Thank Goodness

Over the years I’ve heard it all. Aside from how a book should look aesthetically and the level of investment that should go into a book, there’s all the writing advice. Preps shouldn’t start sentences. Commas should go here. Unfriend adverbs. Don’t use ‘em. And this one, parens shouldn’t be used in novels. But guess what? In one of the most popular novels in history, LOLITA by Nabokov, there are parens throughout. And good golly Miss Molly, to the typo counter. Personally, when I hear a reader counting abuses and typos in a book, one of two things is happening. Either the story isn’t singing or the reader isn’t reading. And yes, this includes my books too.

As it would be, I come from the old-school, when the only thing that mattered was the content in the book. Roll back the tape and check out the yesteryear covers... such as Shakespeare’s rivulet of odes …and Austen’s winding tales…even Nabokov’s earlier versions of Lolita…and must I add one of the oldest tomes on the face of Earth; the Bible…the book listed as most read in history. 

The point. The literary industry has plenty of buyers and critics, and yet still STARVING FOR READERS. I’m talking people who open books but can’t close them. People who read word for word, page after page. People who scour libraries and bookseller’s collections looking for the book similar to the last one read. People who are never too busy to find time to read. And yes, people who are addicted to moving stories, going as far as to pray that writers write faster so that their stash never runs low.  

And so okay, I’m describing myself. Haha. I still remember the day I muttered that prayer, praying writers would write faster. A few years later got my wish, and man did I ever, except now I find myself wishing more focus and energy is put on storytelling. 

At any rate, THANK GOODNESS, in addition to writing and publishing two of my own books this year, I as well was able to find and read 11 books through the 2020 noise. With the kind of year it has been, the value of solid storytelling can't be overstated. I am so grateful to the authors. Their stories fed and fueled my soul with sustenance.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

#StillWriting #ILoveEntertainingStorytelling #JustBlogged