Skimming Is a Horrible Habit

It is a cold overcast morning that begs me to enjoy my second cup of coffee

I have a horrible habit of skimming when I read and one would think that I took some course on speed reading.  It is really an anomaly between my brain and my eyes that at times I don't control and other times I put a lot of energy into slowly down.

This is particularly bad when my mind is going in other directions instead of taking a deep breath and enjoying the moment of time.  I ran a law office for most of my career and rose to that position because of my innate ability to organize and simplify every aspect of my job.  Fast and simple was my motto.  Speed reading or skimming is a valuable asset if you are able to pick up the information that allows you to determine whether or not you need to go back and read it thoroughly.

I have stopped myself after realizing that I have read a page without even knowing what I have read.  I have given this habit of mine thought and realize that when I am reading there is too much stimulus in the background.  In my youth, I spend hours in the library reading books.  I did check out a lot and was sometimes thankful that there was a limit on the books you could take home.  My best reads were sitting on the floor of a library reading a book that I just couldn't put down.

My library card was my entry into the world beyond my town.  There was no skimming, no distractions and the librarians never objected to my presence in the quiet corner.  The skimming came later in life.  I have decided it is time to break bad habits and to give a book my full attention.  So I shall start 2017 with being more mindful of my love for stories, books and authors.  I owe them my attention.

barb

Is it A Series or Not?

Writing Series is popular mostly because if you create one book it would be thousands and thousands of pages long.  Breaking it up [creating a series] allows you to concentrate on part of the story, allows you to leave a cliff hanger and gives the reader something to look forward to.  The bigger issue is you can avoid ending the story for a while.  Ending is hard because you have to wrap up so many things or you don't want it to end but it is time.  "The Visitor" is a 6 book series that starts with the life of a young woman at the beginning of the civil war and takes you through her adventures over her lifetime.  It is a character rich story.

Another definition of a series is using characters but not story line.  Namely, you write stand alone books that share a time and space or characters.  The "John Ellery Series" is not the same as "The Visitor".  The three books listed under this series shares characters but each book completely stands alone as a story.   Additionally, each book focuses on a character that might have been a minor part of another book.  "When the War Is Over"  focuses mainly on minor characters of John Ellery's story.

The difference is when you start a series that is a continuing story you are committing to the entire series.  When it is only the characters that continue you can pick and choose.  A good example of character series is Agatha Christies detective series Hurcule Poriet.  Every story is solving a mystery using the same detective.  Another is Kerry Greenwood's novels about "Miss Fisher".  There are many well known authors who prefer the same character.  Patterson, Connelly, Cornwall.  The list goes on and on. 

As a reader, I sometimes become addicted to a series and sometimes I don't.  I actually have about 20 books on my Kindle that I want to read but I don't read as much as I want.  In the height of my devouring books, I would go to the used book store off the 17th Street Causeway and buy four or five softbound used books every week.  This is a great way to find books you generally wouldn't read.  My greatest find was The Gunslinger series.  It was 3 books by Stephen King under another name.  I fell in love with all of the characters.  I still prefer the first 3 books to the books that he later added to the series.  I would have to check but I believe this is his only series.  The other famous author is JK Rollin in the Harry Potter series.  I recently went to the theater to see her new story and I think it will be a very good series but I haven't read the book which is a screenplay.

I like both types of series both when I read and write.   I also like that random story that is all by itself.  "Yesterday's Gone" and "My Wild Irish Rose" are both stories that start and end in one book. 

Melting glass and writing romance is my world.  Barb 

Missing In Plain Sight

 

The real world has captured me and sent out ransom demands but no one is willing to let me back into my safe place of fiction.

Holiday time is one of my favorite and yes I will wish you a very Merry Christmas because I am old and it is something from my childhood.  I do also wish everyone who is taking time to celebrate a happy holiday.  I would wish for Peace on Earth but I will spare you my thoughts on the world today which is anything but heading toward Peace.

The weather is cold and the birds are hungry.  So I wear thick socks and feed the birds.  This year we were vendors at the University of New Mexico Craft and Art Show which caters to the college students and faculty.  A portion of my art was sold to support the Water Protectors at Standing Rock and part to support the art students at the university.  Artists would always support artists except artists are usually struggling to make a living leaving little to use for support.  I did my share by buying all of my Christmas presents at the show.

