Poetry Friday: Sugar Snow, an original poem

Sugar Snow

I spilled some sugar

on the floor

and as I watched it

drifting

down

I thought,

"This must be

what God sees

when it snows."

(c) Rebecca J. Gomez

Random stuff found on my desk

What does a person's desk say about them? These are snapshots of random things found on my desk. I promise that none of these shots were staged in any way.

Nothing against self-publishing, but...

I recently read a short excerpt from a self-published YA fantasy novel. It was, I'm sorry to say, kind of awful.

I'm not going to say what book it was because, in all fairness, I haven't read the whole thing and there is, I suppose, a chance that the rest of the book is better than the excerpt.

What was so horribly wrong with the excerpt?

• Overly wordy sentences. For example, this line of dialogue is similar to something I read in the book: "The reason why I want you to come with me is because those guys make me really nervous." That same line, vastly improved: "Please come with me! Those guys freak me out!"
• Long, unbroken sections of dialogue. In the excerpt that I read, a single character rants on and on FOR TWO DRAWN-OUT PARAGRAPHS! There is no action breaking up the dialogue. No facial expressions, sighs, or scratching of the head. Also, there is no response from the 1st person narrator until the teacher is done speaking.
• Lack of emotion. That character may as well have been a robot speaking in monotone. No hint of emotion in the way he speaks. No tension in the scene. I want to know: Is he is storming back and forth, enraged? Is he cool and collected, yet deadly serious?

Overall, the excerpt seemed like it came right out of a first draft.

As it says in the post title, I have nothing against self-publishing. It is a perfectly viable option for authors who want to see their books in print. But it is not an excuse for a poorly written story. If an author chooses to self-publish, it is still their responsibility--their duty!--to make their book the best that it can be. I have a suspicion, however, that some self-published authors are simply lazy and/or impatient and can't be bothered with all the "nonsense" that traditionally published authors put themselves through. Or, I suppose they might simply be naive enough to think that their story couldn't possibly be better than it is. I've met authors who have this attitude, and it's nothing short of annoying.

So if you are considering self-publishing, do yourself, your future readers, and the self-published community a huge favor: DO THE WORK. Write. Rewrite. Get critiques. Rewrite again (and again if necessary). Get your book PROFESSIONALLY edited and HEED ADVICE (and revise again). Then, if you still believe in your story, go for it. Sure, there will still be some people that don't like your book. But at least it won't be because you were lazy/impatient/naive.

Am I being harsh? Possibly. But sometimes that's just the best way to make a point.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

I love books. I don't love reviewing them. But when I read a book as awesome as Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT, I can't help but want to spread the word.

This is the first book I picked up from my summer reading list. A book I was hungry for from the first time I heard of it. And it didn't disappoint.

What I loved about it: I loved the perfectly flawed main character. I loved her painful and scary journey of self discovery. I loved the action and the suspense. I loved the sweet romance that complimented this sometimes jarring and violent tale. And I loved that this story kept my attention from start to finish. I think I read it in three sittings.

What it reminded me of: The writing style and feel of the story reminded me of one of my favorites: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games books, you will probably love DIVERGENT.

Anyone who reads YA fiction should see the book trailer and then read this book! If you doubt me, you can read the first 100 pages here.

Life: It's Where Stories Come From

The other night I was sitting at the computer when I heard the familiar thump-thumping of little feet heading down the steps. Sniffles accompanied the thumps, and I turned around to see the distraught face of my nine-year-old boy as he rounded the corner. "Bugs!" he whisper-yelled.

"What?"

"Bugs in my bed!" Sniff-sniff. "I felt them crawling all over me and when I turned on my light I saw a spider-looking thing on my bed!"

Stifling chuckles, I followed my frantic son upstairs and inspected his bed. Sure enough, there was a little black tick crawling on his blanket. I gave the unfortunate insect a ride down the toilet drain, inspected my son and his bed, and changed the covers. He crawled back into bed, slapping his shoulder where he was sure he felt something.

But if there was something, it probably made its way down the hall into my daughter's room. Just don't tell her I said that!

I don't know if this little anecdote will ever make it into one of my stories (though maybe a poem....hmm...), but the point is that life is full of moments like this. Life is where stories come from. So the next time you find yourself stuck without an idea, maybe you just need to go out and live a little.