by Jason Joyner | Jun 14, 2012 | Blog, details, fiction, soccer, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
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| Patient in photo may differ in real life |
As a PA, I examine people all day long. I do a lot of physicals, and it can get routine. I have a little trick that helps me through the day.
When examining my patient, my back is to the garbage can. You know the little black tips on the ear light (otoscope for those medically inclined)? I like to toss them over my shoulder in a no-look shot. I miss more than my fair share, but the patient isn’t expecting it, and it usually makes them perk up a little, enhancing our interaction together.
Laughter is the best medicine, right?
Today I thought about some of the little touches I’m putting into my WIP. They’re the things that may not matter to others, but it keeps my interest in this project I’ve worked on for so long. They also may lead to story threads.
I’m a soccer fan, and I’m listening to the Euro2012 tournament in between patients. I had my heroine be a star player for her high school team (much better than I ever was). At first it was just a character detail from my background work.
Then it became a plot hinge.
It helped me introduce another character and the connection shared between her and my protagonist. I had no idea that it would turn out that way, but it fit perfectly.
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| Another tech for the dust bin of history… |
Another time I saw a magazine ad with the image of a man and woman resting on the beach, his arm around her from behind (the “spooning” position). I liked the picture, so I cut it out and kept it in my writing notebook for kicks and giggles. I didn’t know how I could work it into my story, but I didn’t forget it.
I recently hit a point where it made sense to put this set-up in, sans the beach. It isn’t important in the scheme of things, but it suggests I should listen to my gut whenever I notice details or come up with some character quirk. You never know when these ideas will play out.
Too bad I lost the memory in my old Palm Pilot (remember those?) where I had so many ideas stashed.
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by Jason Joyner | Apr 12, 2012 | Blog, christian fiction, fiction, Trying to catch up Thursday, violence, Writing Wednesday
Sometimes Writing Wednesday can tip into…Tipped Thursday? Hmm, I’ll have to work on that one.
Anyhoo.
The massive success of the book and movie version of The Hunger Games has brought up the subject of violence in literature again. Some people look at the deeper meaning of the story, and some people can’t get past the teen on teen violence.
They must not remember high school.
Kidding! However, the world of Christian fiction has an interesting dichotomy. Sex and naughty words are a no go, but violence is tolerated/accepted much more. Mike Duran has a good post on this conundrum that I recommend.
I’ve talked about it at length here. My most recent post linked to a couple of articles that took opposite viewpoints.
I also participate in blog tours for books regularly. In 2007 there was a book featured that had some scenes that stimulated my thoughts on the topic of violence.
It ended up spurring six days of posts, with some great discussion on all of the posts. Since it seems relevant with the Hunger Games discussion, as well as catching me up quickly to my blogging delay, I present links to each of the posts.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
The take home points were that the Bible is not sanitized when it comes to violence, but it is also not written to entertain but to narrate events that happened and to show consequences. If a Christian author uses violence, it should fit the story and not be done in a gratuitous manner, and they should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how to show it. We can’t be afraid of the professional weaker brother, but discernment is always a good thing to exercise.
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What say you? Have you noticed excessive or gratuitous violence in a CBA book before? Is there a level for “too much?”
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by Jason Joyner | Apr 12, 2012 | Blog, christian fiction, fiction, Trying to catch up Thursday, violence, Writing Wednesday
Sometimes Writing Wednesday can tip into…Tipped Thursday? Hmm, I’ll have to work on that one.
Anyhoo.
The massive success of the book and movie version of The Hunger Games has brought up the subject of violence in literature again. Some people look at the deeper meaning of the story, and some people can’t get past the teen on teen violence.
They must not remember high school.
Kidding! However, the world of Christian fiction has an interesting dichotomy. Sex and naughty words are a no go, but violence is tolerated/accepted much more. Mike Duran has a good post on this conundrum that I recommend.
I’ve talked about it at length here. My most recent post linked to a couple of articles that took opposite viewpoints.
I also participate in blog tours for books regularly. In 2007 there was a book featured that had some scenes that stimulated my thoughts on the topic of violence.
