Why did you like THAT horrible book?

I've been reading book reviews on Amazon.com this morning.  Websites that encourage feedback from its client readers provide, in theory, a wonderful service to consumers.  After all, there are millions of titles out there to choose from, so hearing what others who have experienced a story first hand have to say may help you narrow your selection of potential buys.  But the sites offer more insight than that, especially to other writers.

We all know writers know the importance of genre in marketing their work and identifying with a their target audience.  But readers don't.

Before I was a writer, I read what my friends recommended were "awesome" books.  I had friends who were active in their churches and friends who were Goth.  Tattooed, pierced friends and friends who competed in beauty pageants.  Athletes and Dead Heads...and althletes who followed the Dead.  Clearly, their taste in books was as diverse as the people I hung out with.  I wound up reading across genres and sat in with various target audiences.  Reading the reviews on Amazon, it's clear to me others do the same.

Consider these stats:

New Moon, Stephanie Meyer's second book of the Twilight saga sensation, received 2,232 Amazon reviews that break down like  this:

5 star:		(1,394)
4 star:		(388)
3 star:		(191)
2 star:		(123)
1 star:		(136)

If 3 stars represents "average," then 450 people, or roughly 20% thought the book was average or below average.

One of my all-time favorite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte has received 888 Amazon reviews: 

5 star:		(613)
4 star:		(147)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(56)

56 people thought Jane Eyre deserved a 1-star rating!

The Stand, by Stephen King.  Its complete, uncut version received 1,018 customer reviews on Amazon:

5 star:		(779)
4 star:		(98)
3 star:		(63)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(41)

141 readers out of 779 thought The Stand was just "eh."

Just for fun, I checked out The Holy Bible.  I won't post those results here, since many of the comments  argued over religious tenets or over translation of certain versions, but I still found it hilarious that The Bible received negative customer reviews.

It does make my point, though.  Not everyone will fit into one writer's target audience.  As writers, we need to keep this in mind along every step of our journeys.  Negative feedback in our careers is a statistical certainty.  We'll draw it when we share our work on our blogs, with crit groups, and with agents.  We'll hear it from editors and publishers.  And once our books are in print, we'll read it on Amazon, Goodreads, and anywhere else where the general public is welcome to share their opinions.

When your book is published, do you think you'll want to read the negative reviews?

Why or why not?

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

I wish!

Life's got me spinning in circles -- and I'm trying to write.  It's the kids' last week and a half of school before summer break -- a crazy, busy time!  I wanted to publish a quick post, though, letting you all know that I'm thinking of you.  I'm reading as many of your insightful, creative posts as I can squeeze in between breaks.  Wish I could respond to all of them!

Have a fantastic day!  

A Full House Usually Wins...

When hubby and the kids said I could choose anything to do on Mother's Day, I said without hesitation that I wanted the four of us to spend the day hiking around DeSoto Falls in the North Georgia Mountains.  Summer posted pictures of her day trip there on Saturday, inspiring me to finally visit the place I'd only written about in a short story but never actually been to.

I left my camera in the car (arg), so thank you Great Georgian Properies(dot)com for this gorgeous shot of the Upper Falls.

As always, I had my pocket-sized Moleskin journal with me, noting the sights, smells and sounds that inspired me as we made our way along a moderately rugged path through the lush forest.  The tallest broadleaf hardwoods in the Chattahoochee National Forest towered 100 feet above us, and the glimpses of blue through occasional breaks in the canopy would have looked artificial had I mixed that color and tried to paint a sky on canvas.  Nature so pure isn't meant to be captured or reproduced; only enjoyed.

Which is why I was so unnerved when we made our final stop of the day.

After leaving the DeSoto Falls Scenic Area, we drove over the summit and into the valley of Blairsville, Georgia.  Nestled at the base of rolling peaks is a quaint cluster of mountain artisan boutiques and country stores.  In one, where they sell beautiful, hand-hewn furniture carved from solid wood, one can also purchase this:

and this:

 

I cursed myself again for not having my camera with me, but thank you Jacob K for his Flickr Collection titled Georgia, for capturing these shots!

I'm not an animal activist, but I clearly fall somewhere on the spectrum of respect for animals' rights.  Taxidermy had always been an art form I didn't particularly understand or appreciate, but I'd never considered it cruel.  Certainly, I understand a hunter's desire to admire the fruits of his game.  But after spending a day basking in nature and celebrating the planet and all its glory, seeing those magnificent animals frozen in poses created from someone's cruel sense of humor struck me as nauseating mockery.  

