Bleak House Review

               

  

               Have you ever read a book that you were determined to get through no matter what but weren’t really enjoying? Yeah, that’s happens to me frequently. Mostly because I’m stubborn and refuse to give up on a book unless it’s inherently disturbing or I’ve gone blind and can no longer read.

                My most recent case of book determination was while reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I know it’s a literary classic and everything, but honestly, I didn’t really enjoy it. To be fair, I kind of went into it with that mindset. What else are you supposed to think when you pick up an 800-page book called Bleak House? But alas, I stuck with it until the end and conquered the beast! It took a few extra cups of coffee to get through it, but I felt super accomplished when I finally turned that last page.

I think part of the problem for me is that Dickens writes the way that I tend to talk and it’s really annoying. Sometimes, when I try to describe something – it could be anything, from raindrops on roses to whiskers on kittens (speaking of that song, can anyone tell me why it’s considered a Christmas song? It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it sounds like a Christmas wish list, but who wishes for raindrops?), but I get distracted by remembering something else and then start talking about that before finishing my original thought.

See what I did there? If you think that last paragraph was confusing, you should try reading Dickens! He interrupts himself like that all the time! Yikes! I find myself having to go back to the beginning of the sentence and skip the middle section so that I can see how it connects to the end of the sentence. It gets really old after awhile.

Keeping all that in mind, there were a few good things I enjoyed about the book. For example, at the very beginning when he spends about three pages doing nothing but describe the fog in London, there’s a really beautiful description that he uses.

“Smoke lowering down from chimney-pots, making a soft black drizzle with flakes of soot in it as big as full-grown snowflakes – gone into mourning, one might imagine, for the death of the sun.”

That line literally gave me chills when I first read it. What must the world have looked like in Dickens’ mind to think of a description like that? It makes our ordinary, dreary world sound like some kind of somber fairytale. I didn’t run across any other sentences that stuck out to me like that one, but it is descriptions like that that separate good writers from great, awe-inspiring, genius-freak writers. I can’t believe I’m fangirling about a sentence right now. I’ll stop.

My second favorite part actually surprised me, and not just because it was a twist that I didn’t see coming. It has to do with where the main character ends up calling her home and who she ends up with. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about, but I found myself getting teary-eyed with delight when she found out what her guardian meant when he said that she was going to be the new mistress of Bleak House. At the beginning of the book, I associated the title ‘Bleak House’ with a gray and dismal feeling, but at the end I found myself overjoyed to see the name ‘Bleak House appear outside Esther’s cozy little cottage.

“This is Bleak House. This day I give this house its little mistress; and before God, it is the brightest day in all my life!”

Even though I wasn’t crazy about the book as a whole (hence the two Star Lord rating), Dickens reminded me that the power in a name lies in the meaning behind it. I started reading the book feeling depressed by the name ‘Bleak House’, but once I got to know the characters and stated rooting for Esther’s happiness, ‘Bleak House’ no longer represented misery and sadness for me. Instead, Bleak House felt like home. (Hopefully, I can keep this lesson in mind when I start to read Les Miserables.)

The Land of Painted Caves and Overall Series Reviews

     Okay, so I’ll be honest with you guys. Normally, I am super upset when a series ends, and I have to take a few days to grieve the end of the story. Even if it had a happy ending, I’ll never get to read a story with those characters again (at least not an authentic one written by the actual author).

     I enjoyed the characters of Ayla and Jondalar, and their love for each other was very inspiring. Once I had finished this final book, though, I was so excited!!! It felt like a huge accomplishment to finish this series, and I couldn’t believe I had finally made it through! Maybe it’s just been awhile since I’ve read a complete series straight through, but this one felt pretty overwhelming.

     However, it was still an incredibly written series. I knew I’d be itching to start on a book with new characters, but I felt that this book deserved a few days of closure as well. So, I told myself that I couldn’t start another book until I’d put up a review for each book in this series.

     Now, here I am, at the final review. It’s been a long journey, friends, but we’ve finally made it. Without further ado, here is my review and rating for The Land of Painted Caves and the series as a whole.

