Saturday un-Solicitations: Creative Writing for Dummies

Remember last week's Saturday Solicitation about a The Everything X Book? Today's Solicitations post is about another book of that ilk: Creative Writing for Dummies by Maggie Hamand. Yes, the people that made up all those crib notes for the high schoolers and college kids that were too lazy to read Hamlet and MacBeth have written a guide for creative writing. That just offends me for some reason. I'm about to get on my soapbox so stay with me.

Saturday un-Solicitations: The Everything Creative Writing Book

The next two Saturday Solicitations are about some books that I don't necessarily advocate people picking up, but felt the urge to review them anyways. Today's book is The Everything Creative Writing Book by Wendy Burt-Thomas. It is one of those books that supposedly has everything (like the title says) that you need to know on a particular subject. I have read several of these books and my opinion has been the same each time: While informative, the books are overly broad, covering a very wide range of topics within one generic umbrella topic.

Saturday Solicitations: Writing Down the Bones

Today's Saturday Solicitations is about Writing Down the Bones. Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg is 171 pages of writing notes, Zen philosophy, and personal journal.

According to the Amazon review, Goldberg associates good writing with, of all things, good sex: keep your hand moving, lose control, and don't think (those 3 rules are listed on page 8 of the 1986 version). She writes that "writers are great lovers" in the section Writing is a Communal Act. She goes on to say "writing is the act of discovery" in A Big Topic: Eroticism. I don't think mentioning sex two or three times over 170+ pages merits such a review, but maybe that is just me.

I really enjoyed Writing Down the Bones the 2^nd time I started reading it. It is nonfiction, which I of course have issues reading. The 1^st time I started reading it, I didn't get passed the Introduction. Yet, it remained on my bookshelf for years until I picked it up again last year. I've [fully] read it now for the 3^rd time. Goldberg does so much more than write about sex... That Amazon review is irritating me right now. The review from The School Library Journal is a much better and a more honest review. It is on the same page as the Amazon one linked above.

Saturday Solicitations: The Elements of Style

All of the Saturday Solicitations this month are about writing. To start the month off, we have The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. This is a very small book but it is remarkable. The first edition was written by Strunk in 1918. He privately published the 40-ish page book for use at Cornell University. Since 1918, it has been revised and republished many times but the core of Strunk's work is still there. White, a former student of Strunk's, revised The Elements of Style in 1959. The resulting expansion and modernization of "the little book" became informally known as Strunk & White.

I first learned of Strunk & White when I started writing for National Novel Writing Month in 2009. I don't recall any high school or college English teacher bringing it up or listing it on the suggested reading lists. I'm not really sure why. In my opinion, it should be one of the single most used texts in any composition class. I have the 4^th edition paperback from 2000 and it has become incredibly worn in just a couple years. I have seen multiple "big name" writers tout the awesomeness that is this book but for my life I can't remember who.

The 4^th edition is 105 pages long plus a 2.5 page Table of Contents, 2 page Foreword by Roger Angell (White's stepson), and 6 page Introduction from White. The font is small and there is a lot of information crammed inside, but it is really good information. 

Like me, many writers were not English majors in college and it has been years since high school English. The first section of this book is Elementary Rules of Usage. There are 11 rules. The other sections are Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style. Also, an afterword, glossary, and index start at page 87. Most writing rules are fairly timeless so I don't consider my 11 year old book to be outdated like modern text books. I could definitely use an updated Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, but I think that is more due to the evolution or rather the decline of the English language. I blame texting and all of the internet for this.

I highly recommend this little book to anyone that likes writing but has issues with editing. If you can commit the contents to memory, then editing will be much less of a nightmare.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Saturday Solicitations: The Mercedes Thompson Series

I found a great urban fantasy book at a second-hand store back in 2007 titled Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs. I read it and then put it away for years. When I moved from my college dorm back home, I found the book again and reread it a couple years later. I enjoyed it so much the second time around that I looked it up and was stoked to find that the novel was part of a series called The Mercedes Thompson Series and I was lucky enough to have picked up the first book. Today's Saturday Solicitation is for that series.

Saturday Solicitations: The Chronicles of Narnia

I wanted to share a childhood favorite of mine with you today for the Saturday Solicitations. The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C. S. Lewis, was published as 7 novels between 1950 and 1956. As a child, I entered into Narnia with delight. The animals talk, magic is real, and good triumphs over evil. I grew up wishing Mr. Tumnus would invite me to tea, blaming the terrible Ohio winters on the White Witch, and wondering if the horses in the meadow across the street were Horses.