Saturday and Sunday [Dec 10th and 11th] three books will be free for download.  John Ellery's Daughters, Secret of the Isles and When the War is Over will be free.  Kindle Books by Barbara Svetlick

Today is a torch day since I have new glass rods of pink.  First I must go clean off my work bench.  Life is good when you have warm socks, hot coffee and love being an artist.  May your weekend be wonderful.   Barb

 

The Visitor - 6 books Free on Amazon

The Visitor Series

The six books of the Visitor Series is free to download

on Amazon on Veteran's Day and

Saturday

A romantic story of a young girl caught in the midst of the Civil War.

Filled with twists and turns - love and hate a she

accepts the life of the men who accept her into their world

of death and surprise.

Ode to the Elephant Seal

Oh me oh my

the waves broke happily on the shore

white foam stirring up the sand

as the elephants

played happily in the blue beyond

Elephants you say

why they have no legs and a floppy tail

scooting across the wet sand

ah they are seals

with long elephant noses I see

A little treat

of small creatures and smelly sardines

bellies full and hooded eyes

upon the sand

a well deserved nap it shall be

sleep quietly

wallow in the sand until satisfied

lined up like worn out soldiers

in the warm sun

enjoying some time sleepily.

barb

Living in Fiction

My love of ghost stories started at such an early age when I would

order a twenty-five cent soft book from school

every time they had a book drive.

The last one I ordered I never got for some reason or whatever

even though I inquired diligently as to its arrival

school ended with no book.

Why a fascination with ghosts?

It is easier to imagine a ghost, good or bad

then to admit that maybe you are a few crayons short

of the large box.

I love certain spooky stories like when I was

seven and would lay in front of the television watching

the monster movies on Saturday night

I could handle Frankenstein and the Mummy

far easier than the eighties when they unveiled hatchets

and Freddy what's his name.

Ghost stories are simple and the things that cause goosebumps

they are lost souls, horrible mean souls

sometimes they are benevolent but they are always

a mystery and not a fear of something

under the couch that is going to grab you dragging you into

its lair.

I usually write about horrible ghosts

but frequently the ghosts who haunt my stories

are in one's mind.

Ghost stories are my favorite.

barb

Simple Format for Publishing

Writing to me is therapy.

It has always allowed me to step away from life and create a world that either releases my demons or soothed my emotions by taking out my anger, pain or disappointment in a way that keeps my world somewhat level.   Since divorcing after forty years of marriage to my high school boyfriend, I don't have that deep depressive drive to release but I still love to write.

I encourage people to write even if just for that release and to publish if for no other reason than someone might enjoy their work.  Does everyone want to be a world renowned author...well, yeah of course, but that is something only you will achieve by trying.

I have heard many people say they don't know how to create a Kindle book and I understand because I muddled through teaching myself.  I finally found Createspace which I use for all of my books.  I spent years on the computer in a law office working on Word Perfect which to this day I absolutely love but I'm retired and don't need the bells and whistles of WP.

I use Microsoft Words.  Under Layout you will find "Margins" and "Size".  Start with size and at the bottom of the drop down is "More Designs" but you will create your own size of 6x9 inches and click on "Whole Document".  Now got into Margins and hit Custom Margins.  I use 0.5 on the top, bottom, right left and between 0.60 to 0.75 - try both.  This is the "Gutter".  Make sure you click on Mirror Pages and Whole Document.

This is a basic layout design but if you do it before you write your first word, you will see a "page" as you write it.   The third thing is to decide page numbers.  This is under "Insert" - toward the right side of the options is "page number".  Pick your choice.  I usually do bottom centered numbers.  Then you have "Headers" which is where you can put in the name of your book.  [Close "Headers" when you are finished - it is a button far right]  The header will be lighter print which is nice.

This is the majority of setting up a 6x9 book format in Words.  Once you have done this, you can easily upload it on Createspace who will give you a "Review" of your entire book as well as issues that it feels need to be addressed.   You can also design your own cover using their free artwork, use your own or have your cover professionally done. 

Once Createspace feels your book is ready, it will submit it for a 24 hour review.  After the review stage, you can either review it again online or order a copy to review.  I like both ways but have actually used those 24 hours to reread my story where I always find issues.  I think I upload a book 2 or 3 times before I am happy.  One would think that I would find the problems before submitting but the only way that works is if you shelf it for a few days so you have a fresh eye on the words.

After that you go through the distribution issues that are easy if you read the little explanations next to each option. 

If you find errors after it is "live" - you can correct them on your computer file and reload it from your Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Page that each author can set up.  But that's for another discussion. 

If you are not publishing because of the formatting work, I can assure you that you will find it easier than you ever thought.