Rating:

  

  

     Growing up with the Clan, being cursed with death and banished from the only family she could remember, struggling to survive in the wilderness with only a horse and a cave lion to keep her company, saving a man’s life and traveling on an epic journey with him back to his homeland, meeting and befriending various tribes along the way (some friendlier than others), and finally making it to her future mate’s home to start a family of her own.

     These and many other events are all things that Ayla has gone through to become the person who we see in the sixth and final installment of Earth’s Children: The Land of Painted Caves. During each leg of her journey, we’ve been side-by-side with Ayla as she’s learned about acceptance, survival, love, perseverance, and family.

     Her lessons aren’t over just yet, though. This last book is all about Ayla’s final tests as an acolyte before she can become a full-fledged Zelandoni. On top of her training, she still has to find time to balance her equally-important role as a mother and wife. We’ve seen Ayla go up against giant prehistoric animals, dangerous elements of nature, and even harmful people of her own kind, but how will she do when facing the ordinary difficulties of everyday life?

     Whether or not you’re married with kids and trying to work a job at the same time, I think this book shows a side of Ayla that we can all relate to. We’ve all struggled to balance our obligatory work or school load with our social lives at some point or another. It’s a constant juggling act, no matter what role you play in life. 

     It’s actually kind of a relief to see in this book that we’re not alone in these struggles. Everybody goes through them, but as Ayla and Jondalar show us, if the people in your life are really important to you, you won’t let anything stop you from sticking together.

     I ended up giving this one three Star Lords, because I thought it wrapped the series up pretty well, but some of the problems with Jondalar and Ayla felt a little too similar to their struggles in The Mammoth Hunters. Once again, I found myself frustrated at how stupid they were both being, but I totally wanted to give Danug a huge high five after the talk he gave them at the end.

Overall Series Rating:

   

     Even though the average amount of Star Lords makes it seem like the series should be rated as a three, I decided to rate the overall series as a four. Jean M. Auel writes her books in a unique and impressively in-depth style that allows the reader to experience the prehistoric era in the most realistic way possible. I walked away from the series feeling like I really had gone on a journey back to the Ice Age.

     One of my favorite things about the series is how Auel fit in moments of innovation that perfectly explained how certain everyday creations could have come about. It feels like you’re watching life-changing history in the making when Ayla comes up with the idea for the “thread-puller” and Jondalar for the “spear-thrower”. Part of me kept waiting for one of them to invent the wheel. Not to mention, her explanation at the end for creating the term “father”. That word has deeper meaning for me after having read this series.

     Even if you are not sure whether you want to read the entire series, I recommend that you at least read the first novel if you get the chance. Auel is a master writer, and she knows how to fully immerse her readers in the story’s setting.

     Well, about seven months later, I’ve finally finished this astounding series. Hooray! If you’ve read through it yourself, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did you feel as accomplished as I did to make it through?

     Other than that, I think the most appropriate thing I can leave you with is the last line of the Mother’s Song:

“Earth’s Children were Blessed. The Mother could rest.”

The Shelters of Stone Review

Rating:

  

*For those of you who haven’t read The Plains of Passage yet, SPOILER ALERT!

     I feel silly saying spoiler alert for this post because, was there really any doubt that Ayla and Jondalar would make it back to his homeland? True, there were a few moments that probably had us all a little worried (like the S’Armunai War of the Women), but sure enough, our heroes prevailed!

     In The Shelters of Stone, we join Ayla as she finally gets to meet the Zelandonii. In a way, the whole series has really been leading up to this book, more so than the final one. Ever since Ayla came to realize how different she was from the people of the Clan, she’s been searching for people like her and a place to call home.

     She’s been welcomed almost everywhere she’s gone and even adopted into another family, but there was always this temporary feeling at each place. Her heart belonged to Jondalar, and he could never be satisfied living somewhere other than his true home. Now, at long last, Ayla can really sink in her roots and start a family with him.

     This book was a tough one for me to rate because there wasn’t really anything in particular that I disliked about it. At the same time, nothing extraordinary really stood out to me.

