The World of Audiobooks

I have discovered the world of audiobooks in the last two months. I was as an English teacher morally opposed to audiobooks. I saw them as a shortcut or really just another way to get out of putting in the hours to read a book or any book for that matter.

I was first exposed to audiobooks years and years ago. I don't remember the book, but the audio version was horrible. Very, very dry. But just recently our local library subscribed to Overdrive, which has thousands of titles available for downloading, and I have been trying them out. And I have to say that I have been amazed for the most part. I have only ran across one that was dry. (Warning: don't listen to an audiobook that has been read by the author who wrote it.)

I do find that there are more than a few pros and cons that I can list for listening to audiobooks. I am not sure that I would ever recommend them to a person that is reading a book for an assignment, but if reading purely for pleasure, why not try an audiobook.

Pros

1. Very fast. Cover a novel in the matter of a few hours. (I find this refreshing considering that I am a notoriously slow reader, and I find that listen to the audiobook and following along in the actually book, I am increasing my reading speed.)


2. Some are very well done. (I like hearing the voices of the characters.)


3. Exposure to more books. (I am able to cover more ground, and I have also exposed my self to some new genres.)


4. Enables me to multitask. (I can grade multiple choice tests and listen to a book at the same time. Yeah!)

Cons

1. Very easy to zone out, as well as lose a lot because you are not seeing the words and processing them.


2. Limited selection if you are trying to get them for free. (I am not buying an audiobook at the bookstore when I can buy the book, and I am not buying from iTunes either.)


3. You lose the ability to mark in the book. (a cherished thing -- I love writing in the margins, because that is when the book becomes mine. Read the essay How to Mark a Book by Mortimer J. Adher, Ph.D.)


4. Overdrive will only allow you to check out five in a two week span.

Basically, I think audiobooks have come a long way, and they are a great way to expose yourself to many books, but there is nothing like curling up with a good book. So, I guess you need to strike a balance between the two.

A Great Book for Young Adults

The first entry in what I hope will become a series of entries.

I spent the weekend curled up around a great book for young adults. I am currently on a mission to fill out my summer reading lists for Freshmen and Juniors, which led me to The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

What a great book!! I have to say that at first I was a little distracted by the idea of death being the narrator. Having death humanized made me a little uncomfortable. He was almost a charming sleazy gentleman.

Set in Nazi Germany during WWII, death becomes distracted by a small girl, Liesel Meminger, who he comes into contact with several times over her life. Each time he gives a look at what is becoming of the thieving girl's life.

The last 50 pages required at least 7 or eight tissues as I wept. I would love to include it on the summer reading list for my juniors as I feel that it might be a little over the heads of my incoming freshmen. I only hope that the length (554 pages) does not scare them off.

Coffee and a Critique

Like I said before, I was invited to join a critique group. I have to say that I did not know what to expect, and I was extremely nervous. But I was put at easy.

Some of my observations about the critique group:

• They moved really fast.
• They kept talking about point of view shift. (I am an English teacher, and I didn't think that I did it in my reading, but I need to research this term a little more).
• Everyone was very supportive.
• They were quicker with their editing pen than I was. (This was shocking, I grade papers everyday.)
• They were able to put me at ease quickly.
• I felt very motivated after the meeting.

So those were just a few, I cannot wait until next meeting.

Hot Debate

Stephenie Meyer vs. Stephen King

I have been consumed in the contraversary over Stephen King criticizing Stephenie Meyer for her Twilight series. And I have chimed in on several discussion boards that are hotly debate the comments.

This is my view:

• Comparing Stephenie Meyer and Stephen King is like comparing apples and oranges. Her intended audience is tweens and young adults, although it has proven to be very multi-generational. King writes for adults and a few have found their way to high school students. So consider the audience.

• Several bloggers have made the arguement that Stephenie Meyer's writing offers no literary merit, but I would argue King does not offer any merit. Consider why the wrote to entertain.

• Sour grapes! I believe Stephen King just may be a little jealous at the quick success of this young writer.

• I would also say that King displays little wisdom in criticizing Stephenie Meyer as a writer because he is also criticizing her readers. Those readers could become future King readers, but will probably shy away from it, if he is so openly critical of their favorite writer.

• Should we celebrate anyone who can get a person to pick up a book and read? They are driving the industry.

Walter Bargen

Walter Bargen, Missouri's first poet laureate, was the speaker at my first writing group meeting. I was afraid that I would not his talk terribly useful since I am not a poet or really aspire to be a poet, but I could not have been proven any more wrong.

I loved his presentation on writing. He started with some of the same advice that I have heard or read from other sources, such as your job as a writer is to get the words down as fast as you can, and if you want to be a writer, you need to be a reader. He even went as far to say that you should be consuming a book a week in the genre you are writing. (A little problematic--since I am not sure of a genre or where my current idea really fits).

Another piece of advice that I dearly loved was "write through what you know to what you don't - only to discover that you are capable of doing." He urged us to work on surprising ourselves with our writing. He stated that he does his best writing when he is surprising himself. "Write to lose control." I love that statement.

His last piece of advice: "Out of the silence comes first lines." Now of course, he was speaking of poems, but I think there is some truth to that for a novel. He also said that out of the silence comes and poem and it works its way back to silence. Isn't this what a lot of writers are talking about when they say that "the story had to be written" or "the characters demanded that their stories be told"?

Step One -- Check

Today, I joined a writers' group. Yes, I finally took the first step and taking this whole thing seriously. I joined the Saturday Writers. A great group of people from what I have gathered so far. I sat in between a freelance writer and a poet, who is willing to trying writing anything according to her name tag.

Another lady introduced herself at the end of the meeting. She is running a critique group that meets at the Barnes and Noble on Tuesdays. I am very excited about it all, and above everything else I am feeling highly motivated to get something down on paper to take to the critiquing group.

Finally, I feel the road under my feet, and it feels like solid ground.

First Lines

As I have stated before, I have been reading dozens of books and magazines on the business, gathering information to make this process all just a little bit simpler and less daunting. I have been analyzing past attempts and determine new courses of action.

Today, I read Snazzy First Lines: Seven Styles to Snag the Reader by Stefanie Freele in Writers' Journal (Jan./Feb. 2009). If you haven't read it, it really gives some sound advice on that all important first line. Important because as someone (not sure where I read this in the last three months) said you have one paragraph to capture a publisher. Some don't make it past the first lines.

I realized that part of the problem in the past has been those dreadful first lines. I have never been satisfied with them, and then have sent most of my time trying to find one, essentially giving up after time.

I have a tool now to solve this issue. So, now I feel that I have one less excuse for not finishing what I have tried so many times to start. Happy Writing.