Jennifer L. Davidson's Blog, page 15

It's all coming together

My select group of readers have signed on to the challenge of reading and critiquing book #2. I'm so excited they are willing to do this. I'm essentially asking them to go to bed with a book and a red pen. I also love the fact that, like last time, my group is pretty diverse. However, regardless of age, sex, and reading preferences, my readers for "Missing Maggie" picked up on a lot of the same things. When reworking the story I chose to work on those areas first. I'm expecting similar results with this book. That reminds me, I really need to pick a title for this one. It's getting old calling it book #2 all the time. That is going to have to wait though. While the book is in other reader's hands, I'm taking a much needed break from the story.[image error]

Things are heating up

As I read book #2 for the second time in about a month, events and conversations are running together. So much so that I don't know if some scenes and conversations are repeating or if they are spanned far enough apart to make sense. I've also noticed how "spicy" this book is in comparison to "Missing Maggie." I allude to lovemaking in "Missing Maggie," but in this second book, Kody and her clients are much more open with what happens when the lights go out. I can't tell you why I chose to write this way, although one reason might be because a friend of mine asked me why Kevin and Kody never kissed. I didn't have an answer for her. Shortly after, it dawned on me that women love a little romance, even a little sex, in their reading. It spices things up. It also keeps the reader on his/her toes. I strive to entertain so hopefully you all will be happy with the changes.[image error]

A true passion

I've known for a long time that writing is a passion of mine. How do I know, you ask? Well, it might be because it simply makes me happy to tell a story that others will enjoy. It might also be because I find a character's reality more exciting than my own at times. Or it just might be that I feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day when I am able to type a page or two of text. Before I started writing, I felt like I was missing something. I didn't see how I was contributing to society by writing user manuals for computers. Sure, some people needed those instructions and it made their day just a little bit better knowing that cable A went into port B. However, I would hear stories from my husband and other teacher friends about how they were impacting kids' lives on a daily basis. They went home every night knowing that the effort they put in at school benefited a child's life. I don't have what it takes to be a teacher, but like them, I wanted to create an impact too. Now, a writer doesn't impact a person the same way a teacher does, but I believe the stories they tell result in some sort of reaction from the reader. By creating characters that people can relate to, writers can help individuals break away from their own reality and help them express themselves through laughter or tears. By writing with emotion, writers elicit emotion, which is a beautiful thing.[image error]

The latest stats

As of today I've sold about 730 copies of "Missing Maggie." It's safe to say that 90% of those sales are on the Kindle. I rarely sell a Nook copy. My husband, the numbers guy, figures I sell on average four copies a day, which is amazing considering that I was happy with only a few sales a week back in October. Since I completely rely on word-of-mouth marketing, I'm very happy with the outcome so far. Your comments are what sell my books. They are what keep my new career alive so I appreciate all of you that have taken the time to write a review or click on a rating.

Book #2 is still on schedule. I just finished inputting my first edits from the paper copy. The next step is to print it and do it all over again. This time I'm hoping the story flows better and the conversations aren't cut too short. I could tell I was anxious to move ahead in certain spots.[image error]

I miss my Percy

I fell asleep last night listening to the dishwasher and my husband's louder than normal breathing. He was obviously exhausted from his day. I also fell asleep with tears in my eyes. I miss her. I miss my feline friend of 19 years who passed away just over a week ago. I miss how she'd sit on my chest while I tried reading a book at night, and how she'd wake me in the middle of the night to be let outside when the weather was warm enough. I even miss the sound of her hacking up hairballs early in the morning, knowing that I'd have to watch my step when I crawled out of bed. I simply miss seeing her. I miss knowing she's around. She was always around. She was a part of my life before my husband and kids. Her and I shared an apartment in college. She had a way of putting a smile on my face when I was sure the world was going to end. You all might think I'm a crazy cat lady for feeling this way, but she meant a lot to me and she always will.[image error]

Show, don't tell

One of the most important things to remember when creating a fictional character is to show, not tell, the reader how a character reacts in certain situations. You can tell your reader the character was sad after her cat died, but if you create dialogue or a setting to go along with the character's emotions, it is much more effective. I have this character, Sam, in my second book that I'm trying to portray as an egotistical jerk. This is just a cover though because he's really a sensitive guy dealing with some issues. I realized during my review that I wasn't quite pulling off his split personality so I added some more dialogue during his first appearance. Kody wasn't in the least bit impressed with him, which was my goal.

