Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
This week’s FYI is inspired by a query letter re-write I did just yesterday:
Once you’re sure you’ve figured something out, step back and look at it again. You may be surprised by what you discover.
Thanks for reading, and may we all have a blessed 2015.
{RDj}
Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
This week’s FYI is inspired by how I feel when I spend every free moment I have writing/editing rather than wasting time on something unproductive:
Procrastination is the nemesis of creativity.
Thanks for reading, and may we all have a blessed 2015.
{RDj}
Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
If you don’t know, there’s a twitter pitch event going on today. Using #SecretShop, you can pitch your novel (if COMPLETE) to agents and editors. There are several of these that occur throughout the year using various tags (#PitMad, for instance). So this week’s FYI is dedicated to the people who will be pitching:
Opportunities come up all the time. Seize them, or someone else will.
Thanks for reading, and may we all have a blessed 2015.
{RDj}
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I rarely find a book that grips me so much I lose track of time. This book did just that. I finished it last night, going from 45% complete (thank you, Kindle) to done in an effortless five-hour reading session. Part of the reason you can do that with this book is the simple prose, told from the POV of a fifteen-year-old autistic boy, but the main thing that keeps you reading is, as with any good book, the story. I won’t go into spoilers, but I will say that it’s not really about a dog (though it starts there). It’s about the boy, his daily struggles, and how his condition impacts his parents. Equally heart-breaking and enraging with a sprinkling of humor, this is not the feel-good book of the year, and will stick with you, but leaves it up to you how.
Prose – There’s an episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ where Ted and Marshall go on a road trip. The only song they can play (stuck in the tape player) is ‘I Would Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers. At first they’re into it, then the repetitiveness gets to Ted. Marshall tells him not to worry, and that it will “… come back around.” It does, and they end up singing along as they drive. That’s what the prose in this book is like. At first the voice grabs you and pulls you in. A third of the way through, it starts to drag. Then you realize what the writer is doing – explaining through thestory how the MC thinks – and it works.
Story – The story starts with the boy investigating something that happens to a dog on a neighbor’s lawn, but turns to the boy’s life and his relationship with his parents. There are several ‘Oh sh!t’ moments, mostly of the tear-your-heart-out variety, and a few things that happen repeatedly that make you want to scream. Each character is both relatable (if you accept how difficult the situation they’re in is) and flawed. They feel real, even when doing things you wished they wouldn’t.
Favorite thing – The blunt way events unfold, as told from the MC’s perspective. One sentence, everything seems fine, the next BAM!
Least favorite thing – Nothing I can think of.
Overall – Recommend (if prepared to be affected).
Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI! My chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
This week’s FYI, a quote that, I’m sorry to say, if you don’t recognize we cannot be friends, is inspired by this, my favorite time of year:
Thanks for reading,
{RDj}
Ron Writes Stuff 