I have finished reading Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins, the second book in the Hunger Games Series. It was good!I really hated how unfair things turned out for Katiness and Peeta, so in hopes of a HAPPY ending I will read the final book in October when I can get it for FREE from the kindle lending library!
Now this brings me to a topic that is really a pet peeve of mine. I love series books. I truly do when they are done WELL. By "done well" I mean that each book contributes to OVERALL theme of the plot. A good example is the Harry Potter books. Yes they had heaps of stuff going on in each book, enough to make a tangled mess in the heads of the readers, but the overall goal of the stories was the Harry- Voldermort show down. Good vs. Evil. Even in the very first book you get a taste of it even though Harry was so young and Voldermort basicly a vapor. This theme continues in each book building a bit each time. The danger builds and the lure of even MORE secrets keeps the pages turning. Until the final book when the writer's job is to pull all those plot strings she or he has woven through many books to make one beautiful tapestry.
Now that is HOW it is supposed to go. And most writers somehow miss out on that idea and may have a bit of ADD because most book series are scattered and the only linking factor in between the books are the characters themselves. To me sometimes that is not enough. I need not only to be hooked on the charcters but also the story itself.
The first book in a series should be an introduction book. Kinda like a first date. Full of inforamtion and plot and of course lots and lots of narritive to set up the rest of the series. It's not an easy task to make sure the book is like a guide to the characters. After reading the first Harry Potter book you knew Harry's strong points and his weaknesses. It's is true he may have developed a few more of each as the story progressed; In this way the PLOT was supported for the series end game.
I could go on for days on this topic. Seriously. I hate it when the author drops the ball so to speak. To avoid this plan out your books in advance! Don't fly the seat of your pants. What is the overall ending you are wanting to achieve? What must happen in the story support this? Write all of this down and look at it often!! Sometimes I know we can get caught up by writing alone. It's just you and the keyboard. Your in chin deep before you realise you missed an important point that needed to be included. That means re-writes. Ugh. Or if your not so picky a crapy book. Nobody wants a crapy book.
I used index cards for my plot line. In chapter I this needs to happen.... Chapter II they discover...
It keeps ME FOCUSED and helps me remember my overall goals. It's like a map. Follow your map of index cards and you can't get lost!
Showing posts with label Catching Fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catching Fire. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A kindle run down
How can a fiction book do that you say? Through the writer's voice you can be inspired to be grateful for what you have in life. You may not have much, but it usually is a lot better than what most of the characters are living through and with. Could you imagine living like Katniss on grain and oil rations? Or watching the people you love die from the elements, hunger or a cold a simple antibotic could cure? That is harsh to say the least. So be thankful you can simply pop into the local store and buy some wound ointment and that we have vaccines readily avaiable.
Now to chat about the Amazon Kindle. I love my kindle, but it is a few years old and maybe in another few years I will upgrade to a kindle fire or whatever will be out. Still though they are not as popular as one would think. They are not in everyone's hands and purses. Including myself I know 5 people that have one, that is including my OBGYN and his nurse.
For those out there that are living in a cave let me explain it. The Kindle is fantasic. It is a easy way to purchase books, e-books or digital books, by downloading them from Amazon.com. Other book stores have their own versions like the Nook that works the same way just for their store though I believe. I like the Kindle because I can get a free book a month through their Amazon Prime program if the book is a "Prime" book. The Amazon Prime costs $79 a year and has heaps of advantages like free shipping on merch and sometimes discounted Prime Prices on items! Plus they have FREE books and short stories that are mostly self published, but sometimes an established writer will have a freebie peroid if they are launching a new book! Also another perk is that you get your book instantly, no small talk with a teenager while being checked out, and the DIGITAL list price is often much cheaper than hardcopy list prices! Enough of me sounding like a Amazon commerical.
The glory of an e-reader is that you can carry with you hundreds of books, games, magizines and heaps of other goodies in one small device! Even audio books! (it does have a headphone jack)You can download the Kindle App for FREE onto any phone, ipad or whatever you have, but it's not the full on experiance. The best part is the built in dictonary and notepad! I can makes notes and save them for later which is awesome, and you can highlight text and save it! Perfect!The dictonary rocks because I can look up an unknown word and then hop right back into my book with the simple press of the back key!
I cannot tell you how many times my Knindle has saved me from going crazy waiting in doctors offices without me displaying to the entire room that I am reading a romance novel or playing a game. I really don't need the chatty Cathy sitting next to me ruining the plot because she already read it. My boys love it too. Yep I dare to let kids touch my kindle. I know I'm a risk taker, but I do have really good insurance on it.
In short if you like FREE and DISCOUNTED books the kindle is the way to go. There are literarly millions of things to read and check out. A book lovers dream come true. But there are downsides to it. Hard copy books are being less available in mass markets like in big box stores. Think back to when the book aisle at Walmart was huge, now your lucky if you get a wall. And of course this hurts the small book shops like mom and pop stores because they simply cannot compete with a huge supplier like Amazon. Which can make the dreams of owning a book store simply impossible in most cities unless it's mixed with a coffee shop. Books will live on and continue to be published and purchased, but the industry is changing.
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