Book Review: Making a Scene: A Guide for Fiction Writers

I would like to apologize for posting this review so late.  This should have been done much sooner, like last night, but a migraine popped up with the force of a sledge hammer to the back of my skull.  I things don't seem very clear, it is because the migraine is lingering but on its way out.

Considering that I am no fan of non-fiction, I found myself enjoying books from Brent Spencer.  I have read several of his books about writing.  This one, Making a Scene: A Guide for Fiction Writers is just what someone who wonders if they are making a scene right or not.

This is a short, quick read, with plenty of examples from works by other authors, both contemporary and classic.  At only 34 pages in length, it is packed with information and advice for the novice writer.  He starts it off in the most simplistic of ways and builds from there.

Judging by the way he discusses the process of making a scene, keeps it simple.  The K.I.S.S method came to mind immediately and it definitely worked.  He starts with differentiating types of scene: exposition, summary, and a full scene.

Exposition, he describes as something very general and short.  Example: We were mad.  Then the summary.  Example: Because the car was totaled, we were mad.  Then, he shows a short but expressive scene.  Example: The front end of the car was pressed inward around the thick trunk of the tree the thief crashed into.  Steam was spewing out of the cracked radiator and the engine was dying one loud knock at a time.  Carl and I were furious that our brand new car was in such a sad state.  While Carl clenched and unclenched his fists, he eyed the unconscious thief as if he was a prize lamb and he was the wolf.  Myself?  I was angry, but someone needed to keep a level head or we'd both end up in jail.  (Yes, I know, not the best but it is a brief example)

I found this book to be both entertaining and informative which is what I like.  Many times I wished all my teachers in high school could have done the same.  Ah, well, we live and learn, and this book makes it easy to learn.

My only problem with the book is that it was too repetitious.  It stuck to that single concept and repeated it with different wording over and over.  Considering it is a single subject book, I understand why, but it didn't have to be a one note idea.

Overall, I give this one a 3.5 star but it is one that I will read again and again.  As I mentioned, it is repetitious but, it doesn't really explain how to make a scene.  It more shows and lets you figure it out from there.

Making a Scene can be found on Amazon for 99 centers.  It is worth buying.

Book Review: Horse Power

Today’s book isn’t really a novel but a short story which helps to understand what is going on in the main series of books.  In these few pages, I felt a strong story that needs to be seen in its fullest.  As soon as I am able, I’ll be buying the first in the trilogy.

Horse Power, by the lovely and talented Sue Ann Bowling, is about filling a need on a planet which is being exploited by the company backing the colony which resides there.  It sets the tone for the trilogy which she is currently working on.  While the setting isn’t given much description, you can almost feel yourself there in the fields and the rocky terrain surrounding the town this story takes place.

The pacing is fast, but not so quick as to send you flying through the pages.  I read this in a single afternoon while my youngest son was in therapy.  It grabs you and pulls deep within the pages to live among these hardy folk and find an answer to their growing problem.

Those who follow Sue Ann Bowling’s blog will be familiar with the characters of Roi, Timi and Amber.  But, just reading this short, I really get to know them better and see how their minds work.  The tension between the friends can be felt and the willingness for Roi to help the couple and their home planet in any way he can.

Of all the characters, I think I like Timi the most.  He didn’t have a lot to say or do, but he struck me as the kind of man you want on your side, giving a new way to see things and work out ways to solve problems.  While he is someone who didn’t want to be indebted to anyone, he could see a good deal when one came around.  If that same deal could help others, then it would be a win-win for all.

Amber, I liked, though the focus, to me, seemed to be on her more than the others.  But, she has the wisdom to see the aid her old friend would be more than just a few animals for the kids to have, but something to benefit everyone.  Besides, all kids need a pet of some kind.  Right?

As a whole, I loved the book.  It was a refreshing read that begs to be read over and over again.  Though I had bought it while it was free on Amazon, I found it to be well worth the normal price which is, currently, 99 cents.  She can get away with charging more for the quality and effort she put into this.

I give Horse Power a rating of four stars.  Why?  Because it feels like there should be more to the story.  I know the rest will be coming in the trilogy, but the wait is enough to make me pace.  The plot is strong with a strong world presence and equally appealing characters.

