Dwayne’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Dwayne’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

Thanks for all your replies.

So, my hot take.

Some years ago when the Internet was fairly new and I was younger and I was a bit more snobbish about my love for the English language and what not, I was always quick to point out people's spelling and grammatical errors. I've come down from my high horse since, realizing I was being a snob and an elitist jerk.

It does still bother me to see people making mistakes they should have mastered years ago, especially native speakers of the English language (ie a coworker earlier today sending out a text that said, "your welcome"), but I keep it to myself.

I have one exception. Social media. I do revert back to my snobbery if someone makes a mistake, especially if it looks like a typo, someone else comments, attempting to correct them and being an ass about it, and the person doing the correcting makes mistakes, too.

I've been reading your responses. I'll get back into the conversation in a couple of days. I just wanted to see some responses, first.

I am commenting now because some of you are talking about the professional arena. Don't even get me started on the headaches there. Some of you might know, outside of this writer gig I also work as a human services supervisor for a company that houses dependent adults. There is tons of documentation and tons of texting and emails and so on. It's painful to try to read some of the documentation. Some of our employees are not native to the US and speak English as a second or third language. I can forgive their mistakes a bit easier as, hell, I barely speak any other languages myself. But, the ones who grew up speaking and writing English since childhood? Yeah, it's painful.

JAKe wrote: "Dwayne, Review the Grammer and spelling in what you wrote, or was it to make your point?"

It was meant to be funny. This is the fun folder. I am seriously curious what people have to say about it, but I'm trying to have some fun, too.

Ha ha?

Hay, guys?

I was just curious about something . 1st, I have to confes I spend a lot of time on facebook. to much, in fact. I seen a lot of people making spelling and grammer mistakes and than when someone corrects it, the some one always gets chastised by they're peers for beingthe "grammar police" or some similar term. Depending on my mood, the poster, how much time I have to wound, my mood, ect. i sometimes put on my grammar police badge and sometimes I don't.

Wondering how many? Because maybe are writers worst grammer police or are we most of us above that kind of think.

Hello.

I will never, ever be able to get all my plot bunnies worked into full blown rabbits. And I'm okay with that. Some ideas just aren't good enough to be fully realized.

At the time this was posted, my current work in progress was kind of an abandoned project I'd started years ago and couldn't make it work. I dusted it off and started over from scratch a couple of years ago. I think it's going well.

Meanwhile, when I feel like writing and have only a short time, I have about six other things I'm dinking with. Not all of them will be complete, I'm sure. There is one I'm liking, though... kind of a thriller about a pastor who becomes obsessed with a young woman.

Sotto wrote: "I am just wondering..."

I know it would be simple for me to prove a manuscript is my own work. I have been working on my current work in progress for nearly two and a half years and still have my early drafts. Has the book changed at all in the two and a half years? Dramatically, but there's enough evidence that it's the same book. I doubt anyone would question it, especially since the hypothetical thief could not produce any old documents.

Also, there's so much stuff in my work that I can tell you stories about why its there. Why I chose this particular phrase, where I came up with that character's name, what inspired this little scene. 'Though fictional and dealing with many fictional places, I can pinpoint exactly where each location in my novel is, were the locations real. I can explain many subtle intricate things in the novel that the alleged thief probably would not notice in a casual reading of the book.

The hard truth, Sotto, is that anyone who wanted to steal a manuscript and try to pass it off as their own isn't likely going to target a virtually unknown Indy author anyway. It could happen, sure, but the chances of it are slim enough it's really not worth the worry.

Christine wrote: "Can ADMIN report this and BLOCK this scammer?"

You would have to contact someone at Goodreads for that. I can't do it. I am sure they have tried many times. The message is very familiar. I've seen it countless times.

Christine wrote: "FROM a KRISTI SULLIVAN on GOODREADS. SCAMMER? ANYONE KNOW?
"Ask the Author Answer"
If you are still offering copies, I would like to review your book. I can accept a copy by email: booksyumm AT g..."

Yes. Don't reply to it.

It seems like we usually get a little slow here in January.

Phillip wrote: "I went camping with Boy Scouts. I woke up to 10 degree F weather, with frozen toothpaste. I did have cell reception, but few thoughts beyond staying warm."

I did that once when I was in Scouts. It was unseasonably warm the day we set up camp, then dropped to an ungodly low over night and we woke up to ice on everything.

Rock wrote: "I have a daughter, SIL and three grands in Dubuque. Can't believe sometimes when I check the weather there. WOW THAT'S COLD! is our typical reaction."

I'm in Cedar Rapids, so maybe an hour from Dubuque. I love Dubuque!

