Doug Shidell's Blog
February 8, 2021
Giving Good Weight
Giving Good Weight by John McPheeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The title of the book refers to the first story, about the New York green market, or farmer's market. McPhee works the booth of one of the farmers and captures the energy of the market through dialogue, descriptions of the clientele and time spent on the farm harvesting crops, touring the land and talking with the families. The dialogue at the market is especially effective at conveying the essence of working a booth.
Other stories in the book cover a plan to build a series of nuclear power plants off the coast of New Jersey, a canoe trip down the St. John's River in Maine, pinball philosophy and an extended story about a gourmet restaurant outside New York City. His range of interests and his curiosity drive each of the stories. I highly recommend this book. It is a quick read.
View all my reviews
January 23, 2021
Mixed Reviews
I just received a five star rating for On His Own Terms This was a legitimate review, from a reader I don’t know, and I felt she “got” the book. The previous rating was a one star and the reader took time to explain why she bailed out without finishing the book. I’ve also had a generic four star review and feedback from friends that covered the range of responses from “I would have quit if I didn’t know you.” to “I couldn’t put it down.”
My Brother-In-Law has trouble with mixed reviews. He’s a former machinist who has worked on every kind of engine from antique John Deere tractors to drag racers and diesel truck engines. If he did the job right, the customer was happy. If he did it wrong, the customer was upset. There was no middle ground.
As writers, we don’t always have that clarity. Although some writers crank out formula books, others of us have a more complicated relationship with our works. We want readers to like them, but we also want to write something that is deeply personal and satisfying. It’s a balancing act and the balance point is constantly shifting. Lean too far toward personal expression and the reader drifts away. Lean too far toward formula success and the soul drifts away.
Reader feedback indicated that I went too far into my personal interests of bicycling and geology. I couldn’t drop those subjects, because they are important to me, but I could look at them from the perspective of a reader with less interest in the subject. That perspective allowed me to pare away words, sentences and even full paragraphs. I did it tentatively, in a different document, and compared the new to the old. If the new won out, I inserted it.
By the end of the exercises I had struck a new balance between my needs and those of readers. Well, almost. Some of the changes haven’t made it to the published copy on Amazon because I’m not convinced they’ll make a difference to the reader.
In the digital world of publishing, it is all too easy to tinker endlessly with a book. The exercises will inform future writings, but On His Own Terms will have to stand on its own, and I have to get comfortable with mixed reviews.
My Brother-In-Law has trouble with mixed reviews. He’s a former machinist who has worked on every kind of engine from antique John Deere tractors to drag racers and diesel truck engines. If he did the job right, the customer was happy. If he did it wrong, the customer was upset. There was no middle ground.
As writers, we don’t always have that clarity. Although some writers crank out formula books, others of us have a more complicated relationship with our works. We want readers to like them, but we also want to write something that is deeply personal and satisfying. It’s a balancing act and the balance point is constantly shifting. Lean too far toward personal expression and the reader drifts away. Lean too far toward formula success and the soul drifts away.
Reader feedback indicated that I went too far into my personal interests of bicycling and geology. I couldn’t drop those subjects, because they are important to me, but I could look at them from the perspective of a reader with less interest in the subject. That perspective allowed me to pare away words, sentences and even full paragraphs. I did it tentatively, in a different document, and compared the new to the old. If the new won out, I inserted it.
By the end of the exercises I had struck a new balance between my needs and those of readers. Well, almost. Some of the changes haven’t made it to the published copy on Amazon because I’m not convinced they’ll make a difference to the reader.
In the digital world of publishing, it is all too easy to tinker endlessly with a book. The exercises will inform future writings, but On His Own Terms will have to stand on its own, and I have to get comfortable with mixed reviews.
December 8, 2020
Amazon Boook Review
This review of "On His Own Terms" was posted on Amazon November 26, 2020.
On His Terms takes us beyond the secret intimacies that make up life into the journey on the land itself. We not only learn about the struggle of Delone's life, but the range of vibrant and knowledgeable information about the landscape of his journey. Through dialog the author creates vibrant, deeply human characters and the result is an interesting and moving novel.
On His Terms takes us beyond the secret intimacies that make up life into the journey on the land itself. We not only learn about the struggle of Delone's life, but the range of vibrant and knowledgeable information about the landscape of his journey. Through dialog the author creates vibrant, deeply human characters and the result is an interesting and moving novel.
December 1, 2020
Scam emails
Geneva Barnett wanted to review my book. Send her a free copy, she said, but don't respond in the public forum, just contact her via email.
This is the fourth such request I’ve gotten this weekend. It’s a scam.
Like every independent book publisher, I have to compete with the 10,000 new book titles published every year. It’s a challenge, so when someone offers to review my book, please contact them, the temptation is to respond immediately, and breathe a sigh of relief that my masterpiece is finally getting the notice it deserves.
But there is a catch. I’ve been publishing for a few years. I know that legitimate book reviews start with someone buying the book, reading, it, then feeling compelled to write a review. They don’t start with “Give me a free copy, and I’ll write a review.”
But Geneva, definitely not her real name, isn’t just trying to scam a free read. If I were to respond, I would soon find that she has 10,000 people following her reviews, they all fall into my target audience and I will soon shoot to the top of the Amazon sales charts. There will, however, be a small fee for such stellar results.
Geneva will have to look elsewhere for clients.