On a related note, I was looking through my son's grammer book and was pleasantly surprised to see that it included a small section on this exact topic. I think it is awesome that this is being taught at such an early age.

Another fast and furious ending

I finished editing my first draft early last week. (My life was put on hold for about a week since the whole family was home for spring break.) The ending of book #2 is currently way better than the beginning. It's another page-turner I tell you. I've decided that I'm an impatient writer because it pains me to draw out the ending when I'm so excited to share it with the reader. I don't want anyone to have to wait. I know I'd rather go to sleep knowing how a story unfolds. I hate when I get to the end of a book and have to continue to wait for something exciting to happen. It's the worst when nothing happens. You mean to tell me I read the whole stinkin' book and that's how the author thought it should end? I feel cheated when that happens. I feel angry. This is totally going off topic, but after I raved about "Plainsong" I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I can't decide if it was because it didn't end how I wanted it to or if I wanted to hear more about each of the characters. It was still a good book either way.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

This blog isn't meant to be a book review site, but I'm completely into Plainsong by Kent Haruf that I thought I'd say a few words as to why I like it so much. First of all, Haruf does a tremendous job of developing his characters. They are interesting and real, which is very appealing to me. They are also in different stages of their lives so we hear of their separate struggles, although ultimately their struggles aren't all that different from one another. Lonlieness seems to be a common thread. Even surrounded by the people we love, we can still feel alone at times.

Haruf's writing style is also unique from most authors. The book doesn't include a single set of quotation marks while there is dialogue throughout. Many sentences are actually four or five sentences connected together by "and." I certainly couldn't get away with that. It works for him though. The flow and pace of the story is slow and steady, which is a good thing. I haven't been bored yet. I am incredibly curious to see how all the characters come together. I love stories that wrap everything up nice and neat so hopefully that is the case for this story.

What's the point?

I'm completely irritated with life right now so this post will be anything but positive. We all have those days, right? We wonder what the point is. We wonder if what we are doing is really worth while. For me, it's my writing. Is it good enough? Is it a complete waste of my time? Should I go out and get a real job to help out with the wants and needs of our family? I'm sure I'll get past all this anger I have inside me eventually. It doesn't help that my sister baled on me as a running partner. Or than my calves are growing to the size of my thighs, while my chest is diminishing. A trip to VS's might be in my future. How about that I still had to tell my 11-year-old to blow his nose this morning because there was a stream of clear snot running down his face? Does anyone besides me know how to change a roll of toilet paper? Hey, I'll take the dog for a walk for the 10,000th time. I'll also sweep up the mounds of dog hair she leaves behind on a daily basis. Grrrrr. I could go on and on, but I think I'll stop so that I can get some work done. As angry as I am, there is still that tiny part of me that believes I'll one day be the author people will be talking about.

My tiny bubble

Driving my husband to the airport yesterday, it was made clear to me what a tiny bubble I've been living in lately. He wanted to talk about the latest headlines, mostly tragedies, of course, and I had no idea what he was talking about. I spend half of my day making things up, while the other half is spent wrestling with the little monster that gets off the school bus at noon each day. Current events aren't on my agenda. If it doesn't have to do with our kids, his job, or my writing I tune it out. The world might explode tomorrow and I wouldn't know it until, well, I don't know quite how I'd know besides the obvious. Don't get me wrong, I like my little bubble. It's simple and spontaneous, yet predictable.