It's something I absolutely enjoy doing when I get up in the morning. I check the Amazon free lists of great books for the wonderful price that can't be beat: $0.00.
With the advent of self-publishing, your cat can become an author in probably ten minutes. People all over the world have probably kicked the idea of writing a novel in their heads at one time or another.
Well some of those people just scratched that off their "bucket" list because sites like Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com are turning your next door neighbors into authors.
Now people from all walks of life can share their life experiences and stories with the rest of the world. The problem for some is that the stories that are being shared are not the most "polished" and grammatically correct as they need to be.
Sure there are lots of Grammar Police out there in the world on patrol, noting every missed comma or misspelled word. But there are some books on Amazon that can make you think that English (or whatever language) is not their native tongue because of all the grammar problems.
There was one book that I read about Lupus that had such a long run on sentence that lasted all the way to the second page before a period was placed.
Some of the novels are just plain unreadable and it's a sad state that displays a lack of education around the world.
But what happens when that book is free?
Some books have typos here and there but you are able to get the general point of the story.
I have a problem with downright mean, insulting, and downright personal attacks on authors when they are giving their work away for free. It doesn't matter if a two year old can do better, it was FREE.
Constructive criticism can go a long way but insulting someone's intelligence doesn't. It just makes a hostile world more hostile.
But then again, no one twisted your arm to buy it. You picked it up because it was FREE!!! It's like purchasing a fake Coach handbag for one dollar. It looks just like the real thing and feels like the real thing but then five minutes later when the strap breaks, you're ready to ring someone's neck.
There is absolutely no logic in that. What did you really expect? You had your own set of expectations of this purse that LOOKED like a Coach purse so it should BEHAVE like a Coach purse, even when you didn't pay Coach money. You put very high expectations on something that didn't have much value in the first place and have the gall to be disappointed in how your fake Coach purse performed.
Yes, continue looking through the Freebies on Amazon because there are lots of gems out there that have authors with tremendous talent.
But if you happen to download something which your dog could have written better prose, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Showing posts with label grammar rules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grammar rules. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
AND THE AUTHOR RESPONDS.....URBAN FICTION CONT.
Browsing through Urban Fiction, I decided to download three books. Of the three, two were unreadable because they were so bad. The grammar and English were that of an eight year old and even I've seen plenty of them do better.
I enjoy many genres and with some of the great covers and interesting storylines, (not to mention many of them are priced at .99, I decided to give this genre a chance since I don't read many authors that write there.
It made me so angry, mostly at the educational system. I don't know these writers at all. But we come from such great writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, is THIS acceptable?
My father was illiterate but he didn't have the oopportunity that we did, growing up as a sharecropper in the early 1930's. Why is illiteracy acceptable today in 2012? Why do we turn a blind eye to authors that write books devoid of English and peddle it on Amazon for profit? Why is this acceptable?
I left my review here....
ME:
I tried to enjoy this book but had to delete it after reading it. I could not understand much of what was going on because of bad English, run on sentences, and no concept of elementary grammar. It was that bad. The author can paint a picture and tell a story well if they just understood the rules of grammar. Too bad, because the story had great potential.
I tried to enjoy this book but had to delete it after reading it. I could not understand much of what was going on because of bad English, run on sentences, and no concept of elementary grammar. It was that bad. The author can paint a picture and tell a story well if they just understood the rules of grammar. Too bad, because the story had great potential.
This is where she responded and it got ugly.
First she responded to a review I made on someone else who agreed with me.
no you need to get some glasses or maybe stay out of urban fiction all
together its sad how people are so judgmental when they haven't got a
clue . I do think editing is a must with anyone's novels but to be so
sadistic and leave a nasty review for anyone it just shows where your
mind is . I have seen all your reviews and you seem to be a bitter
person maybe you should stop reading all together. ---AUTHOR NAME DELETED
Then she responded to my review below in the comments section.....
