Editing: Necessary or Not?

by Leave a Comment

It’s the first Wednesday of the month (already? I can’t believe it) and that means it’s time for Writing Tips Wednesdays at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer!

This month, I’m talking about the role of editing in books and whether it is an essential part of story writing or if editing is necessary at all.

I have read numerous books with typos, spelling issues, convoluted plots, unnecessary content, and a host of other issues that you would not see in a book published by a larger publishing house (usually).

However, some of these slightly-awkward books had amazing and unique plots that I very much wanted to read about.

So, the question we were left with in the show, and what I have still yet to decide an answer for, is: Is it worth overlooking the editing issues if the story is good?

Read the rest of the post at Billy’s site!

 

Writing Tip: The Role of Color

by 1 Comment

Writing Tips Wednesday at Daily Mayo

Ever since reading The Silverwing Trilogy by Kenneth Oppel I’ve wondered about the importance of color in books. Oppel wrote the entire book series without mentioning color once. He used descriptive words like “dark,” “bright,” or “dazzling.” He wrote without describing color because bats do not see in color.

I’ve always seen details like that to be what separates good books from great books. Could you write a story about bats and use color? Sure. But a world where bats are the storytellers, there would be no color. But I’m getting off point.

When I read that story, I did not notice that no color descriptions were used. I only realized it when I read the explanation in the back of the book and then went back to re-read some of the passages.

One of my pet-peeves in stories is when the descriptions punch you in the face- usually with color.

“She looked at his face and all he could see were her limpid green eyes. She blushed red and hid her face, looking down at her sparkly silver top. He reached out a  masculine, calloused hand and brushed her brown curls away from her porcelain skin.”

Even worse than that are passages that go something like this:

“Sarah anxiously rummaged through her closet looking for something to wear. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her tight, designer blue jeans from Chole and straightened her orange crop-top. She impatiently tossed out her bright pink Herve Leger bandage dress, her vintage black Prada bag, and her mother’s prom dress from the 1980s with pink puffed sleeves.”

I believe descriptions (and even color in some cases) are incredibly important in stories, but listing facts out like a witness statement at a police investigation will bore the reader and jars the reader out of the story. Descriptions are supposed to set a mood or a feeling, not give you every detail of the objects in the room or all physical descriptions of characters all at once. I find that when a lot of colors are used as the only describing words in a book, the writing is choppier and less immersing.

I think a mark of a good writer is one who can convey a universe without color and you don’t notice. Facts are not important to good writing. Impressions are. Writing is the art form of impressionism of the highest order.

Do you agree? Do you prefer books to list descriptions like facts or work more in the style of Kenneth Oppel? 

Writing Tips Wednesday: How to Be a Better Writer

by Leave a Comment

Hey everyone, I’m blogging today at Coffee Addicted Writer about my quest to give 100 percent and how to be a better writer.

“This year, I want to do more. I don’t want to just be known for how much I can write, but for the quality of what I write as well. This year, I want to be the best writer I can be. ”

Check out therest of the post at Billy’s site!

Want More Writing Tips?

How to Write a Critical Book Review

How to Use a Thesaurus 

How to Keep Your Writing Organized 

Critical Book Review Example and Tutorial

by 10 Comments

There are a million different ways to write a review. Here at Daily Mayo, I came up with my own review system that includes:

Quick review: Where I summarize my entire thoughts about the book into a sentence or two.

Extended review: Where I break down the book into plot, characters, setting, and writing style. I then discuss the strengths and problems within each section.
Final thoughts: Where I discuss the final thoughts about the book and identify who I think would like the book the most.

Obviously, you can review a book any way you like, but certain professors and teachers might want a more traditional approach to the critical book review, so if you need to review a book for any “professional” use, I hope you find this critical book review example helpful.

What is a Critical Book Review?

A critical book review is simply a discussion of the pros and cons of a book. It doesn’t have to be negative; although they often are. The critical book review should contain a short summary about the book and your assessment of the book as a whole.

Your critical book review outline should look something like this:

First paragraph: Summary of your total thoughts of the book as a whole- you can also include a short summary here.