     This far into the series, I’ve gotten used to Auel’s phenomenal attention to prehistoric detail, and I know all of the incredible things that Ayla is capable of. Overall, it was a bit less memorable than the other books. So, it has been given the rating of three Star Lords.

     The one thing I loved about this book, though, was that we finally got to meet all of these people that we’d heard so much about: Jondalar’s mother, Marthona; his older brother, Joharran; Willamar, Folara, and all of his other family members; Marona (ugh); and, of course, Zelandoni, not to be confused with Zelandonii, the name of the people as a whole (yeah, that’s totally not confusing).

     Needless to say, none of these people were expecting Jondalar to come back after five years had gone by, and they definitely weren’t expecting him to show up with a beautiful foreign woman, two horses, and a wolf. Read for yourself to see how each of them reacts and welcomes (or doesn’t welcome) Ayla into their home.

     If you’ve already read this book, I’d love to hear what you thought. Were Jondalar’s family members and his Zolena similar to how you thought they’d be?

The Plains of Passage Review

Rating:

  

* For those of you who haven’t read The Mammoth Hunters yet, SPOILER ALERT!

     Oh my goodness, this book was exhausting!

     In The Plains of Passage, Jean M. Auel’s fourth installment in the Earth’s Children series, Ayla and Jondalar go on a year-long journey to travel back to Jondalar’s people, known as the Zelandonii.

     Just like with all of the other books in the series, Auel does not fail to place her readers firmly in the story. I applaud her incredible craftsmanship, but, due to that skill, I too felt like I had gone on a journey of epic proportions. Can you even fathom taking an entire year to get somewhere?

     Allow me to digress for just a moment to put this into perspective. When I was about four years old, I went on a family road trip from Florida to the Grand Canyon. I don’t remember how long it took us to get there with all the stops we made along the way, but, according to MapQuest, it takes about a day-and-a-half one way if you drive continuously. 

(I tried to see how long it would take to walk there since Ayla and Jondalar traveled by foot and horseback, but MapQuest couldn’t even calculate it.)

     By the time I got home from this trip, you’d better believe I marched right into the house, grabbed my plastic Minnie Mouse chair, plopped it in front of the television, and sat my butt down. True story. At such a young age, even I understood that more than one day is too long to have to be on the road.

     Yet Ayla and Jondalar dared to set out into the wilderness for 365 days (give or take) through fields of grass that towered over their heads, bug-infested swamplands that made their skin itch, and many other treacherous landscapes.

     Using one of my favorite suspense tricks, Auel also gave them a pressing time limit in which they had to reach their destination. They had to make it across an icy plateau glacier that lay at the end of their journey before the end of winter. Otherwise, the ice would start to melt and it would be too dangerous to cross. 

     Remember, this was long before the invention of GPS, and there was hardly anyone around that you could stop and ask for directions. One wrong turn and they’d never make it home.

     While I was definitely anxious to see if they would get there in time, this book still felt like it took forever to read. I was probably more excited than Ayla and Jondalar by the time this trip was finally over.

      So, book #4 in this series was given 3 Star-Lords. Excellent attention to detail as usual, but a little too long of a trip for my tastes. I think next time I’ll just stay home in my Minnie Mouse chair and leave it to someone else to go traipsing through the plains of passage.

** I couldn't find a picture of me in my Minnie Mouse chair, so I've left you with the next best thing.

Mini me finds the lack of dinosaurs on this prehistoric trip to be highly disappointing.

The Mammoth Hunters Review

            

Rating:

  

*For those of you who haven’t read The Valley of Horses, SPOILER ALERT!

     I don’t know about you, but I was thrilled when Ayla finally met Jondalar. What are the odds, though, that the first of her kind that she meets is the most handsome man on the planet and he just happens to fall in love with her? If only it were that easy in real life.

     Nevertheless, now that she’s finally found her mate, Ayla travels with Jondalar and they happen to run into the Mamutoi along the way. The Mammoth Hunters is the third installment in the Earth’s Children series, and it focuses on Ayla and Jondalar’s extended stay with them.

