DiscussionStation.com has opened their writer's forum called Wordsmith's WhistleStop. It is a great forum where writers can discuss their various questions as well as share their writing journey. The platform even allows published writer's to post information on their works. If you are interested in posting unpublished works for feedback there is also an area for that. Already there has been many interesting chats. Come join us when you can!
And while we are talking about DiscussionStation .com , the Platform Cafe has opened a reading Group on The Hobbit. Hop on over and join in!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Friday, September 28, 2012
Discussion Staion Opens!
Well I can finally reveal the project I and several friends have been working on for a long time! A new discussion friendly web site for "Books, Films, TV shows and More"! It is called Discussion Station and can be found at Discussionstation.com ! We are opening in the discussion area with The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. You will also find other book talk, as well as news reports, the funny Quibbler magazine and much more. We are hoping to come the place to go to feed your need to talk about literature, films and TV shows. Please take a look and join in the fun! Have fun posting and make sure to leave comments here about your experience!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
E-Readers - The Other Side
As promised, I come today to discuss what I don't like about my e-reader - specifically my Kindle. Let's start with trying to find the book that you bought a month ago when you were in the throes of another book and didn't want to read the new book at that time. When you finally remember - somewhere back there in your mind that you bought the book - you can't remember the tittle. That makes you do the rounds of all the books on your home page and beyond. You hunt and hunt and have to bring up every book or if your savvy enough find the right button to bring up the book description. Finally you have found the right book! Then your not so sure that you want to read that book at the moment and you start again on your hunt for an appropriate book to fit your mood. Seems a whole lot easier to just run one's finger across books on a shelf, and in picking up a book, to read the blurb on the back of the cover to know what it is about.
Let's say you do finally find the book you wish to read. As I really get into the prose, I invariably want to physically turn the page! That is, I start to turn over the e-reader rather than punch the forward button! It seems to happen a lot to me and I am grateful that no one but me seems to notice! Then there is the quest for a name or fact that was seamlessly bypassed pages ago. You come across something on the page you are on and think, "Who is this character?" "Is this the city he was born in, or is this the city he is now in?" To find out the fact that you know you read somewhere back a few pages - the hunt begins. You flip the back-button several times - maybe a lot of times - and finally find the answer! Then you have to punch the forward-button again and find where you left off. It's quite the pain as compared to easily flipping back a page or two with your fingers maintaining your place where you were with your other hand.
And don't get me started about using a book on your e-reader for a book club discussion. Goodness! Trying to keep characters straight and find your favorite passage or a fact that you want to present to the group is torture! Same thing goes if you wish to do research from an e-book. All that punching of buttons to find what you want is ridiculous. One can't even get page numbers to track where things are in the book!
Then there is the inconvenience of sharing a book. You have discovered the best book ever and after you have read it, you want to make sure your friends read it. But it is on you Kindle! In the old fashion realm of hard copy books, one just popped the book into your purse and took it to the person to read. You lent it too them. Ha! Try doing that with a book on your e-reader! It's one thing to lend a book to someone and another to lend your entire library including the current book you are now reading to a friend! You can only gush about the book and have no way to share it, on a practical basis, with another person unless you physically give them your e-reader - Fat Chance!
Sigh! I really do enjoy my Kindle, but I certainly do have 'issues' with it that I haven't been able to resolve completely. Please feel free to share your 'issues' with e-readers. I'd love to hear from you!
Let's say you do finally find the book you wish to read. As I really get into the prose, I invariably want to physically turn the page! That is, I start to turn over the e-reader rather than punch the forward button! It seems to happen a lot to me and I am grateful that no one but me seems to notice! Then there is the quest for a name or fact that was seamlessly bypassed pages ago. You come across something on the page you are on and think, "Who is this character?" "Is this the city he was born in, or is this the city he is now in?" To find out the fact that you know you read somewhere back a few pages - the hunt begins. You flip the back-button several times - maybe a lot of times - and finally find the answer! Then you have to punch the forward-button again and find where you left off. It's quite the pain as compared to easily flipping back a page or two with your fingers maintaining your place where you were with your other hand.