It ended up spurring six days of posts, with some great discussion on all of the posts. Since it seems relevant with the Hunger Games discussion, as well as catching me up quickly to my blogging delay, I present links to each of the posts.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
The take home points were that the Bible is not sanitized when it comes to violence, but it is also not written to entertain but to narrate events that happened and to show consequences. If a Christian author uses violence, it should fit the story and not be done in a gratuitous manner, and they should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how to show it. We can’t be afraid of the professional weaker brother, but discernment is always a good thing to exercise.
—
What say you? Have you noticed excessive or gratuitous violence in a CBA book before? Is there a level for “too much?”
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by Jason Joyner | Feb 15, 2012 | Blog, fiction, losing the mojo, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
I put a novel down the other day.
It happens all the time to each of us. We start reading a novel, excited for the promise of a good read. Then we get into it and the book doesn’t grab us. We give it a little while to see if it improves. At a certain point, we realize there are too many stories out there to waste time with one that we don’t enjoy. So the book gets laid by the wayside.
My disappointment was that I had really enjoyed the three previous books in the series. The first one had been one of my favorite books I read that year.
The author released three books in the series, but then was dropped by the publisher. There were plans for up to seven books, I believe. The author had a long layoff before a home for book four was found, with a smaller press.
I finally got book four, and I enjoyed the author’s descriptions and certain aspects of the writing from before. Unfortunately there were a lot of problems with the writing. It wasn’t tight. It hopped all around regarding perspective. There was no struggle for the protagonist. He was becoming an alcoholic, but it was muted, and life just went on. There was an overarching conflict through the first three books that was alluded to once in the first 150 pages, but it was never introduced to grab continuing readers.
Overall I was very disappointed to give up on the book. I wanted to see the author succeed, but I couldn’t keep on. I was lost.
I’ve been pondering this since I put it down. What caused the author to lose me as a reader when I had been hooked before?
Here’s a few thoughts in random order (meaning as they pop into my brain):
- The author was with a smaller publisher that didn’t give him good editorial support.
- The author lost track of the story flow with the time layoff.
- I’ve changed as a reader and just don’t jive with this author anymore.
- The story wasn’t that good originally.
I’m leaning toward #1 being the major cause, with #3 being secondary. I know some of the stuff that is bothering me are things only a writer would probably notice. The author loves to use a lot of similie and metaphor to bring points across. Used sparingly it works, but when he does it all the time it makes it hard to read. I thnk the book loses track of some of the central conflict as well.
It is too bad. I might try to finish it, but I have an ever growing to-be-read pile. I wish I loved this latest book, but I am trying to take lessons from it all the same.
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What about you? Are there any series you stopped reading because the author lost track of whatever made the books good? How can authors avoid this trap?
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by Jason Joyner | Feb 15, 2012 | Blog, fiction, losing the mojo, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
I put a novel down the other day.
It happens all the time to each of us. We start reading a novel, excited for the promise of a good read. Then we get into it and the book doesn’t grab us. We give it a little while to see if it improves. At a certain point, we realize there are too many stories out there to waste time with one that we don’t enjoy. So the book gets laid by the wayside.
My disappointment was that I had really enjoyed the three previous books in the series. The first one had been one of my favorite books I read that year.
The author released three books in the series, but then was dropped by the publisher. There were plans for up to seven books, I believe. The author had a long layoff before a home for book four was found, with a smaller press.
I finally got book four, and I enjoyed the author’s descriptions and certain aspects of the writing from before. Unfortunately there were a lot of problems with the writing. It wasn’t tight. It hopped all around regarding perspective. There was no struggle for the protagonist. He was becoming an alcoholic, but it was muted, and life just went on. There was an overarching conflict through the first three books that was alluded to once in the first 150 pages, but it was never introduced to grab continuing readers.
Overall I was very disappointed to give up on the book. I wanted to see the author succeed, but I couldn’t keep on. I was lost.
I’ve been pondering this since I put it down. What caused the author to lose me as a reader when I had been hooked before?
Here’s a few thoughts in random order (meaning as they pop into my brain):
- The author was with a smaller publisher that didn’t give him good editorial support.
- The author lost track of the story flow with the time layoff.
- I’ve changed as a reader and just don’t jive with this author anymore.
- The story wasn’t that good originally.
I’m leaning toward #1 being the major cause, with #3 being secondary. I know some of the stuff that is bothering me are things only a writer would probably notice. The author loves to use a lot of similie and metaphor to bring points across. Used sparingly it works, but when he does it all the time it makes it hard to read. I thnk the book loses track of some of the central conflict as well.
