Wow! Even though my wife jokes and calls a lot of the content in this book "propaganda," it still taught me a great deal about babies, which is a good thing since I have a daughter coming in August (Yes, thank you. Thank you). This book is an in-depth guide to help the clueless get a clue. It talked about everything from breastfeeding (Which I read, even though there's nothing I can do about it), to why babies might cry, to soothing injuries. So for somebody like me, who has only held a baby three times in my entire life, it made me feel a little less worried (Just a little) about our eventual child. If you already have kids, then there's nothing you can probably learn from this book. But if you haven't had any and you want to know a thing or two about them, then I say give it a read. The information in here is invaluable. I'm glad I bought it.
I often hear from other writers that they don't want anybody to steal their idea for their soon to be bestselling novel or movie. But all I have to say to that is this: Don't worry. Nobody's going to steal your idea, and here's why:
1. Nobody thinks your idea is as creative as you, the creator
Just when you think you've created Inception or The Hunger Games, you find out that Paprika or Battle Royale have already been created. The fact is, no matter how original you think your story is, somebody has already written a story that's pretty similar to what you've just written. So in truth, you may be creative, but so are a lot of other people out there and no man or woman is an island. I can guarantee that if you search hard enough, your story has already been told and told well. What matters is what YOU have to offer to that story. Your voice is all that truly matters, so focus on that.
2. Nobody has time to steal your idea and then write your story
Just think about how long it took you to write that story of yours that you've been dreaming about all your life. Hopefully, you took your time and went back to edit and revise where your story needed it, so it definitely took you a great deal of time to put everything together. Well, just think about how others work and then you'll see where I'm coming from. Crafting a story worth reading takes TIME, and most people aren't going to take the time to write a story that you came up with, even if your idea is dynamite. And this leads me to my next and final reason why nobody is going to steal your idea.
3. Other people already have projects they're working on that they feel just as passionately about as you feel for your project
If somebody writes stories, then they undoubtedly have a tale in their heart that they want to tell and don't have the passion to steal your story. Sure, they might take elements here or there if they hear something cool in your plot, but that's just the nature of the beast. We all pluck and steal from things that sound cool or have impacted us over the years. So don't flatter yourself. Others have their own stories to tell, too.
So the next time you worry about somebody stealing your idea, relax. Any idea you have has already been expressed and told. It's your voice that matters. So focus on that.
Now this is interesting. After reading a book, I always go on Wikipedia to read the plot summary just in case I missed anything. One thing that caught my attention is that this particular Wikipedia entry said that Sula can be considered the main antagonist of the book. Shoot. If this were an Ayn Rand novel, Sula would most certainly be the protagonist. And that's because she lives life how she wants to and doesn't regret her actions. In Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy, Sula's "selfishness" could be seen as a virtue. But in any other novel, the acts she does are seen as evil. And since this is my first Toni Morrison novel, I can see that "evil" can actually be a good thing in a Morrison story. But it's still evil. There's no denying that. The author makes that quite clear.
What I like about this book is its poetic nature. It's almost like stream of consciousness writing as events seamlessly drift into others, and you're not quite sure how you got there, but it certainly fits. I love that about this book. But what I don't like is that the narrative thread feels a bit too loose. Never did I feel like I was reading an actual story with direction. Not until, that is, the last few pages when everything wraps itself up and connects to the beginning, which feels like a forced conclusion. Telling the story through the years didn't feel entirely necessary. Still, it kept my attention and it's rather short. I plan to read more from Ms. Morrison. I can see why she's won so many awards (Including the Nobel Prize). Her writing is solid.
Okay, so being an indie author is both the best thing ever, and the worst thing ever. How about I start with the bad first, huh? Yeah, let's get that out the way.
The bad:
1. Nobody knows who you are
This one really sucks. I recently did a Goodreads giveaway and got to talk to a lot of cool people. That was an amazing experience and I hope to do it again sometime. But one thing I made sure to do was message everybody personally (Well, everybody who was open to receiving messages) thanking them for choosing my book out of the thousands they had to choose from. It really meant a lot to me. I loved reaching out to them and getting messages back, but it took up a lot of time that I could have spent writing. Still, I'm happy I did it since I formed a lot of personal connections. But I'll get back to that again later.
2. The glut
Now, being an indie author, I've read a LOT of indie books to see what else is out there. Some are good, and some are bad. In fact, most of them are bad, which is a major problem for both the reader and the indie writer. When I buy a book that's been put out there by a major publishing house, I will read up to 100 pages before I put it down if I find that it's excessively boring. But do you know how many pages I'll give an indie book if I find it boring? Five. Ten if it's lucky. And that's because I, like many others, don't trust indie books. It's mostly because of the possible poor quality that may be lurking within. And this really sucks, since every last page, every last sentence, and every last word, has to get a hold of the reader and never let them go with an indie book, because we as indie author don't have the kind of credibility that comes with a Penguin Books or a Random House. Sure, bloggers help, but even that is beginning to become a problem as even book bloggers are getting backed up with requests. So, the relative ease of becoming an indie author is crushing us from the knees down. Too much weight, everybody! Too much weight!