And don't get me started about using a book on your e-reader for a book club discussion. Goodness! Trying to keep characters straight and find your favorite passage or a fact that you want to present to the group is torture! Same thing goes if you wish to do research from an e-book. All that punching of buttons to find what you want is ridiculous. One can't even get page numbers to track where things are in the book!
Then there is the inconvenience of sharing a book. You have discovered the best book ever and after you have read it, you want to make sure your friends read it. But it is on you Kindle! In the old fashion realm of hard copy books, one just popped the book into your purse and took it to the person to read. You lent it too them. Ha! Try doing that with a book on your e-reader! It's one thing to lend a book to someone and another to lend your entire library including the current book you are now reading to a friend! You can only gush about the book and have no way to share it, on a practical basis, with another person unless you physically give them your e-reader - Fat Chance!
Sigh! I really do enjoy my Kindle, but I certainly do have 'issues' with it that I haven't been able to resolve completely. Please feel free to share your 'issues' with e-readers. I'd love to hear from you!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Advantages of An E-Reader
When I retired not so long ago, my cohorts, as a retirement gift, set up a money tree (actually a rose bush which is now flourishing in my garden). My friends gave generously and there was just enough on the tree for me to buy a Kindle. It was the rage at the time so I thought it would be a practical gift to myself. It languished for awhile as I was fast friends with hard copy books. That is until I redid my floors ... Now what might you ask was the connection there? Well I have at least 10 bookcases in my house and everyone of them was heavy with books - chocked to the hilt with books, books, books! In order to put down the wood floors I had to be able to move those bookcases! So I sat about to box up all the books and eventually I parted with 16 very stuffed boxes of books! Please don't feel sorry for me as I still had plenty left over and I got my wood floors too!
I soon found a great use for Kindle books. It was easy to carry! I normally carry a large purse so stuffing it in there wasn't a problem. That way when I sat waiting at the doctor's office or when I was out to eat at a restaurant, I had a book handy all the time. It was certainly easier than hunting down the latest book I was reading and dragging it along every time I went out. And isn't it great that you never lose your place when you open up the e-reader! No more hunting about for a bookmark!
Another positive I found was that I could indulge in books that I wanted to read but knew I wouldn't want to keep the hard copy. So I didn't have the problem of what to do with all those hard copies. (Not that I still don't have a zillion books in this house!) Oh and all those deals of $.99 and zero dollar books were very tempting to get me to buy fun books that I normally wouldn't explore.
Stay tuned folks as in a future post I will also talk about the disadvantages I find with an e-reader!
Have you an e-reader? What advantages have you noticed? Can't wait to hear your comments!
I soon found a great use for Kindle books. It was easy to carry! I normally carry a large purse so stuffing it in there wasn't a problem. That way when I sat waiting at the doctor's office or when I was out to eat at a restaurant, I had a book handy all the time. It was certainly easier than hunting down the latest book I was reading and dragging it along every time I went out. And isn't it great that you never lose your place when you open up the e-reader! No more hunting about for a bookmark!
Another positive I found was that I could indulge in books that I wanted to read but knew I wouldn't want to keep the hard copy. So I didn't have the problem of what to do with all those hard copies. (Not that I still don't have a zillion books in this house!) Oh and all those deals of $.99 and zero dollar books were very tempting to get me to buy fun books that I normally wouldn't explore.
Stay tuned folks as in a future post I will also talk about the disadvantages I find with an e-reader!
Have you an e-reader? What advantages have you noticed? Can't wait to hear your comments!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
In My In-Box
When you declare yourself a writer and are nosing about the internet on writer's websites, you invariably end up with an onslaught of emails in your in-box from writer websites. Some of it is not so interesting but others come up with gems that help to get you over the humps. Here is one that I caught today. "Fear of failure/success equals procrastination." (Dave Trotlier) As I have been putting off doing another round of queries, I realize this is right up my alley. I thought about this and came to the conclusion that failure or success realy wasn't in the cards as this journey has an abundance of learning all along the way. And how can this not be a win-win journey if you are learning things? So it's off to polish the query and the synopsis and try again to send off my Peacock to another group of agents to see if they will have need of such a project.