     I gave this book three Star Lords because this one started to feel like it dragged a little bit more than the first two. It was exciting to see how Ayla handled meeting a whole group of Others for the first time, but spending a large part of the visit stuck in a cave with everyone in the winter can get kind of boring. You know how it gets when your relatives visit for the holidays. By the end of the season, you’re practically kicking them out the door so you can have a little time to yourself again. Yeah, it was a little like that.

                

     Still, it had its high points as well. In fact, my favorite scene in the entire series (and I’m writing this after having read all of the books in the series) is in this book. It’s all the way at the end, though, so I don’t want to say too much. Let’s just say it has to do with Jondalar asking Ayla a question, and leave it at that.

                

      During their stay with the Mamutoi, Ayla and Jondalar go through a pretty big rough patch in their relationship. Aeul gives us a deeper look into all of the interesting characters that she introduces and there’s a lot of fascinating anecdotes, but the underlying current is how Ayla and Jondalar develop (or don’t) as a couple. It definitely kept me reading to find out how they were going to fix things, but I also wanted to smack both of them upside the head for being so oblivious to each other’s true feelings.

       It’s interesting how silly a problem can appear when we’re given insight into what both people are thinking, but Ayla and Jondalar only have their own perceptions to go off of. They simply can’t see what we and all of the Mamutoi around them know to be true. By the end of the book, we come to the same realization as these two clueless lovebirds: love isn’t always as easy as you think it should be, but it’s always worth fighting for.

The Valley of Horses Review

Rating: 

                         

*For those of you who haven’t read The Clan of the Cave Bears, SPOILER ALERT!

                

     The second book in the Earth’s Children series is The Valley of Horses. At the end of the first book, Ayla finally leaves the Clan behind to find her own people, the Others. This novel follows her treacherous and solitary journey through the wilderness as she searches to meet someone else like herself.

     

     I personally really enjoyed this novel. The first book centers completely on Ayla’s similarities and differences to people of the Clan, and she’s forced to hold back her own unique skills to match their traditions. In this second installment, we get to see just what Ayla is capable of. For the first time, she doesn’t have anyone to tell her that she can’t hunt, take care of wounded animals, or even laugh. It’s exciting to see her explore her own abilities and find new and improved ways of doing things.

            

     I also really like how the format of this story was set up. Instead of just seeing things from Ayla’s perspective and what is going on where she is at, we get to follow two brothers as they go on a journey to places far from their home.  Both stories are told side-by-side, switching between perspectives after every few chapters.

     As a writer, I can’t help but appreciate how well this technique works for building up suspense. From the beginning, it’s obvious that Ayla is going to have a run-in with these brothers, and it makes the reader so curious to see how they will respond to each other. Every chapter I kept wondering, “Is this the chapter where they’re going to meet?”. To be honest, I was starting to get a little impatient because I was so looking forward to that scene. It was totally worth it when I got there though!

     The whole time I was reading this sequel, I kept thinking back to my experience reading Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer. It takes place in a completely different setting, but Archer also uses the same suspenseful technique, writing from two different characters’ points of view and bringing them closer and closer to each other before they finally interact with each other. There’s something so satisfying about reading a book like that and finally getting to the scene where two important characters meet.

     Other great aspects of this novel are Auel’s incredible detail and realistic descriptions of prehistoric times. After reading the first book in the series, I would expect nothing less. So, with so much to love, The Valley of Horses definitely gets four Star Lords from me. If you enjoyed The Clan of the Cave Bear, you’ll love this one!

The Clan of the Cave Bear Review

Rating: 

                 


     So, I’ll be honest. I’m going through a bit of a love/hate relationship with the Earth’s Children series. Maybe I’m just not in the habit of reading lengthy series, but seriously (or should I say series-ously?). These books are taking me forever to read. I started the first book in mid-February, and I’ve just recently started reading the fifth one. Granted, each book is over 800 pages, but still. That’s a long time to spend with a cast of characters. However, I did say love/hate relationship, so don’t let this mini rant scare you away from reading it. I did give the first book four Star Lords after all. Read on to find out why!

