Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 15
July 10, 2018
Getting Feedback Can Hurt—Here’s How to Ask for It
Today’s re-blog just might be the most BALANCED writing advice I’ve ever read…
By L. Roger Owens
Asking for feedback on your writing is a delicate dance, the steps tricky to learn, as I was reminded when my eight year-old read me her story the other day.
She ran to me with the unlined pages clutched in her hand. I could see how her impossibly small scrawl sloped down the right side of the page; she had to tilt her head slowly, yoga-like, as she read. The story was a...
July 9, 2018
A Blog Conversation about Libraries . . .
[image error] Our last conversation was about different types of readers and was on July 2nd, July 4th, and July 6th…
Now, let’s launch into Libraries…
I’m going to be rather desultory with this beginning of our discussion—bounce around a bit—rather like being in a library—So much to do…
When I was 18, I spent a season working in a library being what’s called a “page“; essentially, putting books back where they belonged…
I became infatuated with a fellow page; and, during one of our breaks, when she deepl...
July 8, 2018
Lava: the watery roots of a fiery word
On Hawaii’s Big Island, the Kilauea volcano has been erupting for weeks, its lava consuming whole cars, roads, and homes as it generates deadly vog and laze and heaves lava bombs.Morealarms were raised this week as the lava’s molten march risked explosions at a geothermal power station.
But for such a fiery phenomenon, the origin of the word lava is, perhaps ironically, in the wash.
Laundry day? (Pixabay)
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July 7, 2018
July 6, 2018
Yet More Conversation about the Different Types of Readers . . .
[image error] Our current conversation began on July 2nd and continued on July 4th…
We considered nine kinds of readers in the first post; only one type of reader in the second post; and, in a comment after that second post (from an author in the United Kingdom) that let me continue this discussion today…
Well…
Why don’t I just share that comment :-)
“There are different types of readers, or, rather, readers with different levels of understanding and appreciation. Once a reader has reached a level (about...
July 5, 2018
Top Ten Graphic Novels for Readers Who Don’t Like Graphic Novels by Amy Estersohn
Today’s re-blog shares a broad range of types and styles of this particular form of “reading” . . .
Graphic novels are a chronically misunderstood kind of book. When I tell people I specialize in graphic novel reviews, they immediately assume I’m a ComicCon-attending superhero fiend (uh, not really). Or they assume that I focus on graphic novels because I give them out only to my striving readers (no, no, no, no, no).
I enjoy graphic novels the same way I enjoy magazines a...
July 4, 2018
More Conversation about the Different Types of Readers . . .
The beginning of this discussion was on Monday, July 2nd… [image error]
Taking that last link will introduce you to our topic of conversation and 9 purported types of readers…
Though, in that last post, I did make allowances for many, many more kinds of readers…
I suppose you could start at slow and fast readers; then, perhaps, old-book-readers and cereal-box-readers…
However, the reader who commented on our last post (allowing us to continue this conversation) and who happens to be an author from Austral...
July 3, 2018
3 wondrous paradoxes of a slow writing process
I think Roz Morris does a great job pinning down her topic for todays’ re-blog in that title up there :-)
How many drafts does a novel need? Some are ready for an editor by the second or third draft. Others – like mine – are assembled in slow layers of revisions, a process of discovery. There’s more about that in What Takes Literary Authors So Long.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I went through a manuscript at least 50 times, but I’ve never counted. So for Ever Rest I’m keeping a...
July 2, 2018
A Blog Conversation about the Different Types of Readers . . .
Our last discussion—about book promotion—ended with the post on June 29th… [image error]
And, the first thing I feel I should say about this new conversation is that I suspect there are just as many different kinds of readers as there are, and have been, and will be human beings…
All humans have a unique personality and soul; so, shouldn’t each one be a unique reader…?
Perhaps…
Though…
We seem to be able to classify humans in many other categories without needing a different category for each human…
So, J...
July 1, 2018
When Children Drive the Boat at Storytime
I can’t help it…
I must share some of the last words of today’s re-blog—to encourage you to read it all :-)
“If you think books and words and stories aren’t powerful, think again. When you seize the moment as you read a book aloud, and follow your instinct and heart, you will make that book far more meaningful for children.”
I’ve often said that the best learning and most meaningful experiences with children happen unexpectedly. And, it happens all the time, especiall...
