, these books languish on Amazon with poor reviews and one-star ratings.
We’re too close to our work. By setting aside a manuscript, we gain clarity. A new perspective illuminates typos, plot holes, clunky sentence construction, wordiness, writing tics, etc.
How long to set aside a manuscript fluctuates between two weeks to two months, depending on the writer.
How long do you let your manuscript rest?
Do you start a new project while you’re waiting?
What’s the longest you’ve waited? And why?
If you could choose one line from a song and adopt it as your mantra, what would it be? Please include title and artist.