Initial post:
Dec 9, 2012 10:35:33 PM PST
AUTHOR NAME DELETED
says:
of course you have an opinion like money so you are able to use the
both but as for your comment I find them to be down right stupid and
very untrue. you need to maybe try getting a class in reading 101 sad
and down right horrible
SONYA says:
Instead of taking the constructive criticism ( I take you to be the
author, no?) and making the book better, you decide to resort to name
calling. I can hardly understand your reply because it's NOT in English.
If you're going to be serious about your craft, you need to perfect
your English. It's like someone who wants to be a Doctor but they have
the slightest clue of Anatomy. It just can't be done.
Even your author's bio is riddled with errors! That should have NO errors PERIOD! It tells the audience to expect the same in your books. Readers are persnickety when it comes to grammar and English. You, as a writer, should know that.
Learn to be humble and listen to the criticism of potential fans if you would like to go far in this business. Otherwise, you're wasting your time. Read other great African-American writers in different genres and learn from them. Study English and pick up "The Elements of Style" by William Stunk and see how to really craft a story.
This is not an insult, but your material is unreadable. I'm sorry. Reading and studying is the only way to get better as a writer.
And I find it downright insulting for you to tell me to get a reading class when you can benefit from a writing class. No matter how mad a reviewer makes you, never attack your audience. I learned the hard way that this looks very bad on the author. It's upsetting to get a bad review, but even Stephen King will tell you (as he's said in a few interviews) you get mad, you scream, don't respond, and keep writing.
Keep writing dear. It will get better.
Peace
PS. I can help you edit your Author's Bio to get rid of the errors so that will be cleaned up. I'm from the "Chi" as well.
Even your author's bio is riddled with errors! That should have NO errors PERIOD! It tells the audience to expect the same in your books. Readers are persnickety when it comes to grammar and English. You, as a writer, should know that.
Learn to be humble and listen to the criticism of potential fans if you would like to go far in this business. Otherwise, you're wasting your time. Read other great African-American writers in different genres and learn from them. Study English and pick up "The Elements of Style" by William Stunk and see how to really craft a story.
This is not an insult, but your material is unreadable. I'm sorry. Reading and studying is the only way to get better as a writer.
And I find it downright insulting for you to tell me to get a reading class when you can benefit from a writing class. No matter how mad a reviewer makes you, never attack your audience. I learned the hard way that this looks very bad on the author. It's upsetting to get a bad review, but even Stephen King will tell you (as he's said in a few interviews) you get mad, you scream, don't respond, and keep writing.
Keep writing dear. It will get better.
Peace
PS. I can help you edit your Author's Bio to get rid of the errors so that will be cleaned up. I'm from the "Chi" as well.
Hopefully our discourse will end here. Hopefully she will do some reading of her own and get better as a writer. I'm not on a mission to help everyone learn English, but it's disappointing.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Getting Stuck
Ugh....
Writer's block sucks. You have this great outline that details your story from beginning to end and then Bam! You're stuck. What do you do?
With me, it's more self doubt.
My thing? Continue to write the story. Stopping is Death. Write until the end and then do the rewrite. Find the flaws and pull them apart. Don't stop writing. Don't stop giving up.
Writer's block sucks. You have this great outline that details your story from beginning to end and then Bam! You're stuck. What do you do?
With me, it's more self doubt.
This plot isn't plausible. I'm going to lose all credibility with this scene. No one is going to believe this. It's just too out there. My reader is going to throw their Kindle against the wall and then send me the bill for it.
My thing? Continue to write the story. Stopping is Death. Write until the end and then do the rewrite. Find the flaws and pull them apart. Don't stop writing. Don't stop giving up.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Sex Therapy For Free Today!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Writing While In Pain
I love writing. I'm so stressed out with everything, especially my health, that I feel like I have nowhere else to turn. Writing is it.
But I've lost focus over these past few weeks. Dealing with my disability, home life, and worried about my future has started to take its toll.
I can't help but watch television, even commercials, and see beautiful, laughing carefree adults just living their lives. Sometimes, I want so bad to be apart of that.
Just a week ago, laughing was something that I couldn't do. Singing was out of the question. Holding a conversation with someone was difficult because of severe lung obstruction disease.