     As I may or may not have mentioned before, one of my favorite things about reading is that you get to experience imaginary lands and ancient civilizations in such a realistic way that you almost feel like you’re there. Well, The Clan of the Cave Bear goes above and beyond in this regard, which is why I have given it the rating of four Star Lords.

  Set in prehistoric times during the middle of the Ice Age, this novel follows the life of Ayla, a young girl who loses her family to an earthquake and ends up being raised by the Clan, or as we know them, cavemen and cavewomen. Even though she is so different-looking from the people who raise her, Ayla does everything she can to fit in, learning their language and obeying their customs to the best of her abilities. With no memory of her birth parents, Ayla has no choice but to learn to survive among these strange and exotic people, and you get a front-row seat to her thrilling experience.

     If you’re looking for a light and enjoyable read, like junk food for your brain, then this book is not for you. But if your brain is craving a full-course Thanksgiving meal that’ll leave you full and satisfied for at least a week, then look no further. This book is filled to the brim with rich history and vivid descriptions of places that no longer exist. As the sole human among dozens of cave people, Ayla is our relatable guide in this ancient world, and she carries out her role very well. Everyone has felt like an outcast before, but Ayla’s trials take it to an entirely different level. It’s encouraging to see how she handles every situation that arises and grows into a strong young woman. 

     The thing about this book that I’m most stunned by is the incredible amount of realistic detail included. I shudder to think of how much research Jean M. Auel must have had to complete just to write this one book. With her in-depth description of the landscape and her detailed explanations for how to create prehistoric tools, I’m almost convinced that she’s hiding an iPed (see Rule #5) in her garage that she used to travel to the Ice Age. Either that or a caveman in her basement. 

     Her research for this series is so extensive that Auel was given honorary degrees from four different universities as well as the title of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government’s Ministry of Culture. I’m not even sure how much of her book is historical fact and how much is made-up fiction because she blends the pieces together so well. After reading this book though, I’m pretty sure that if I ever got stuck in the woods, I could cook up a mean stew and build all the necessary dishes and eating utensils just from my immediate surroundings. 

     So, do you think you could survive the coldest period in history with a group of cave dwellers? Could you live off of the land before the invention of the grocery store? Would you dare to face a wooly mammoth with nothing but a handmade spear and your fellow hunters? If you think you’ve got what it takes, join Ayla before the dawn of time in a world of epic proportions, where the wild animals are more ferocious and the winter winds more fierce.

Part 3: Make ‘em Pull an All-Nighter

            This has nothing to do with becoming an evil professor that gives a ridiculous amount of homework that is all due the next day. No, I’m referring to those books that keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you just can’t put them down.

The tips from this session came from a long-time book editor named Lorin Oberweger. She actually handed out a detailed sheet with her own method and rating sheet, but I’m just going to give you some of her general tips. I don’t know if her method is copyrighted or not, so I won’t go into it. If you want to look into taking one of her awesome sessions, though, you can find out more about her here.

So let’s get started:

#1. Out with the Old, in with the New

Readers are excited when they’re given a new way of looking at things. Be original with your story and put something fresh out there. “But how?” you say. “There are so many stories out there. The one I want to tell is probably already written!”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t totally buy into that phrase, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” It just sounds like an excuse to not be creative. Sure, there are going to be unoriginal pieces in your writing, but what will make your work one-of-a-kind is how you manipulate those pieces and make them into a brand new whole.  Write about a murder from the perspective of the victim’s ghost or place your story in prehistoric times but give everyone cellphones. Use your book as a kaleidoscope that readers can look through to see their ordinary world differently.

#2. Action vs. Reaction

I used to come up with these fast-paced plots that I was so excited to write, but when it came time to sit down and begin, I found that my main characters were dull and flat. Every time. I couldn’t figure out where I’d gone wrong when I had such a riveting story line planned out. Then, one of my friends pointed out that my protagonist wasn’t causing any of the action but was simply being carried along by the events in the story and reacting to what others were doing.