The price tag on the bear was $599.  The raccoon cost $385.  There was actually a nice selection of raccoons to choose from.  If the canoe wasn't appealing, you could go with: a seated raccoon trying to open a can of Coca Cola between its legs; a raccoon seated with a paw dug into an open box of Cracker Jacks; a raccoon holding five fanned-out playing cards (a full house with kings and queens -- a winning hand, ironically); or a raccoon dressed in tiny hiking gear and holding a compass.  Also available for a mere $181.50 each were canoe-paddling squirrels and squirrels dressed in cowboy regalia.

The good news is those bears, raccoons and squirrels got my writer gears turning.  A brilliant idea (if I don't say so myself) for my antagonist popped into my mind and resulted in a scribbled page and a half of notes in the old Moleskin.  It's going to be a good writing day today!

Did you see anything this weekend that sparked a new idea or twist for your story? 

A Mother's Promise

My children are eleven and ten.  We're standing on the threshold of the teenage years, and a part of me is scared to death.  But it will pass quickly.  Too quickly.  Like our first decade together.  One day, soon, they'll be grown and moved on to live their independent lives.  I wonder how they'll look back on their childhoods?


What I want my children to remember about me as a mother:


That my face lit up each time they entered a room.

That putting their own well-being above my own was a natural reaction and not a choice I felt I had to make.

That I believed in my heart they chose me as their mother, and that I honored that choice every day.

That I was only human and made mistakes, but I understood the importance of admitting my errors and asking for forgiveness.

That I encouraged them to live their own lives, not a life I wished for them.

That I appreciated self-expression in any way it manifested itself in my children.

That I needed my own time, not because I was selfish, but because giving that to myself made me a more centered person and a better parent.

That we laughed A LOT.

That it was okay for us to get mad at each other, healthy even.  But that I was never too proud to make the first move toward reconciliation.

That I was always the last to release a hug.

That I looked them in the eye and said "I love you" every single day.

That I believed kindness and generosity toward others were high priorities in life.

That I wasn't afraid they'd stop loving me if I answered "no."  And if my answer was "no," there was a reason behind it.  I never said "no" because I didn't want them to have fun, or to punish them unfairly.

That I recognized their talents and encouraged their interests (even if I didn't find those things interesting).

That school mattered.  If they got a "C" when they worked their hardest, then I applauded their "C."  If they got a "C" when I knew they could have done better, I came down hard on them.

That I demanded success from them, so they would learn to demand success from themselves.

That I thought they were the coolest people on the planet.

And above all else, I want my kids to always remember how much I love them.  From the day I learned I'd conceived, to the day they were born, beyond the day I die.  I will always, always love them.

Here's to being the best mothers we can be.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! 

Blog Love to Spread!

I'm coming off a rough week, but my heart's on the mend.  My blog has been the one thing that kept my mind occupied and my spirits up, and I'm so grateful for each an every post and comment I've read from all of you.  You never know, as you type your thoughts for the day, how much those words will touch another's life.  How powerful writing is!

Receiving blog awards has also been the frequent burst of sunlight on my stormy week.  Thank you so much for thinking of me!  I love to search through my list of awesome followers and choose people to pass the awards on to, including those I haven't visited often enough (reconnect, read what y'all have been saying of late!), new friends (especially those I discovered during Spread the Awesome), and my blogger BFFs.  I truly appreciate everyone who felt compelled to click that follow button!  So, without further ado...

Two sweet bloggers who I adore passed this award to me are E.Elle at The Writer's Funhouse and Julie Dao at Silver Lining.  Thanks, girls!

This goes to:
Victoria Dixon at Ron Empress
Erin at Bookish in a Box
Jamie Burch at Dancing Down Serendipity Street
Mariah Irving at Constantly Risking Absurdity
Gina Maxwell at Passion on Paper

Thank you Jai Josh for this gorgeous award!  Her blog rocks; if you haven't been by to visit, I hope you do so today :)

This goes to:
P.J. Hoover
Milton at KittyChat
Charmaine at Wagging Tales
Jen Chandler at From Inkstained Hands
Emily White at Stepping into Fantasy

I have three wonderful blogging friends to thank for the You Are My Sunshine award!  Wendy at On 'n' On 'n' On, Tori at Head in the Clouds, and Christine Danek at Christine's Journey.
This goes to:
Amber at Musings of Amber Murphy
Janna Qualman at Something She Wrote
Hilary Wagner
SarahJayne at Writing in the Wilderness
Lisa and Laura Roecker

The lovely Angie Paxton passed this awesomesauce award on to me.  She has incredibly insightful posts, please visit her!

This goes to:
Clarissa Draper at Listen to the Voices
Eternally Distracted
Suzanne Hayze at Tales of Extraordinary Ordinariness
Kelly Polark
Tina Laurel Lee at Watch Me Practice

Thank you to a great writer and almost neighbor of mine, VR Barkowski for this award.  She's fantastic; I hope you check out her blog today!