Stay warm! Stay safe! Here in Iowa, we haven't been dumped on too hard yet this winter, but it's so frickin' cold some days! Today looks to be nice, for January. Highs in the upper twenties and sunny.

Too quiet.

It's been a week since anyone posted anything here.

Are you guys okay? Do I need to send help?

Maybe everyone is just too busy writing. Or, more likely, you're all out spending the thousands of dollars rolling in daily from your novels.

Yep. That's gotta be it.

Jai wrote: "It’s not a matter of genre, because there are fans of all. And they don’t get to the page of they don’t like yours."

Yes. There are fans of all genres. However, not all fans are the same. Humor and general fiction, the two genres I enjoy writing the most, have the hardest fans to gain attention from. Humor fans generally want books by people who are already famous and general fiction fans tend to stick with writers they already know or ones recommended by critics or friends.

If I have something out side by side on Amazon with Scott Adams latest Dilbert treasury, 99 times out of 100, humor fans are going to grab Dilbert.

Perhaps in other genres, all books are seen as equal until the writing is sampled, but certainly not these genres.

A side note to Jai: I'm changing the spelling of your name, too. And I don't have any communication with the "site managers".

B.A. wrote: "...think 50 Shades of Gray"

Hey. I messed up in my message above. I meant to allude to Fifty Shades but could not recall the author and did a Google search. It came up with Cynthia Weil. After reading your comment, I thought, "Y'know, Cynthia Weil doesn't sound right." So, I checked again. Apparently she wrote a song called Shades of Gray.

Apologies to Ms. Weil. I'm sure your song is nice. I've never heard it. I made the correction a moment ago.

But, yes, B.A., there is a lot more that goes into a book than learning how the pros write. That is important, of course, but it's not the only cog in the machine.

One of the greatest novels I ever read was The World According to Garp by John Irving. In it, Garp becomes a writer. He is a great writer and only modestly successful. His mother who never spent a minute learning how to write also writes a book and it becomes a best seller. It becomes so popular, it starts a cult.

The thing is, Jenny Fields, the mother, was fortunate enough to write a book that struck a nerve in a number of people, enough to make her world famous, enough to eventually get her assassinated. (Oops. Spoiler.)

I have always believed there is a great deal of truth in this. I've spent a great number of years studying the art of writing. Despite what you so condescendingly suggest, Jay, I do know how to write. I have studied "the pros". Just knowing how to write is not going to guarantee any of us success. It's a great help, yes, but it's not a guarantee.

Many believe the novels of E. L. James are poorly written. Yet, she's had some sales here and there. I recently read the novel MASH. I found the writing to be sophomoric and bland. Yet, the book inspired a major motion picture and a very popular TV series.

Jay wrote: "Only one that I know of: readers weren't hooked by the writing."

The book's cover isn't interesting enough.
The book is buried behind the millions of other books out there.
The author is pretty much unknown.
The blurb isn't interesting enough.
The price is too high.
The reader isn't interested in the genre.
There is too much violence.
There is not enough violence.
There is too much swearing.
There is too much sex.
A dog gets run over in the first sentence.
The book is too long.
The book is too short.
The main character has the same first name as the reader's ex-wife.

"Beta readers can't tell you what was wrong, only it didn't draw them in, plus what a non-writer thinks was the reason for that."

Seems doubtful. Yes, I could see some readers saying, "I dunno. I just don't like it." But most people, whether they are writers or not, can tell you why they didn't like something.

Jay wrote: "Did that novel sell well?"

There are a number of reasons a novel might not sell well. Even a perfectly written novel, assuming such an animal will ever exist, might not sell well. So, if a novel isn't selling, it's not likely because a beta reader missed a point-of-view error.

Gail wrote: "Haha, Dwayne. Like Mr. Ed...loved that show:) I have the same as you, my canine is a main character with quite a personality and includes the owner's dialogue with him (although not reversed)."

No, no, no! We're writers! We talk about books, not TV! ANIMAL FARM!!!

No, I'm just messing with you. I like Mr. Ed, too.

Caroline wrote: "My next novel will be based on the racetrack, and I want to express the animals' emotions and thoughts; just as though they are another character in the book.

I will be introducing the narrative as the animal's reaction; however, in relations to the actual thoughts how best do I show this? Should I italicize this, separate this by ellipse or simply treat it as any other statement?"

The original post is being removed due to the link. But, it is a good question.

In the end, it is up to you how to express the animals' emotions and thoughts. Italics can work.

There is a horse in my current work in progress and he does play a key roll later in the book. Several actually. I do not "get into his head" by showing his thoughts, but I do show his physical reaction to what is going on around him and have his owner interpret his reactions.

If your book is fantasy at all, even borderline, you could even have the horses speaking to one another.