Don’t make the same mistake I did for the longest time. Make sure your main characters are actively engaging in the story. Have them make bold choices or stupid mistakes that alter where the plot goes. The character may not have caused the inciting incident, but the rest of the story should be about the actions they take to reach their ultimate goal that was set in motion by that incident. To make sure that your character is being active, ask yourself this: If I took away the external conflicts and obstacles, would my character be doing anything?

In one of the best movies of all time, Starlord kicks off the movie by making a choice that affects the rest of the plot. He steals the mysterious glowy ball for himself and everyone comes after him.

#3. FOR SPARTA!!!!!!

Another way to make sure that your characters are exciting and well-rounded is to give them clear goals that motivate their actions. If you set up an important desire for your character that he’s determined to accomplish, readers are more likely to keep reading to see if he succeeds. You can also use a more tangible goal of completing something concrete to symbolize the character getting what he wants internally.

For example, let’s say my character is a guy named Hank Girlyman. He decides he’s going to be the ultimate wrestling champion, no matter what it takes. He goes through a lot of unfortunate (and hilarious) attempts but he never gives up, despite the impossible odds. In the end, he loses, but he’s gained the respect of many people. He’s still happy even though he failed, because what the wrestling champion goal really represented was his desire to be seen as a manly man and to be respected. Yay Hank!

Hank Girlyman is manly.

#4. The Reader Connection

Okay. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record with how much I’m talking about characters, but they’re sort of an important part of the story. So here’s another tidbit to work on with anyone you put into your book. Use lots and lots of emotion. I don’t mean, “Marcy felt afraid as she walked through the woods.” I don’t want to be told that she’s afraid. I want to be shown so that I can feel it too. “As she crept through the woods, the hairs on the back of Marcy’s neck stood up and she felt a tingling sensation down her spine, as if a thousand spiders were crawling down her back.” See the difference?

People read stories because it’s the closest they can come to living in another time or possessing magical powers. They want to be the characters and not just see them. Lorin Oberweger pointed out that books should be less passive than movies. In books, we can get inside a character’s head and experience things through their eyes, instead of just watching things happen to someone else.

Someday we'll find it, the reader connection, the readers, the writers, and meeeeeee!

#5. Be a Drama Queen

That’s right, I said be a drama queen. Writing and acting are probably the only two places where you’ll hear that. (By the way, have you ever noticed that writing is basically acting for introverts?) What I mean by that is that you shouldn’t be too afraid about giving your characters too much emotion. Open yourself up and let it out. Just like with makeup for actors on stage, you have to lay your characters’ emotions on thick for anyone to really notice them. What seems overdone to us is probably not the case for the reader.

Remember what I said about motivating characters with strong goals? Since they cling to these goals so dearly, they’re likely to have some pretty extreme reactions when things bring them closer to or further away from their dreams. Make them throw things or cry or laugh uncontrollably. But remember: show, don’t tell.

What do you mean there's no milk left? I've already poured the cereal! All I wanted was a fulfilling breakfast. My life is over!

#6. The Eye of the Beholder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that one person’s perspective is different from another’s, and that’s another great way to bring some excitement into your story. Give your characters unique ways of looking at things and demonstrate their diverse personalities through strong voice. Your writing voice should be a combination of the character’s emotion, language, and perspective.

Lorin actually had some really good exercises for practicing different voices. First, she said to take your opening scene and practice re-writing it in a different emotion, such as fear, anger, or anxiety. The more you emphasize your character emotion, the stronger your voice. She also said you could practice writing one setting from multiple perspectives. Maybe Tabitha thinks of the mansion as a big fairy-tale castle while her father just thinks of it as a big lonely house with a lot of empty rooms. Feel free to share what you come up with in the comments. I definitely want to try these on my own stories!

Conference Tips Part 1: Creating an Effective Series

                  As promised, I am sharing with you the golden nuggets of wisdom that I learned from my writing conference. When I started typing them up, though, I realized it would be a really long post. So I’ll be delivering them in parts. Here is Part 1: Creating an Effective Series. Remember: these rules can apply to any genre, and don’t take them as written in stone.