Saturday Solicitation: The Abhorsen Series

Today's Saturday Solicitations is for my favorite author, Garth Nix, and his Abhorsen Series (a.k.a. Old Kingdom series).

Saturday Solicitation: Good Omens

This month's Saturday Solicitations are going to be for some older books that I have loved for a long time. Today's is for Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was published in 1990 in a collaborative effort between two of the (in my opinion) biggest names in the Fantasy Genre. Pratchett is most famously known as the author of the Discworld series, while Gaiman wrote The Sandman comics, American Gods, and Anansi Boys. Good Omens was Gaiman's first novel.

Saturday Solicitation: The Garden of Eve

Saturday again. I was in a thrift store somewhere in Tennessee a couple years back (maybe 2009?) and found this delightful novel: The Garden of Eve by K. L. Going. It was sitting on a shelf with costume jewelry and used makeup (ick). The book had never been opened... not even a crease on the spine. The blurb on the back piqued my interest so I bought it for .50. I took it home and set it on the shelf with the intention of reading it the next weekend after finals, and then promptly forgot about it.

I picked it up again last year and finally read it. I really wish I had read it when I originally purchased it because it was a very good read. The Garden of Eve is a middle grade (ages 8 to 12) fiction that explores life, death, grief, healing and growth. The story follows Evie and her widower father to Beaumont, New York, a cursed town filled with grey skies, dead apple trees, and broken hearts. After receiving a mysterious 11th birthday gift from the deceased orchard caretaker, Evie and the newest ghost of Beaumont, Alex, head out in search of those they hold most dear. It is a delightful story about losing and finding faith through the eyes of a child.

I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy from Amazon and donated it to the local library. I kept the one I found in the thrift store. If you enjoy young adult literature, no matter the genre, read this book. It is full of depth, message, and imagery. I could almost smell the apple orchard as I read it. You will not be disappointed.

Saturday Solicitation: The 10th Kingdom

The Saturday Solicitation today is for The 10^th Kingdom. This was a television mini-series that aired in seven 1 hour parts on NBC in 2000 (or in five 2 hour parts, depending on what you read). It stars Kimberly Williams, Ed O'neill, Diane Wiest, Camryn Manheim, Warwick Davis, and John Larroquette. The premise is that a young woman (Williams) and her father (Larroquette) are transported into a magical realm via magic mirrors.

Saturday Soliciation: The Princess Bride

This Saturday Solicitation is part film, part novel. If you have any sense at all, you have watched The Princess Bride. It came out in 1987 so you have had plenty of time to catch it. The film has garnered an incredible cult following. It was directed by Rob Riener, and stars Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Chris Sarandon, Andre "The Giant" Roussimoff, Mandy Patinkin, and Wallace Shawn.

The story is told by the narrator (Falk) as he is reading a story to his sick grandson (Savage). It follows Buttercup (Wright) as she falls in love with poor farm boy Westley(Elwes), is wooed by Prince Humperdink (Sarandon), and kidnapped by Vizzini (Shawn) and his minions, Inigo Montoya and Fezzik (Patinkin and Roussimoff).

Saturday Soliciations: One For the Money

After reading Janet Evanovich's How I Write, I decided to give her novels a try. I picked up One For The Money, the first of the incredibly popular Stephanie Plum mystery series. I was highly skeptical about reading this book, as it was fairly short, featured a female heroine in a male dominant genre, and it isn't fantasy. Boy was I surprised.

At 290 pages, this book is full of fast paced, heart stopping action from the second you open the book. Stephanie Plum is a likable underdog that is just trying to make it in Jersey. She is a character that is immediately likeable. The situations she manages to get herself in are wacky and out there, but not at all unrealistic. The language and sexual descriptions are pretty colorful, so this is definitely not for kids. I would say not for teenagers either, but that's the momma bear in me that wants to allow children to retain innocence way beyond reality.

I was pleasantly surprised with the novel. I don't know that I will pick up another in the series, but if I do, there are plenty. I think the 17^th novel just came out and is sitting pretty snuggly at the top of the New York Time's Best Seller's list. There is no denying that these are very popular books, and after reading the first one, I can see why. Maybe I'll keep reading them as I get time.

Saturday Soliciation: Fablehaven, the Series

I reviewed the 1^st Fablehaven book earlier this month. My opinion of this series has not changed. I really enjoyed the fast paced adventure, the plot twists, and the characterization throughout the novel. I have been a Harry Potter fangirl for a long time and I'd say that if I had to space out my readings of Fablehaven like I did the Potter books, I would probably have become a fangirl of this series as well. Too bad I didn't find it when they first started coming out so that I would have had years to pour over them, rereading exciting scenes and waiting excitedly with the junior high schoolers for the next to come out. Don't judge me to harshly, please.