This is the fourth such request I’ve gotten this weekend. It’s a scam.
Like every independent book publisher, I have to compete with the 10,000 new book titles published every year. It’s a challenge, so when someone offers to review my book, please contact them, the temptation is to respond immediately, and breathe a sigh of relief that my masterpiece is finally getting the notice it deserves.
But there is a catch. I’ve been publishing for a few years. I know that legitimate book reviews start with someone buying the book, reading, it, then feeling compelled to write a review. They don’t start with “Give me a free copy, and I’ll write a review.”
But Geneva, definitely not her real name, isn’t just trying to scam a free read. If I were to respond, I would soon find that she has 10,000 people following her reviews, they all fall into my target audience and I will soon shoot to the top of the Amazon sales charts. There will, however, be a small fee for such stellar results.
Geneva will have to look elsewhere for clients.
November 27, 2020
Minnesota Book Reviews
Just for fun. How Minnesotans review books.
It's OK
Dave, a satisfied reader
Not that bad
Don, an enthusiastic reader
It has a lot of talking in it, but that's OK.
Betty, another writer with a pretty good book.
If you forced me to read it a second time, I probably wouldn't hate you for too long.
Kylie
The author is, like, as old as my grandmother so, like, I'm not going to say anything bad about the book, but the chapters are too long. They should be, like, the length of a FB post if you want to attract a younger crowd. And the humor, OMG. Get to the point. Only old people need, like, a full paragraph for a joke. You won't find me RAOTFL if you can't get to the punchline in five words or less, preferably less.
BTW, learn FB Eng. Your never going to make it if you write the hole word every time. Only old folks read that stuff anymore, and their dying off.
Ashley
It's OK
Dave, a satisfied reader
Not that bad
Don, an enthusiastic reader
It has a lot of talking in it, but that's OK.
Betty, another writer with a pretty good book.
If you forced me to read it a second time, I probably wouldn't hate you for too long.
Kylie
The author is, like, as old as my grandmother so, like, I'm not going to say anything bad about the book, but the chapters are too long. They should be, like, the length of a FB post if you want to attract a younger crowd. And the humor, OMG. Get to the point. Only old people need, like, a full paragraph for a joke. You won't find me RAOTFL if you can't get to the punchline in five words or less, preferably less.
BTW, learn FB Eng. Your never going to make it if you write the hole word every time. Only old folks read that stuff anymore, and their dying off.
Ashley
November 20, 2020
Goodreads Giveaway
Enter today for a free copy of my eBook novel "On His Own Terms."
Goodreads.com will giveaway up to 100 copies of the novel on December 20.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Goodreads.com will giveaway up to 100 copies of the novel on December 20.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
November 19, 2020
Effigy Mounds of Wisconsin
Effigy mounds, ancient burial mounds, can resemble animals such as bears, eagles and long tailed underwater creatures. They are unique to the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin and prominent along the lower Wisconsin River. “On His Own Terms mentions them briefly, but they deserve much more attention because of their archaeological significance and unique formations. One of my favorites, Shadewald Mounds, shows a bison and eagle among other effigies and can be seen in Google’s aerial photos. They are located near the intersection of Highways 60 and 193 and north of Muscoda, Wisconsin. A series of conical mounds, thought to be a calendar for agricultural purposes, is preserved across Highway 193 to the west.
November 12, 2020
The Fourth Ward
The Fourth Ward in Prairie du Chien was a neighborhood on Feriole Island in the Mississippi River. After a massive flood in 1965 nearly wiped out the neighborhood, many families abandoned their homes and left the island. Two years later another flood inundated the island. All but one of the homes was removed and the island became a park.
The Fourth Ward and nearby Wyalusing State Park play an important role in my novel “On His Own Terms” so when heavy rain in 2019 flooded the island again, I toured it by kayak.
Although the island is now a park, it still has a single private home, streets, stop signs and lawn furniture.
The remaining private residence highlights the incredible challenge of living on an island that floods regularly. Furniture was stored on the roof and the house sat in two feet of water.
I've been in other residential areas in the floodplain of the Mississippi River where houses perch on ten foot corner pillars and a boat is always nearby. There's an obvious appeal to living in these areas. They're remote and intimately tied to the Mississippi. The neighborhoods are tight knit and family histories span multiple generations.
I tried to capture that feeling in the exchange between Delone's friend Pete, an intern for the Army Corps of Engineers, and the defeated River Rat who has seen his once vibrant neighborhood decimated and a way of life threatened.
The Fourth Ward and nearby Wyalusing State Park play an important role in my novel “On His Own Terms” so when heavy rain in 2019 flooded the island again, I toured it by kayak.
Although the island is now a park, it still has a single private home, streets, stop signs and lawn furniture.
The remaining private residence highlights the incredible challenge of living on an island that floods regularly. Furniture was stored on the roof and the house sat in two feet of water.
I've been in other residential areas in the floodplain of the Mississippi River where houses perch on ten foot corner pillars and a boat is always nearby. There's an obvious appeal to living in these areas. They're remote and intimately tied to the Mississippi. The neighborhoods are tight knit and family histories span multiple generations.
I tried to capture that feeling in the exchange between Delone's friend Pete, an intern for the Army Corps of Engineers, and the defeated River Rat who has seen his once vibrant neighborhood decimated and a way of life threatened.