If you're reading this, don't ever take your health for granted. If you smoke, stop. If you eat unhealthy, stop. If you use drugs, stop. It's not worth it in the end. Don't be one of those idiots that say, "You gotta die from something, right?" You don't have to die on a ventilator. You don't have to die from overdose. You don't have to die from a heart attack.
I had the most scary experience in my life May 14, 2012. I was NO longer in control of my body. I no longer had the say so of whether I lived or died. If you continue to do some of the things you do, taking your health for granted then you need to start writing a will now. Start telling your loved ones how you really feel. Because you won't be around much longer if you abuse your health and take it for granted.
Writing is one of the few things that I can do without getting short of breath nowadays and I never smoked a cigarette or did an illegal drug in my life. I don't eat fried foods and eat plenty of vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. I don't have the healthiest diet, but it's not the worst.
Tread carefully.
But I've lost focus over these past few weeks. Dealing with my disability, home life, and worried about my future has started to take its toll.
I can't help but watch television, even commercials, and see beautiful, laughing carefree adults just living their lives. Sometimes, I want so bad to be apart of that.
Just a week ago, laughing was something that I couldn't do. Singing was out of the question. Holding a conversation with someone was difficult because of severe lung obstruction disease.
If you're reading this, don't ever take your health for granted. If you smoke, stop. If you eat unhealthy, stop. If you use drugs, stop. It's not worth it in the end. Don't be one of those idiots that say, "You gotta die from something, right?" You don't have to die on a ventilator. You don't have to die from overdose. You don't have to die from a heart attack.
I had the most scary experience in my life May 14, 2012. I was NO longer in control of my body. I no longer had the say so of whether I lived or died. If you continue to do some of the things you do, taking your health for granted then you need to start writing a will now. Start telling your loved ones how you really feel. Because you won't be around much longer if you abuse your health and take it for granted.
Writing is one of the few things that I can do without getting short of breath nowadays and I never smoked a cigarette or did an illegal drug in my life. I don't eat fried foods and eat plenty of vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. I don't have the healthiest diet, but it's not the worst.
Tread carefully.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Seriously Flawed
Ho hum Ho hum.
Reviewers that don't read your book?
Here they come.
Leaving mass destruction behind,
With a star or two.
You're a babbling idiot behind a keyboard, she said.
If they only knew.
You've worked hard on your book,
You've believed in it from the start.
Secured by their anonymity,
Like a dagger through your heart.
Other reviews come in,
Lavishing praises here and there.
But you'll never forget those harsh words,
There will be more, so beware.
Recently I read another forum post where all of these people, most who have never written or published anything, were taking many writers to task over simple mistakes. We all make them. Even books published by major publishing houses have major grammatical and spelling errors.
If there are one or two errors, MOST people move on, possibly even forgetting that they existed.
But TOO MANY errors become distracting. If your reader is so busy correcting your grammar, then they aren't getting lost into your story. You want your readers lost in your story. You want your reader to look up at the clock, amazed at the amount of time that has gone by while reading your words.
It is the ultimate compliment.
I read a book once about a young woman that was dealing with Lupus. Since I have lupus, I was very interested in hearing her story.
The problem? The first sentence lasted for an entire page without one punctuation mark. I desperately tried to get into the book, but I liken it to listening to someone's thoughts. Here is an example: (NOTE: These are not the actual words of the book)
Lupus is an autoimmune disease okay like your cells going haywire and instead of attacking diseases and bacteria that's not supposed to be there it attacks your organs like your kidneys, liver, brain, and other things and it does not discriminate because my friend has lupus and it attacked her heart when it attacked my lungs.....
I hope you get the picture. That was probably the worst I've seen so far. I try to give each writer the benefit of the doubt and ignore spelling and bad punctuation. Hell, I even cringe at a misplaced comma in my own work. Thankfully, you can edit the changes, and upload a corrected copy to Amazon. I took full advantage of that. So no one is perfect.
But if the reader can barely make out what you're trying to say, it's time to take it back to the drawing board and rewrite my friends.
