NaNoWriMo

September 6, 2013

Book Review: “Dark Tide” by Elizabeth Haynes

3 STARS

The staid and wild sides of a woman’s life collide when a body washes up on her newly purchased houseboat.

I loved the first half of this book – for a while it was so hard to put down, I feared that I had derailed my life by picking it up – but gradually interest waned. It remained fun to read but the story got more predictable, I never really liked the main character, and I got frustrated with the number of times that she made boneheaded decisions that put her in danger for the service of the plot. Curiously, for all the sex, the book was not very sensual. All in all, a fun read but nothing special. The locations are cool though: the main character lives on a houseboat she is in the process of fixing up.

This book was written during NaNoWriMo, a one month writing challenge. Frankly I wish the author had given it another few months.

I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. Here is a synopsis of the book with embellishments by the publisher.

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June 7, 2013

The Lost(?) Art of Editing

I write this at risk of proving myself  to be a total creaking dinosaur.

Those of you who read or produce serial fiction, impromptu flash fiction, NaNoWriMo, book series that publish at the rate of a novel every month or two — and any other writing that  publishes right after inception. Please help me understand its appeal.

As a writer, I see much value to it. Writing quickly helps with flow, tapping the subconscious, and discipline. But — why publish without much or any editing? Doesn’t a pause to edit always improve the piece? (By editing I mean more than proof-reading and tinkering. I mean the act of making changes, some of them wholesale and sweeping.)

As a reader, I don’t want to read an early draft and I only want unplanned ideas when they come from inspiration, not haste.  I like writing that feels crafted. What am I missing?

Hmm. I don’t mind reading a first draft blog post and for that matter I rarely do more than proofread my own posts.  Maybe I’ve just got fiction on a pedestal when nobody else still does. Is that it?