Short and sweet today. Sorry, it wasn't as short as I figured . . . I'm going nutso with being housebound. Ain't that the truth! This snow stuff will be the death of me. Oh, so very tired of it.
One of my Christmas presents was a Kindle and I'm enjoying it, BUT I have noticed how easy it is to turn it off and forget about the story I'm reading.
With electronic publishing, there are no 'pages'. There are increments, so you can figure out what % of the book you've read and how much is left. Which is fine and dandy, except if you are like me and want to read to a chapter break (or cheat and read the ending). There's no way to know where the chapters begin, since the font sizes can be changed, therefore the 'page' numbers would be changed. So you read an ebook until you get bored or find a chapter break.
I'm finding that it is easier to get bored and stop reading in the middle of a sentence. It was evident when I forced myself to read all of TREASURE ISLAND, but I'm having a seriously difficult time working my way through ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Ugh! I'll make it, but it will take longer than anticipated.
But I'm also finding it easy to stop reading Book 4 of the Ranger's Apprentice, a middle grade series that I'm reading. One, the female protagonist is acting in a TSTL (To Stupid To Live) way. Technically, children protagonists can act stupid because kids tend to react first instead of thinking, but this was more than I can stomach. Yes, there is a bunch of eye rolling going on with this reader. Two, there is a lot of war planning in this story. Guys might like this, but it's getting a little old.
So with my new knowledge, I edited GNOME and proceeded to beat my head against the keyboard.
Most stories have to have some slow parts, they can't all be action, action, action. And since this is the first book in a series, I have to show a little bit of the 'real world' before my character is 'called to action'. Of course,I managed to frustrate myself through the first three chapters. After that, things pick up and I really enjoyed editing this story. I cut a lot of little stuff, but added other stuff. Overall, the word count stayed at about the same place: 41,000 words. Roughly half of an adult novel.
But the story is in the hands of a CP (crit partner) and I expect her to find all sorts of errors, missing words, incomplete thoughts, etc. And when she's through redlining it, I'll give it another round or two of edits before publishing.
All-in-all, reading on a Kindle has made me aware of my own ability to tell a story. It's a good reality check. One I intend to remember with the consecutive stories.
Oh, and I gave my 89-year old mother a Kindle and she's getting used to it. At least, she's reading LITTLE WOMEN and seems to enjoy it.
Time to work on my Writer's Digest prompt for February, judge a few contest entries, and then write my Easter bunny story.
Later, Peeps!
You're reading the classics, and we're used to faster writer. Though you might have loved those books when you were young, our tastes change.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad it gave you insights on your book. Good for you!
Right now, I'm sloughing through the Ranger's Apprentice, Edie. It's a relatively recent publication and I'm having a tough time with it!
ReplyDeleteAny insight into presenting my story is a plus.
--and yes, when I edited GNOME this last time, I can't believe how much my character cries! Oi!
Among the first things I read with the Kindle were some classics -- The Scarlet Letter, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Pride and Prejudice. Dear God, Kill Me Now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found myself tempted to stop right where I am. I always read to a scene or chapter break. But I always do that with a aper book, too.
I'm not sure I'll ever join the ranks of those who use a Kindle to read. I can see the value in being able to 'carry' so many 'books' with you wherever you go, but there's something about sitting in bed with a real book in my hands that just appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteI also have a love-hate relationship with all technology. It's made life more convenient, but it's also made us lose touch with huge parts of ourselves, IMO.
*snort* I'm with you, Marilyn. I thought, "Oh, I'll read the freebie classics that I never read." Uhm, there's a reason I never read them . . .
ReplyDeleteI was a hard sell on the Kindle, too, Jody, but I really do like it. I think ebooks and their delivery system are just exploding.
ReplyDeleteBut for older people, it's a life saver.
--The Kindle is very light weight.
--the font is changeable, so an older person doesn't need to wait for the 'large print' version.
--less storage space. Take one Kindle on vacation instead of three books. Plus if you run out of something to read, downloading a book happens in seconds.
--AND you can purchase my books . . . :-)
I still haven't jumped on the Kindle wagon, but I love my Netbook. Have I read any books on it? Nope. What I like about the technology is that it helps my eyes where print books are getting harder for me.
ReplyDeleteMeg--I miss holding a 'real' book in my hands sometimes, but I do see the advantages to thousands of words on a device that weighs less than a pound.
ReplyDeleteI also don't have an iPod or iPhone or Smartphone or Droid or Blueberry yet. I think I'm a Luddite at heart.
ReplyDeleteLook at it this way, Jods, you'll be better prepared when the world end in 2012.
ReplyDeleteHonest to heck, that's part of my thinking. When the big change happens in 2012, people who are 100% reliant on technology are going to be the ones hardest hit. It's a good idea to remember how to live without it.
ReplyDelete