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Sunday, January 14, 2024

To-be-read and well-chosen details

cj Sez:  The next story I plan to read from my to-be-read eBook list is THE DARKLING, a horror novel from Carolyn Haines---that is, after I finish a re-read of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for a Facebook group discussion.


  I am not, however, a fast reader. The abundance of scarring and floaters in my eyes (from a previous surgery and aging) breaks up the words when I try to read a book. Working on my computer has also suffered, until a friend recommended that I use a dark page background with white letters when I write. That’s working better. Not perfect, but better.

  There are so many readers posting on Facebook who exclaim about their favorite authors and series and have shelves and shelves of books waiting to be read, I’m in awe. Are you one of those avid readers?
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  Do you have an opinion about showing versus telling, for or against? Silly question. I think all authors will declare pro, con, or not always on the subject. Not always appears to be the majority. I’m pro but can’t always achieve it because it’s hard. It takes visualization, remembering, and some poetic phrasing. I think of “showing” as writing from a deep point of view, which I love to read.

  A white-haired, wrinkled, old woman, you say? How about this example of showing, not telling—excerpted from “One Well-Chosen Detail: Write Juicy Descriptions Without Overwhelming Your Reader,” a November 15, 2023, post on Jane Friedman’s website by author and writing coach April Dávila (@aprildavila)

“… in the last years she continued to settle and began to shrink. Her mouth bowed forward and her brow sloped back, and her skull shone pink and speckled within a mere haze of hair, which hovered about her head like the remembered shape of an altered thing. She looked as if the nimbus of humanity were fading away and she were turning monkey. Tendrils grew from her eyebrows and coarse white hairs sprouted on her lip and chin.  ///”
  Read more of the post by clicking this link:

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  Things to think about: If you replace “W” with “T” in What, Where, and When, you get the answer to each of them.

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  These two Mobile Writers Guild anthologies include a variety of wonderful short stories and poems to celebrate the upcoming special days. (P.S Mardi Gras celebrations have already started in Mobile. Krewe de la Dauphine’s parade rolled through Dauphin Island on Jan. 13. Laissez les bons temps rouler)

  My novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a smidgen of romance. The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be sold out, shoot me an email. I have a small stash (with a discounted price plus shipping).

➜ Follow me on . . .  
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
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