Creating an Effective Series:

#1. Make sure to provide a resolution for your main plot. Leaving too big of a cliff hanger will make your readers mad. The sub plots are the ones you can leave open for the next book.

#2. If you ever plan to publish your series, write the first one as a book that could stand alone if it needs to. There is no guarantee that a publisher would buy the rights to your whole series. Plant seeds for another book, but don’t make it necessary. For all of you visual people:

See how the seeds are hidden below ground? The reader might not be able to see them in your first book, but they're still there.

#3. Create a book bible for tracking all the details of your story. You can probably find a template for this if you google it. It’s important to make sure all of your details are consistent throughout the series so people don’t end up saying this about your novels:

#4. When recapping a previous book at the beginning of a sequel (which is always a good idea) don’t give everything about the last book away. You want readers that are starting in the middle of the series to want to be intrigued enough to go back. Always leave them wanting more.

"Ooh! What's that over there in book one?"

#5. This was a tough one for me to hear because I’m totally guilty of this: don’t save all the good stuff for your next book. This might sound like an obvious tip, but stop and think about it. Have you ever said when describing your series something like ‘Oh, well the bad guy’s identity isn’t revealed until book two.” Or how about, “Wait until you get to book three. That’s when the ultimate showdown happens.” If so, then you’re as guilty of this as I am. We have to give our first book everything we’ve got and not hold anything back. When it comes time to write the second book, we’ll come up with something even more epic to include. A writer’s imagination is endless. Remember: you’re not guaranteed to have your entire series published. Wouldn’t you hate for your readers not to get to read your ultimate fight scene just because you had planned it for a book that will never be published? I know. It burns. That’s how I felt when I first heard this tip. Put on some aloe and get back to writing.

#6. And my favorite series tip: Create ‘yes’ moments. Have you ever watched a show or read a series where something seemingly insignificant from the very beginning suddenly popped up much later in the series and became a vital part? That’s a ‘yes’ moment! It’s when those seeds you planted much earlier, have now popped up and blossomed into a full tree when you weren’t looking. If done correctly, it’s a very neat trick.

Write On Target

“For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.”

-                            From “The Beach” by Alex Garland

Hello old friends! I have returned! I was off sucking in my own experience at the Tallahassee Writer’s Conference, Write On Target, with my friend/roommate Patty this past weekend. It was my first writing conference, and, let me tell you, nothing stirs the imagination like being surrounded by a large group of fellow writers. If you enjoy any kind of writing, no matter what level you’re at, I highly recommend attending a conference.

By the end of this busy weekend, I went to about ten different sessions. Sadly, only about half of them were worth attending though. Luckily for you, I sifted through all of the unnecessary stuff and will share the golden nuggets of wisdom that I uncovered in my next post. The things I learned are helpful no matter what genre your story falls under.

To be honest, being around so many other writers took a little bit of getting used to. In the first session, I was listening to an author talk about the fairies in her book. It’s not every day that you hear grown-ups talking about fairies with a straight face on when there are no children in the room.

This author ended up being my favorite speaker at the conference. Her name is Shelli Johannes. Cool first name, huh? ;) Her sessions were well planned out, clearly explained, and provided a lot of helpful examples.  The best part was, she ended up hanging out in a group with me and a few others, so we were able to ask her as many writerly questions as we wanted!  You should definitely go check out her blog because she had a lot of great things to share. She’s written a really successful teen conservation thriller series called The Nature of Grace. I bought the first book and will put up a review as soon as I’ve read it.

From left to right: Shelli, Me, Patty, and Byna

Another favorite speaker of mine was Arliss Ryan. She actually leads ghost tours with her husband near my hometown! With this information, it should come as no surprise to you that she writes historical fiction. I was blown away by her writing when she shared some examples. I always assumed that you had to be British to write high-quality, believable fiction set in England, but she proved me wrong. I want to read some of her stuff as well. Check out her Facebook here, and if you read or have read any of her stuff, let me know what you think!

By the way, if you’re wondering who Byna is from the picture, we met her at the conference as well. She’s written an apocalyptic zombie novel and has a really neat zombie blog. (Do people still use the word ‘neat’?) Anyway, you can check out her blog here.

