We're starting off the new year with The Insecure Writer's Support Group. You can learn more about this group on their website, Facebook, and Twitter. Our co-hosts this month are Patricia Lynne, Lisa Blue-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue.
Our question this month is about questions: What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?
I don't get a lot of questions about my writing, but I always enjoy it when someone genuinely wants to know what I'm working on and is interested in the plot or character. On the other hand, it's annoying when someone asks me if I'm published in the sense of being traditionally published or having my books on display at Barnes and Noble. It can be complicated to explain why I chose (and continue to choose) to publish my novels myself.
I normally summarize the previous year's reading in my first post of the year. I managed to achieve my goal of 150 books. (Goodreads says I read 151, though I must have missed one in my genre count.) Here's the breakdown by genre:
Fantasy: 72
Science Fiction: 21
Other Fiction: 15
Non-Fiction: 42 (includes six books on writing, but doesn't include my Audible lecture series on writing great fiction)
According to Goodreads, I read over 41,000 pages. The shortest work was "The Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway at four pages; the longest was 1,182 pages for The Tale of Genji. (The average length was a more manageable 272 pages.) Some of the books I'd recommend include A Clash of Eagles, Eagle in Exile, and Witchmark.
Have any questions of your own or thoughts on your reading of 2018? Feel free to share them in the comments.
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ReplyDeleteEven traditionally published authors don't always see their books in Barnes and Noble. I guess some readers don't see the changes of the past ten years to know that's not the standard anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought I read a lot. Way to go. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
You are a speed reader. I wish I could count submissions.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I wonder how much longer B&N will remain open.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna!
I count anything that has its own Goodreads entry, Diane.
Wow—that's an impressive number of books to have read! Way to go. I couldn't even get 50 books read last year.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that you read 150 books last year. That's a lot of reading. When I feel like my creative well is dry, reading fills it up. But it does take away time when I should be writing. I read at night when I'm too tired to write. Wishing you much progress in 2019.
ReplyDeleteM.J., it helps that I don't watch much TV.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I try to read whenever I can find the time.