I'm passing this on to:
Danyella Leafty
Heather Dougherty
Shannon Whitney Messenger
Yamille at The Che Boricuas
Miss V at Rambles & Randomness

And finally, thank you to the sweet Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines for awarding me the Superior Scribbler Award.  Check out her colorful blog, you'll love it!

This goes to:
Alexandra Stostak
Emily Ann Benedict at Benedictions
Nevine at Dreams, Deliriums and Other Mind Talk
Amy Jo at Ramblings of a Novice Writer
Steena Holmes at Chocolate Reality





Phew!  That's some crazy linkage, there.  I wish I could link every follower on posts like this, because every one of your blogs has something amazing and unique to offer.  Click the links -- I hope you find new friends from here!!

On a side note:  Please take a minute to click your own profile picture from my Follower's mosaic.  When you do, verify that a link to your blog is visible.  I tried to pass awards on to many people today but couldn't because there's no virtual trail from your profile pic to your blog. :(

I hope you're all enjoying the weekend so far!

Spread the Awesome Contest Winner

WINNER!!

Congratulations to Liz S.!!!

By roll of the virtual dice (a handy feature at Writing.com!), Liz's comment number 65 was drawn, making her the winner of my Spread the Awesome Contest!

Liz won a copy of Among the Hidden, the first book in the seven part Shadow series by

Margaret Peterson Haddix

~AND~

a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble!

(Liz, please email me your mailing address to heftynicki(at)writing(dot)com.  Thanks!!)

Thanks to everyone who follows my blog!  Meeting you, reading your comments each day, and having the opportunity to follow your blogs make my blogging experience rich and truly amazing.

Have a wonderful weekend! 

She said, She said...

Conflict is vital to fiction.  No one wants to read a story about happy people who have their lives figured out.  How boring.  And people expect authenticity in the stories they read.  Everyone has issues in life.  Everyone's struggling to work through their problems.  People read fiction both to escape their own lives for a moment and to get lost in a world of other people's problems.


Conflict comes in different forms: with self, with others, with the environment, with society, etc.  Today, because I'm chin deep in conflict with another person in my inner circle, I'll only talk about conflict with others.  Hey, blogging is cheaper than therapy.


When crafting conflict between two characters, keep in mind that there will be more going on besides the central problem facing the characters.  Hone in on the characters' fundamental differences.  Consider the things in their personalities that are inherently contradictory, the things neither see as a problem nor think should be changed.  These are the things that complicate problem-solving and contribute to convincing conflict.


For example, you have a central problem brewing between Character #1 and Character #2, perhaps one accused the other of betraying her confidence in some way.  You can deepen the fictional problem by mimicking reality.  In real life, people hold against each other certain aspects of their personalities or psyches, which become factors when trying to resolve the central problem. 


What if Character #1 is a person who was so affected by her chaotic upbringing, that she developed a strong work ethic, an appreciation for material objects she worked hard to obtain, and a low tolerance for disorganization in herself and others.  Enter the second character, who is spoiled by a life of ease and financial abundance, so that Character #2 is careless with her belongings since there will always be a maid to clean up behind her or a credit card to replace what's missing or broken.  These characters are dealing with a breech in confidence, but their fundamental differences, in real life, would come into play.  Write them into your fiction and you'll have a riveting, believable conflict.


One possible direction to take this example is to have Character #2 feel justified in breaking confidence, because Character #1 is, in her opinion, a judgmental witch.  You could write frustration into Character #1, who feels that Character #2 always plays the "judgement" card.  Character #1 would have been exasperated in the past with Character #2's habitual behavior: always late for get-togethers, forgets to wish Character #1 a happy birthday year after year, offers Character #1 the guest bedroom that's normally where the dog lives (shed fur everywhere, smelly and stained rug, etc.), etc.  Character #2 would, in turn, hate always feeling like she has to apologize for herself to "Miss Perfect" Character #1.


Real life is like this, isn't it?  When there's conflict between people, a fight never stays within the perimeters of the immediate problem.  The past gets dragged into it, personalities and "isms" come into play, and anger just stirs up old, smoldering coals until a new bonfire is blazing.


Conflict in fiction that feels the most authentic mimics real life.  It pays in the long run to spend time writing scenes or short stories about the characters' past interactions, their history together, and the reasons they act and react the way they do in the present.  Even if you don't use those stories verbatim in the novel, your knowledge of the characters' experiences, in life in general and in their history together, will create realistic conflicts and problem-solving.  Readers will readily buy into the characters' predicaments when they mirror both the compassion and the ugly realities of interpersonal relationships.


In preparation of a new WiP, do you write short fiction or vignettes about your characters' experiences outside the time frame of the novel?  Do you write from each character's first person POV, (despite the eventual POV choices of the novel), letting them talk about the other characters?  Is writing therapeutic for you, too?