3. Pimping for reviews
And here's the worst part of it all--pimping for reviews. I've done a lot of, you review me, I review you, deals, and it isn't always the best experience. If you're lucky, you'll find a book that you genuinely love and want to give a four or five star review (I've actually come across a few of these). But a lot of other times, you sometimes feel obligated to give a higher review than you think it really deserves, which hurts both you and the writer who thinks they did a great job on their book. And giveaways don't always help, either, since many times, when you do half off (or free!) deals, people will download your work but won't review it, which is ultimately what you want. Instead, your book will probably languish in somebody's kindle for years and years until they finally decide to either A: Give it a try, or B: Just get rid of it altogether. Either way, the writer usually doesn't win.
Phew, that was a downer. But now for the good. And there are a few good reasons. Here are just some of them:
The good:
1. Developing a fan base
As I mentioned earlier, thanking people who decided to click on my book for the goodreads giveaway allowed me to meet some really cool folks that I never would have met before. What's awesome about being an indie author is that you can actually make these kind of connections. You're a human being, not just a face on the back of a book cover. This opens up the opportunity to not only get your book out there to others, but also to develop a friendship and possible beta readers. It's really helpful, and I have people reading my books (Who I can talk to!) as I write this. So 1-up for that!
2. Keeping the content you want
My first book, The Darkness of the Womb, is super vulgar and graphic. A lot of people think that's a bad thing, while others love it. Here's the thing. I love it, and I thought it was necessary to the story. Now, if everybody who read it said that I should tone it down, then you best believe I would tone it down. Because I write for the audience, not myself. But if my book was published by a major house, I probably would have to cut a lot of the material just to fit the interests of the general public. And as an indie author, I never have to do that. Not ever. You can't front on that.
3. I'm my own Flavor Flav
Sure, it sucks that I pretty much have to be my biggest cheerleader, but hey, who's going to love my books more than me? I know if I had a regular publishing deal, my agent would be my cheerleader, but not having an agent (Even though I desperately want one) pushes me even harder to go outside my comfort zone and push my work out there. It's putting me more to task, and that's always a good thing. I love being proactive. YEEEAAAAH, BOOOOOOY.
So while there are positives and negatives to being an indie author, at least I'm trying my hardest. Because remember, it's better to try and fail miserably than to not try at all. Remember that if you ever want to become an indie author yourself. It's not about the money. It's about the experience. And being an indie author is making me a better person every single day.
Wow, wow, wow! Now THIS is what I'm talking about! A friend of mine in my writer's group recommended this series to me since I'm writing a novel about a dimension where women are in charge (The Interdimensional Subwoofer! Coming soon!). I had always wanted to read this series, but his was the push that got me to finally pick it up. And I'm super glad he did. This first book is amazing!
The story follows Yorick, a...well, I guess part-time escape artist would be the best way to put it. He's talking on the phone to his girlfriend all the way in Australia when pretty much the end of all mankind occurs. Emphasis on the "man," since women seem to be fine. At least in this book they are. I have no idea where the rest of the narrative is heading, and that's what's so amazing about this story. It's constantly building and never stagnant. This thing leads to that thing leads to this thing leads to that thing. And like all great fiction, it keeps you wanting to see what happens next. I seriously can't wait to pick up the second volume. I am super stoked!
I originally bought this book for my sister-in-law for Christmas, but my wife said that she probably wouldn't like it since it looked like it was for "kids". I initially thought it was for kids myself, too, and, unsurprisingly, a lot of "kids" HAVE fallen in love with this book. But now I actually know why. Just like The Catcher in the Rye has spoken to so many angst-ridden adolescents over the years, I think The Perks of Being a Wallflower will do the same for many years to come. And this is coming from an adult in their early 30s. This is a marvelous story with true honesty and wisdom. So a "kids" book, it's not.
The story centers around a teenager named Charlie starting his freshman year of high school...at the age of sixteen. There's a reason why he's starting so late, but it's all revealed in time so I won't spoil it for you. It's a quick and easy read and you can find out for yourself. That's part of the journey.
If there's one thing I didn't like though, it's that there are so many names. Sure, they aren't hard to remember--Bill, Patrick, Sam, etc--but there are just so many of them that it sometimes tripped me up.
Overall, though, this is a masterpiece of young adult lit that should be read by all, and not only teenagers going through the struggle (Since the struggle is real, of course). There are a few F bombs and questionable material for youngsters, but it's nothing more than what they would hear or find in an R-rated movie, which all of them are watching these days, you can be sure. Read it first before you let your kids take a peek, though. Sixteen would probably be the best age to introduce them to this story.
What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff
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