Body paragraphs: However many paragraphs it takes you to discuss the theme, authors intent, the best parts of the book, the worst parts of the book, your opinion of the book, how clearly the author conveyed his or her intent, and any other relevant information you think a reader would want to know before deciding to read that book. This can be divided into individual sections or melded into a simple paragraph depending on how long you want your review to be.

Final paragraph: Summarize your thoughts about the book and share if the book is a must-read or a pass.

When writing your review, remember the sage advice of an unknown book review editor; “write your most critical review as though it would appear the day after the reviewed author’s death, without embarrassing you.”  Adding in a little humor doesn’t hurt either.

critical book review outline
A handy infographic you can use when writing your critical book reviews.

How to Prepare for a Critical Book Review

To write an informed review, you must adjust your prospective as a reader from simply going along with the story to studying it with a critical eye. You can do this easily with a few simple steps:

Jot down opinions of plot development, themes, character flaws (or assets), writing style, and other information you want to put in your review as you read.

  1. Make careful note of writing style and any flaws in grammar or awkward passages.
  2. Pay attention to how much you feel attached to the universe. Do you want to keep reading, or could you take it or leave it?
  3. Write down any favorite quotes or anything that illustrates what you disliked about the book.

Having all this information on hand can help make the review process a lot easier.

My Favorite Book Reviews

The New York Times always gets book reviews right.

Book Riot has mastered the art of short and sweet reviews in their “buy, borrow, bypass” series.

Alison from Alison Can Read uses the long essay-style reviews and you always know where she stands on a book.

Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy created the “twiterature” series, where you write a book review in 140 characters or less. You don’t have to be long-winded to write a good book review!

Here’s an example of the Daily Mayo-style review. 


All Things with Purpose

8 Of the Most Inspiring Authors

by 4 Comments

Last weekend, I read an amazing book, The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I had avoided reading this book because I thought I already knew the story. I had watched a movie about a somewhat similar story that was made in the 1980s or maybe even earlier than that. I thought this book was the same story- but it turns out it was written in 2003 or so- meaning I was wrong.

I’ll write a full review later, but The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of the most intelligent fiction stories I have ever read. It is not only well-written, but there is thought in every page. The level of education and knowledge that each character has is way beyond the intelligence level of most people. It also has a driving story line that made me read almost the entire book in one sitting (and it is quite large).

Ordinarily, when someone wants to write, the thought is “I can be better than that author.” But, rather than simply trying to be better than the worst famous authors out there, what if we tried to be as good as the best authors out there? Sure, you can write something that is “good enough” but those books will soon be lost to time, and you will never be as proud of something “good enough” when you have the option to make something great.

I find it inspiring to read literature that is unique, well-written, has a detailed plot, and realistic characters. When I finally publish my book, I want it to be something I can be proud of- not just something I threw together like Creative Writing 101 homework that I started the night before the deadline.

I find these authors incredibly inspiring:

most inspiring authors

George RR Martin: I cringe at his portrayal of women, and I wouldn’t classify him as the best “writer” but what he has is amazing detail and a universe that is almost alive with how detailed and real everything is.

J RR Tolkien: His stories are based around complete languages, histories, and beings that he created from the ground up. Imagine a world without fantasy inspired by J Tolkien. It would look entirely different and elves would probably still be making shoes.

Erin Morgenstern: She is new to writing, but The Night Circus is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The descriptions will blow you away.

Audrey Niffenegger: She has only written three books, but I wish she would write a million. Unlike the other authors in this list, she seems to have it all: beautiful writing, amazing story lines, and pacing that forces you to read until you have devoured the last page.

Cornelia Funke: The Inkheart series is beautiful, and the idea of traveling into books- although not a new idea, is well done in her universe. I find her descriptions and characters incredibly inspiring.

Victor Hugo: Although he does tend to lapse into monologues about French patriotism and Catholic morals, Victor Hugo knows people. All of the stories of his that I have read are compelling and insightful reads.

Neil Gaiman: I love the balance he finds between terrifying horror, everyday cynicism, and insider humor.

Patrick Rothfuss: He is agonizingly slow in writing speed, but once he finally crafts something, it is clear, precise, and enjoyable to read. Plus, his online presence is amazing and hilarious.

Who are your most inspiring authors?