It is too bad. I might try to finish it, but I have an ever growing to-be-read pile. I wish I loved this latest book, but I am trying to take lessons from it all the same.
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What about you? Are there any series you stopped reading because the author lost track of whatever made the books good? How can authors avoid this trap?
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by Jason Joyner | Dec 20, 2011 | Blog, books, buy books, fiction, need a book?, reading
Are you done with your shopping? Need some last minute Christmas gift ideas? Never fear!
Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary we specialize in randomness, so a shopping guide is perfect.
I’ve seen a lot of pitches for giving a book this Christmas, to encourage the year-long gift of reading and learning. However, many people end up buying a series with long waiting times in between books. You don’t want your loved ones to be frustrated!
That’s why I’ve listed several series that have several books already published. Most are completed, so you can get the whole series, or at least have several books to read before you need another one – giving the author a chance to catch up to you.
Remember, if one book is a good gift, three or four are even better!
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If they like historical action with a dash of controversy a la “The DaVinci Code,” then consider The Gifted series by Lisa T. Bergren. Set in 1300’s Italy, a group called by God with special gifts must navigate the power plays of Catholic leadership and the darkness of Lord Abramo Amidei. I recently picked up the first book The Begotten for a minute and ended up reading the whole book again. Engrossing – and much better than Dan Brown.
One of the most unique characters in literature right now is The Bug Man, Nick Polchak. He’s a forensic entomologist who is brilliant with science and clueless socially. Tim Downs writes this series and his sense of humor, suspenseful stories, and trademark ick factor of a CSI show makes each one a treat. Several can be read stand alone, but he is working them as a series with the last several ones.
How about a little more alternative history? Stephen Lawhead is one of the best mythological writers out there. He loves to tie into old tales and bring them to life in his fiction. In The Raven King series, he does his own take on Robin Hood, taking him from Sherwood Forest in England and settling him into the dark woods of medieval Wales. An excellent series.
A little more modern? Try the series of coming to age tales in the deep South starting in the 1940’s, only with a spiritual warfare twist: The Black or White Chronicles by John Aubrey Anderson. The first book, Abiding Darkness, made me laugh and cry on the same bus ride. The next two books were just as engaging. After a publisher change, I have started into book four, The Cool Woman.
Current trends support superhero powers – just look at the hit movies from the summer of 2011! If you’re looking for that in book form, you can’t beat Robin Parrish and his Dominion Trilogy. When the main character gets Shifted into a new, powerful body with amazing powers, he finds other people wearing similar rings as him, with varied superhuman abilities. He also finds a conspiracy tracing through time, waiting for the moment with he would arrive! Suspenseful to the nth degree, Robin writes a literary comic book that rocks.
Maybe they need a laugh. You can’t beat Rene Gutteridge for this, and her Occupational Hazards books will keep you in stitches. The Hazard family grew up homeschooled and helping their parents with a clown business. When the parents die in a tragic hot tub accident, the different siblings look to make their way in the world. Their innocent faith and honest integrity lead them to a news room, an airline spy, and working as an undercover cop with fits and giggles.
If they need a book to challenge their grey matter, then check out the Chronicles of Chaos series by John C. Wright. When the Titans of old are force to live in an English boarding house, they discover burgeoning powers that bend physics and mythology into a strange, wonderful blend. If you like quantum mechanics mixed with your Greek gods, then this is the series for you!
If you’re looking at the young adult set, my first and best recommendation is The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Three children wonder about their place in the world, living under the oppresion of the Fangs of Dang. If only they knew they were the fabled Jewels of Anniera, and that they were destined to rule a fabled land. If they don’t get eaten by toothy cows first. Whimsy, lyrical, touching, and just too much fun, these books are worth adult reading as well!
Last but not least, there’s a great suspense series set in my own state of Idaho that will keep you up at night. Brandilyn Collins specializes in Seatbelt Suspense (meaning you better hang on!). In her Kanner Lake series, a small Idaho mountain town and its quirky residents must confront evil when murder and mayhem shakes up their idyllic setting. These books defy being put down, and also make lack of sleep a distinct option (from staying up too late reading or being too scared to turn out the lights – both are known to happen).
I hope you’ve enjoyed this special service. May your Christmas be full of joy and your tree stocked with good reading for 2012!
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