[stylist] what are you currently reading?

Tue Jul 17 16:38:18 UTC 2012

Anita,
Perhaps the biggest thing is to hold to your interest for a topic. I doubt
that you will ever find a topic that has not already been addressed. More
stories of a medical, mystery, or treatment of the blind will find their
uniqueness in the style and content of your writing, and not on how many of
those have been written before. A really good one can lead to a series
particularly when the audience really comes to love the protagonist. Love
may not be the right word, perhaps, intrigued is a better word, which could
easily happen with a blind sleuth, or doctor.
Keep on with your reading and experimenting, and your own unique slant on
any topic will emerge.
Jackie

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Anita Adkins
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 5:58 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] what are you currently reading?

Hi,

I just finished a book by Linda Howard called Prey. As a writer, I was able 
to study this book to hear how the characters thought and felt. A friend of 
mine was reading something I had written as fiction, and she pointed out 
that I was writing things down that a person would not naturally think or 
feel. I found this advice as valuable, and I am anxious to begin a story 
where I can put this into practice. One thing that bothered me about the 
book I just finished is that it is rather repetitive. I found myself tuning 
out at parts. But, I did hear a part where it talked about the character 
getting butterflies every time she saw this guy. I found that interesting 
because the story my friend and I are tossing back and forth is maybe going 
to end up being a romance. At one point, I had the character feeling 
butterflies in her stomach, and of course, a real person wouldn't feel 
butterflies in her stomach. So anyway, the point is I am wondering how to 
work on writing down realistic thinking and feeling and not writing it as if

it is nonfiction or technical when it is supposed to be through a 
character's point of view when in first person. Of course, the other problem

I am having is coming up with a plot. I want to write fiction in order to 
teach something, and so I want to write some sort of story that deals with 
blindness. But, when I think of topics, someone has already thought of those

topics. For example, I wanted to write a mystery with a blind detective, but

I found a rather good one already written. I love reading mysteries, and so 
I thought I would enjoy creating one. I thought of a blind doctor since my 
other area of interest lies in medical stuff, but Dr. Jacob Boletin's story 
is already about a blind doctor's experiences and challenges. How do you all

come up with unique topics about subjects that already seem to have been 
covered? Anita

-----Original Message----- 
From: Lynda Lambert
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 8:34 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] what are you currently reading?

I just read _Running with Scissors_ and am now reading _Simple Abundance_.
Very different books - I think Running with Scissors is overall a very good
book - one has to look at the entire work. At times it seemed like a dark
farce or dark comedy to me. It is strange, has strange characters, but
overall I think it is a very good book. It certainly held my interest from
beginning to end and I have discussed with a number of people after reading
it.   Simple Abundance is a book that should be read over the course of an
entire year. There are things to think about daily, and I have been enjoying
it very much. It is about art, gardening, improving our homes,
relationships, etc. It has some inspiring moments in it, for me, and has
given me many little things to consider. As I said, the two books are a
world apart - but that's a good thing!  I have been too busy over the summer
to do much reading - trips and art projects occupy my time.
Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "vejas" <brlsurfer at gmail.com>
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 8:24 PM
Subject: [stylist] what are you currently reading?

> Hi,
> I wanted to know what you guys are reading right now and what you think of

> your books.  Right now I am reading a book called All That Matters by 
> Wayson Choy.  It is about a Chinese family living in the Chinatown part of

> British Columbia.  I feel as if the quality of the writing is all right, 
> but I find the family very interesting.  For example, all of the children 
> call their father's second wife "Stepmother", even though 2 of them are 
> biologically hers.  I'm mainly reading it for what happens to the 
> characters as opposed to the plot.
> Have any of you read it?
> Vejas
>
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