I also posted some pics on Instagram of some of the random Tallahassee outings we went on. My friend Sarah who came with us is an FSU alumni so she brought us to some of her old haunts. I felt like an old lady when we went to a college bar called Bullwinkle’s, but they played awesome 90s tunes!

So that’s about the gist of my first writing conference. Check back later for those writing tips I’ve promised, and if you’ve ever been to a conference, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! 

Welcome!

                Allow me to set the scene for you:

A pair of thick wooden doors open to reveal a dimly lit study. The only source of light comes from the large marble fireplace on the opposite side of the room. You’re drawn in by the warmth of the flames, and, as you get closer, you can hear the crackling sound of the slowly-burning logs.

As your eyes adjust to the flickering light, you start to notice the layout of the room. Other than the large mirror hanging above the fireplace, the rest of the wall space is covered by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, you realize that you’ve read some of the titles and others you’ve at least heard of. You get caught up in the memories of the stories held in those pages.

The sound of a particularly loud crackle erupts in the flames, and your thoughts drift back to the present moment. You turn around and notice for the first time that there are two plush armchairs sitting in front of the hearth. Their backs are tall enough to hide anyone from sight who chooses to sit down in them. They currently sit empty, but a small round table between the two seats holds a well-worn book, as if someone had been recently sitting there reading.

Without hesitating, you walk over to one of the empty chairs and sit down. As you sink into the soft velvet lining, warmed by the fire’s glow, you can’t help but feel that this place was meant for you.

Your choice to stay seemed to trigger something because the doors you first came through swing open once more. You hear footsteps behind you, and you suddenly start to wonder if you’ve trespassed into someone’s private library. You’re grateful that the distinctive armchair hides you from view, but the stranger doesn’t seem all that surprised to see you when she walks up. Instead, she sits down beside you, and, with a pleasant smile on her face, begins to speak . . .

                I see you’ve found my study. Welcome. I hope you like it. It may not be much in the way of decorating, but it’s cozy.

                You may be wondering why I’m not surprised to see you here. It’s the books, isn’t it? A good story always draws people in time and time again. No matter how you like to read or what your favorite genre is, everyone has something that sparks their imagination.

                That’s why I created this place. I’m sure you’ll have read some of the books on these shelves. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a story, but sometimes a book’s effect on you is too strong to be kept to yourself. This place is the perfect spot to come share your thoughts and hear another’s point of view on your favorite novels.

                Maybe there’s some books that you recognize and have always wondered about. Another great thing about this study is that you’ll hear about a lot of well-known classics and current bestsellers. You don’t have to wander aimlessly anymore to find another captivating book. As a practiced reader, I can give you the ultimate scoop on whether or not a book is worth reading according to your tastes.

                There’s no rule that says we only have to talk about books here, though. Since writing goes hand-in-hand with reading, I’ll be sure to share some of my own works as well as any handy writing tips that I’ve picked up.  One thing to keep in mind is that writing inspiration can be drawn from literally anywhere. Because of that, you may see some random posts about all sorts of things that are currently motivating me or simply making me laugh. I hope they’ll inspire you as well.

                Finally, there’s The Challenge. I’ll give you all the details about that later, but to satisfy your curiosity for now, I’ll give you a few minor details. A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly when), I challenged myself to read all 100 books on BBC’s fan-voted list of the best novels of all time. The list can be found on the right side of this page. I’m almost halfway through, but to push myself to continue, I’m going to add some additional challenges along the way to make things more interesting. I’ll probably make a fool of myself, but that just means it’s more fun for you!

                So now you know what to expect. I hope you’ll stay and visit for a while. The doors to my study are always open for some in-depth book discussions and miscellaneous ramblings.

                There is one note I wish to make. To ensure that everyone is able to experience the joy of reading stories for the first time, please be sure to include SPOILER at the top of your comments that contain any information that could ruin a book for someone. I’ll be sure to do the same.

                Once again, I would personally like to welcome you to Bookin’ It. If you want more frequent updates, feel free to drop by my contact page. Enjoy your visit and come back often!