Saturday Solicitation: How I Write by Janet Evanovich

This Saturday Solicitation is devoted to Janet Evanovich's How I Write. It is co-authored by Ina Yalof and Alex Evanovich. It differs dramatically from King's On Writing, which I reviewed earlier, in advice, pacing, and format. I read How I Write in one sitting, over about 3 hours. It isn't terribly long, but I usually find non-fiction reading a labor intensive project akin to my college days pushing textbooks. Mrs. Evanovich's style of writing definitely aided the fast reading pace. She is witty, quick to the point, and genuine. I will admit that I have never read an Evanovich book, as I am not a romance reader and I stopped reading mysteries with Nancy Drew many summers ago. Even though I dislike a small portion of How I Write, the personal discourse of it makes me think I should pick up one of the Plum books. We'll see.

The book is full of the same information as all other writing books. Check the table of contents when you look up the book and you'll find creating characters, writing mechanics, structure, and editing. This book also includes a pretty hard nosed looked at getting published. It is finished off with words of encouragement, an inside look at Mrs. Evanovich's writing life, and reprinted examples of items found throughout the book. None of the information is new. If you look, you'll find every bit of the information free online. However, the presentation of the material makes for a pleasant reading experience. She advocates a sort of minimalistic outlining and character profiles, but it works for her so I won't judge. Something I found hilarious: While King outright suggests that aspiring writers blow up their televisions and read a damn book, Mrs. Evanovich actually suggests watching television or a movie to help stimulate creativity. Different minds.

What I like about this book: First of all, the presentation of How I Write is great. King's On Writing reads like a textbook. It makes sense when you realize he has a degree to teach English. Mrs. Evanovich does not have a degree in English or writing or what-have-you. She started as an artist and moved on to writing. This book is presented in choppy sections that consist of blurbs of information and question and answer segments drawn directly from the author's website over the years. She offers great advice for those that want to be a writer: you either ARE a writer, or you are NOT a writer. Pick your role and play the part. I like that. It is very honest. A lot of her advice is the same advice found elsewhere, but that is because it is solid. Write every day. Make writing your job. Get over the blank page. It was interesting to read that she doesn't believe in writer's block.

What I didn't like about this book: I took exception to one part of this book. Included in the publishing section is a small bit about self-publishing. Mrs. Evanovich is not exactly subtle in her disdain for those that choose to self-publish. Granted, this book was published in 2006, well before self-publishing and eBooks started becoming so popular. In 2011, I wonder if her comments still stand.

Saturday Solicitation

My first review for Saturday Solicitation is of a book that I have been meaning to re-read for a while now: Stephen King's On Writing. As I have sat and read this past week, I realized that I must not have given this book the full read that it deserves. I vaguely remember the big points in this book. The first half is a memoir that explains how Mr. King grew up to be the writer he is. The second half is writing instruction that includes a writer's toolbox, paragraph building, grammar and word usage, plotting and characterization, a recommended reading list, and writing assignments/corrected writing sample. I remember all of that being there, so when I picked the book up a few years ago, I must have read some of it at least.

I didn't know that Stephen King went to college to be a teacher. An English teacher at that. I found out that Mr. King hates outlines almost as much as I do. That was neat. He uses his medium to explain what is and what isn't helpful to a writer, including writing skills and writing location. He uses real examples of literature to discuss writers with large vocabularies. He talks about how planning and outlining doesn't work for him and compares his style of writing to digging up fossils. He lets the story unfold as it will with the characters driving it on, instead of outlines, character notes, and rigid plot layouts. Basically, he is a pantser like I am.

What I liked about this book: The memoir made me laugh, made me cry, made me cheer. It is touching and an incredible look at King's development. King gives some incredible writing advice that works for everyone, from beginner to professional. His writing is clear, without the political correctness of many other "writing manuals" on the shelf. If you genuinely want to improve your writing skills, check out this book.

What I didn't like about this book: Okay, so this is not a narrative. I am not usually fond of non-fiction because it makes me feel like I'm back in college reading text book after text book for a grade. On Writing confused my reader sensibilities sometimes. It was difficult to change gears from the often hilarious uncensored look at King's early life to his theories on writing. I could have done without the memoir as the writing advice goes. The other way is true too. I could have done without the writing section and just read the memoir. Neither part was bad. It was just difficult for me to go from one to the other in a single reading session. Perhaps for the first time reader, stop reading after the memoir ends for a little bit before starting the writing part.