Month: June 2005

bookmark_borderAmazon’s Classics Collection

Posted on by PaulaO

Slashdot | Amazon’s 1,082-volume Classics Collection: $7,989

Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes “Who would buy 828 feet worth of books, for nearly $8,000, that would take 20 years to read at the rate of one title per week? And how much does it cost to ship? The Real Time columnists at the Wall Street Journal Online ponder these and other deep questions raised by Amazon’s The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection, whose sheer jaw-dropping enormity reminds them of e-tailers’ wacky offers during the dot-com boom. ‘We think the collection is a perfect fit for more than a few software engineers we’ve known — smart, self-directed people who are eternally curious, yet abhor wasting time intellectually and can’t hide their impatience with the fuzziness of liberal arts,’ Jason Fry and Tim Hanrahan write. ‘For them, here’s a pre-selected, pretty comprehensive list of Western classics, assembled for purchase with a single mouse-click — and available in a form that eschews frills for portability and ease of use. Think of it as Humanities In a Box. OK, a Very Big Box.'”

As a book freak, I am droolin’. As the person who keeps track of our alleged budget, I am laughing my ass off.

The first dozen or so authors:

  • Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
  • The Letters of Abelard and Heloise by Peter Abelard
  • The Letters of John and Abigail Adams by Abigail Adams and John Adams
  • Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres by Henry Adams
  • The Portable John Adams by John Adams
  • The Life of St. Columba by Adomnan of Iona
  • The Oresteian Trilogy by Aeschylus
  • The Complete Fables by Aesop
  • Selected Poems by Anna Akhmatova
  • Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier
  • On Painting by Leon Battista Alberti
  • Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • Ragged Dick and Struggling Upward by Horatio Alger Jr.
  • The Divine Comedy Volume I: Inferno by Dante Alighieri
  • Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
  • Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
  • Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
  • Alfred the Great by Anonymous

bookmark_borderWriting Styles

Posted on by PaulaO

I am going through all of my projects and trying to decide which to do next. I have read several of them. As a result, I can see how much my writing style has changed in just the last few months.

Showing vs Telling

Ack. I got a lot of scenes where, just as an example: “MC goes to the dresser, opens the drawer, takes out a shirt. She then closes the drawer and turns toward the wall.” Yuck! Like, who cares!? Details are good but not like this! That is telling, not showing. “MC crosses the room, taking a shirt from the dresser.” There, we all know that to get a shirt from a dresser, you have to open the drawer. Shutting it is optional, but also assumed.

Sentence structure

Next to it was an honest to goodness shoe repair shop. The streets were far too crowded with pedestrians to allow for motorized transportation. People must therefor go through a lot of shoes.

Yucky. How many times did you have to read it? I wrote the damn thing and it took me three times to understand that sentence. Sometimes, writing ‘on the fly’ can make for some interesting sentences.

I can easily see how I have changed in writing style. I am doing much more showing (I think) than I am telling. And my sentences are much more betterer understoodable.

bookmark_borderASJA

Posted on by PaulaO

American Society of Journalists and Authors: Freelance Writing Advice 20050625

The American Society of Journalists and Authors helps professional freelance writers advance their writing careers. Members share candid data on writing rates, publishing contracts, editors, agents and more. Non-members benefit from our Contracts Watch newsletter, annual writers conference and writing resources. Editors and others can search our membership to hire experienced authors and journalists. Learn more.

bookmark_borderNext Project

Posted on by PaulaO

I need to decide what to work on next. Do I work on the next BG book? Or do I go back to Sarah and Lea? The next BG book is partly done, and I am excited about getting on with it. Then again, Sarah and Lea have been patiently waiting for their rewrite. Their manuscript, by the way, is HUGE. Sarah alone is over 120K.

I could, of course, do both at the same time. Write one and rewrite the other, switching back and forth as the mood hits. I am used to doing that. This paying attention to just one project was rather uncomfortable, although I do feel BGCDA is the better for it.

I have other projects as well, all in various stages. From the erotica, Airport, to the heaven vs hell manuscript. Then there are the dogs and company.

I am looking forward to writing again. I got a lot in there to get out.

bookmark_borderEditing Services

Posted on by PaulaO

I have been in contact with an individual who does editing, proofreading and even helps with queries and synopsisises.

I found Robin Smith by doing a search at Publishers Marketplace after Georganna suggested I go there.

I looked further into hiring Robin Smith after I saw she lives only twenty or so minutes from me. We discussed options via email, ending with me sending her the first 5 chapters of the manuscript. I should hear back from her by Tuesday. At that point, we will discuss prices and timeline. Unfortunately, she can’t get to it until September so if she thinks I am worth her time and if I like her input, then I have to consider ditching the deadline I have for myself.

Lorna feels I should stick to the deadline, just not send it off. Let it sit for a few months. When/if Robin and I do work up a deal, then when she begins, it will feel fresh-er to me. For the most part, I agree. I set the deadline just so I would not set it aside and forget about it.

Meanwhile, I need to go ahead and work up a skeleton of a query letter and the synopsis. Once that is done, I’ll set BGCDA aside and get on with my next project.