Pick it up and enjoy a taste of an alien world!

Book Review: Women Behaving Badly

Today’s book review comes at the request of the author Alana Munro after she read my review of Hanna Gray Gordon’s book, The Vu.  I must have done something right for her to request it knowing that I will be brutally honest about it.  To be fair, this is about as honest as I’ll get.  Don’t be scared of what I’ll say, but don’t be surprised by it, either.

Women Behaving Badly is a book that had me thinking hard after I was done reading it.  For non-fiction, it moved along at a good pace so I wasn’t bored out of my mind before the first five pages were done.  It is a book full of truth and insight that too many women don’t see in themselves or in those who they are friends with.

It also had me looking at myself in a new light.  I’m not as bad as some out there who manipulate others and try to take control of everything whether they are wanted or not.  Perhaps that is why I, like the author, was never really accepted into a group of women.  Or, if I was, never there for very long.

Book Blurb from Amazon:

Have you ever been hurt by a woman? Are you fed up with the constant bitching, gossiping and manipulation between the females in your life? Do you want happier and healthier relationships with females? Do you wish to weed out the toxic women and seek out only positive women?

If you have ever wondered why some women are complicated creatures this book will offer you straight talking answers. This book will highlight all the strange, controlling and spitefulbehaviours that some females specialisein. This book attempts to understand what actually drives women to be cruel or bitchy to each other. It attempts to make sense of the huge expectations women place on each other. How can we avoid toxic women? What bad behaviours should we be looking out for? This book explores every cruel behaviour possible and attempts to understand what is really going on between the females in our life. 

Alana goes into depth about the different types of bad women out there.  She covers everything from the forces-of-nature types who have to be number one in everything and the center of attention, to the one who do little but gripe about one thing or another whether it pertains to them or not.  (Something which I am guilty of)  She speaks of women who get all snobby and angry because (OMG) your life gets in the way of the special event that they spent so much time making perfect.

You know, I can be accused of many things, but being that kind of person?  No way, I’d be slapped silly by my mom and I‘m in my 40s, now.

She goes on to explain that the way the world views us as ‘the fairer sex’ and we are not allowed to seem too strong or be labeled as a, pardon the language, a bitch and not worth the attention or too weak and be considered less than what we are.  The world sees women in the light that we are not allowed to fight, we must keep the peace.  We are allowed to show emotion and boy do we show it.  With everything that we must do on top of being mom, sister, nurse, doctor, housewife, cook, maid, what have you, there’s no reason why we explode and behave like we do under stressful conditions.

All in all, I found the book worth purchasing.  There are many points in there that struck a bell and she points at herself as much as she does anyone else.  The stories she adds to emphasize her point at the end of each section set in stone what was just explained.

It isn’t a big book.  I read this on my smart phone using the Kindle app.  So, whatever 1991 is broken down to in a regular book would equal to something shy of a chapbook, roughly 117 pages.

Will I read this book again?  Maybe.  It will be a good reference to get an idea of how a forceful personality shows, or how a motherly type works when a jealous type are talking.  But, I’ll be loaning this book to my sister-in-law who really should be taking notes on how to behave from this book.

For my star rating, I’m going to be honest here, non-fiction is not my favorite kind of reading and it always (including this book) requires the effort to open the book and continue reading after interruptions.  That being said, I give it a 3.5 on the star scale.  It’s good, but the overall tone made it difficult for me to not just yell at the phone while I was reading.  Still, I like it and will recommend it to others who also find themselves on the outer fringes of a group and don’t know why.

P.S.

Now, because of this book, I am stating this now; I am sorry if my behavior was bad, or if I said something that wasn’t considered good or even right.  I have always been told to speak up and try to be as honest as I can.

Which brings to mind the trip to Wichita last year… the behavior I showed in the car going there, constantly bringing up the story idea, that was very bad and not like me at all.  I was both nervous and excited about being included (which rarely happens) and it showed in the worst possible way.  Feel free to give me a brain-duster if it ever happens again.  That is, if I’m ever included again.

My thanks to Alana Munro for creating this book.  Someone needed to do it and I hope to see other works from her soon.