In my in-box I also found a very funny video contained in a blog by Brian Klems to share with any of you that have ever thought about writing a book. Have fun viewing this hilarious video! Psst ... be sure to leave comments if you liked it!
In my in-box I also found a very funny video contained in a blog by Brian Klems to share with any of you that have ever thought about writing a book. Have fun viewing this hilarious video! Psst ... be sure to leave comments if you liked it!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Seven Things To Do On A HOT Summer Day
I don't know how it is where you live but OMG has it been hot here. So I figured I would check out some things to do on a hot summer's day. I polled several people I met today - like the waitress at Red Lobster and the guy at the gas station - but I also talked to some of my online friends. So here is what I found:
#7 Pack up the family and head for the mountains. In fact while you are there check out the Scottish Games and the Bagpipers. Ah .. nothing like piper music to cool you down.
#6 Grab the kids and run over to the nearest water park. Slip, slide and whoosh! Of course around here make sure you run for cover if there is any whisper of lightening - Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the world!
#5 Gather a bunch of retired friends and play games like Mexican Train Dominoes or card games - like Hand and Foot at the local air conditioned Senior Center. Always a great way to stay out of hot weather.
#4 If you have the opportunity - go out to your local river and rent a canoe - a relaxing way to spend a hot day. (Of course watch out for those nasty gators!)
#3 Ring your neighbor's bell and ask to play in their pool. Not only is this a great way to cool down, but an excellent way to find out who your neighbors are!
#2 Take an afternoon nap in your nice comfy chair, then when it is dark (not at dusk as the mosquitoes love that time!) sit out in the backyard and observe the stars. I adore doing this. The skies are ever changing and it feels sooo good.
So now for the Number 1 thing to do to cool down on a hot day -
#1 Pick up a friend and proceed to your nearest fast food place and order great big luscious Ice Cream Cones! There is nothing that cools you down better than licking an ice cream cone! (And nothing better than having a friend to share the experience!)
OK so now it is your turn! What do you do to cool down on a hot summer day?
#7 Pack up the family and head for the mountains. In fact while you are there check out the Scottish Games and the Bagpipers. Ah .. nothing like piper music to cool you down.
#6 Grab the kids and run over to the nearest water park. Slip, slide and whoosh! Of course around here make sure you run for cover if there is any whisper of lightening - Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the world!
#5 Gather a bunch of retired friends and play games like Mexican Train Dominoes or card games - like Hand and Foot at the local air conditioned Senior Center. Always a great way to stay out of hot weather.
#4 If you have the opportunity - go out to your local river and rent a canoe - a relaxing way to spend a hot day. (Of course watch out for those nasty gators!)
#3 Ring your neighbor's bell and ask to play in their pool. Not only is this a great way to cool down, but an excellent way to find out who your neighbors are!
#2 Take an afternoon nap in your nice comfy chair, then when it is dark (not at dusk as the mosquitoes love that time!) sit out in the backyard and observe the stars. I adore doing this. The skies are ever changing and it feels sooo good.
So now for the Number 1 thing to do to cool down on a hot day -
#1 Pick up a friend and proceed to your nearest fast food place and order great big luscious Ice Cream Cones! There is nothing that cools you down better than licking an ice cream cone! (And nothing better than having a friend to share the experience!)
OK so now it is your turn! What do you do to cool down on a hot summer day?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Waiting Game
Well I continue to wait and hope that some agent will think The Peacock's Tale is a viable piece that can be presented to editors for publication. The waiting is getting to me. In my head I know these poor agents receive hundreds of queries, I just can only hope my colorful peacock hits a chord with one of them.
In the meantime I am reading and reading and reading all sorts of things. I find that I do like getting new books on my Kindle and am even thinking about e-book publication which may be the route for me. But for now I am still hanging in there with more queries. I currently have 9 viable queries still out there. This weekend I may gather up some further possibilities and see about putting out some further queries. I really have nothing to lose at this point so why not?
In the meantime I am reading and reading and reading all sorts of things. I find that I do like getting new books on my Kindle and am even thinking about e-book publication which may be the route for me. But for now I am still hanging in there with more queries. I currently have 9 viable queries still out there. This weekend I may gather up some further possibilities and see about putting out some further queries. I really have nothing to lose at this point so why not?
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