But after reading the forum posts, I have concluded that SOME people LOOK for errors your book. I just made an error. Did you catch it? I didn't...not while I was typing it. I caught it on the third read and I'm going to leave it there as a great example. They are not interested at all in your story but will sit there and count the mistakes you make. Bored people? Maybe. Unemployed editors shaking their fists at society by taking it out on a few amatuer writers? That would be kind of funny but not really. Or are they consumers who feel like they are spending their money and time, wanting nothing more than a quality product? I could see that too.
But God help you if you misuse a comma or a homonym.
Okay...I have to agree with the homonym thing. Your and You're or there and their. Mixed up homonyms are my pet peeve. They seriously are. Many writers aren't the best grammaticians. Hell if we were, then we'd be editors...not writers. But using the wrong homonym? Not acceptable.
My advice? Read your book over and over again until you damn near have the words memorized. Join a writer's group and have them read it. It is very helpful to get feedback from different people. It will help you in the long run. Then read your damn copy again and again. There are things that I missed when I read my current book, Sex Therapy, when I began editing it the first time.
We will talk about formatting in another post.
Tea Of The Day: Ginger Peach, Tangy Tangerine
Reviewers that don't read your book?
Here they come.
Leaving mass destruction behind,
With a star or two.
You're a babbling idiot behind a keyboard, she said.
If they only knew.
You've worked hard on your book,
You've believed in it from the start.
Secured by their anonymity,
Like a dagger through your heart.
Other reviews come in,
Lavishing praises here and there.
But you'll never forget those harsh words,
There will be more, so beware.
Recently I read another forum post where all of these people, most who have never written or published anything, were taking many writers to task over simple mistakes. We all make them. Even books published by major publishing houses have major grammatical and spelling errors.
If there are one or two errors, MOST people move on, possibly even forgetting that they existed.
But TOO MANY errors become distracting. If your reader is so busy correcting your grammar, then they aren't getting lost into your story. You want your readers lost in your story. You want your reader to look up at the clock, amazed at the amount of time that has gone by while reading your words.
It is the ultimate compliment.
I read a book once about a young woman that was dealing with Lupus. Since I have lupus, I was very interested in hearing her story.
The problem? The first sentence lasted for an entire page without one punctuation mark. I desperately tried to get into the book, but I liken it to listening to someone's thoughts. Here is an example: (NOTE: These are not the actual words of the book)
Lupus is an autoimmune disease okay like your cells going haywire and instead of attacking diseases and bacteria that's not supposed to be there it attacks your organs like your kidneys, liver, brain, and other things and it does not discriminate because my friend has lupus and it attacked her heart when it attacked my lungs.....
I hope you get the picture. That was probably the worst I've seen so far. I try to give each writer the benefit of the doubt and ignore spelling and bad punctuation. Hell, I even cringe at a misplaced comma in my own work. Thankfully, you can edit the changes, and upload a corrected copy to Amazon. I took full advantage of that. So no one is perfect.
But if the reader can barely make out what you're trying to say, it's time to take it back to the drawing board and rewrite my friends.
But after reading the forum posts, I have concluded that SOME people LOOK for errors your book. I just made an error. Did you catch it? I didn't...not while I was typing it. I caught it on the third read and I'm going to leave it there as a great example. They are not interested at all in your story but will sit there and count the mistakes you make. Bored people? Maybe. Unemployed editors shaking their fists at society by taking it out on a few amatuer writers? That would be kind of funny but not really. Or are they consumers who feel like they are spending their money and time, wanting nothing more than a quality product? I could see that too.
But God help you if you misuse a comma or a homonym.
Okay...I have to agree with the homonym thing. Your and You're or there and their. Mixed up homonyms are my pet peeve. They seriously are. Many writers aren't the best grammaticians. Hell if we were, then we'd be editors...not writers. But using the wrong homonym? Not acceptable.
My advice? Read your book over and over again until you damn near have the words memorized. Join a writer's group and have them read it. It is very helpful to get feedback from different people. It will help you in the long run. Then read your damn copy again and again. There are things that I missed when I read my current book, Sex Therapy, when I began editing it the first time.
We will talk about formatting in another post.
Tea Of The Day: Ginger Peach, Tangy Tangerine
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