tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post4808394160341911524..comments2024-03-05T11:26:21.204-06:00Comments on All the World's Our Page: End It With A Bang!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-69719387925987058742009-11-17T04:40:20.666-06:002009-11-17T04:40:20.666-06:00Jen, great topic, and excellent examples of how to...Jen, great topic, and excellent examples of how to keep the reader turning those pages. I am thoroughly sick of the emphasis placed on first lines, too. Sure, they serve a very important purpose, but no more important than any other facet of a well written book. IMO. (g)<br /><br />And the one book I could not put down, read from cover to cover in one sitting, was Silence of the Lambs. I read it before the movie was made, was scared out of my pants the whole way through but COULD NOT put it down. I finished it at about 3am, then lay in bed, heart pounding, until the sun came up! LOL. So scary, but so good.Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-61623814599284120802009-11-15T18:39:05.924-06:002009-11-15T18:39:05.924-06:00Deniz,
Nope, I haven't. Pretty awful, huh? I...Deniz,<br /><br />Nope, I haven't. Pretty awful, huh? I'll probably avoid it. (g)<br /><br />JenJennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-45870727802421335062009-11-15T09:52:56.273-06:002009-11-15T09:52:56.273-06:00Hey Jen,
It's probably one of those right-time...Hey Jen,<br />It's probably one of those right-time-right-place things. I read LoTR for the first time so long ago that it's a fixture in my reading life. I have no idea what it would be like to read for the first time at this age, especially after the movies.<br />"But then again, no matter what the book, I always take something away. Even if it's just knowing I do NOT want to write like THAT. (g)" Sooo true!<br /><br />Oh, speaking of bad books, has anyone else read Shane? We had to read it for school in Grade 8, as far as I remember, and I *hated* it. WTF? was my first reaction. A few years ago I made myself reread it just to see if there was something I'd been missing... Nope, it still SUCKED!Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-66261295284661497002009-11-14T13:26:54.976-06:002009-11-14T13:26:54.976-06:00Helen -- Cool! Thanks for responding about RV. I ...Helen -- Cool! Thanks for responding about RV. I never like to give up on an author after just the first book, but yeah, it's been tough going back to that series for some reason. I'll be sure to read the next book. :)<br /><br />JenJennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-35252078297234096522009-11-14T13:25:44.896-06:002009-11-14T13:25:44.896-06:00Stephanie,
It is pretty crazy how first sentence ...Stephanie,<br /><br />It is pretty crazy how first sentence crazed everyone is, isn't it? Granted, everything needs to "hook" the reader, but man, how many times have you read something where the start doesn't quite live up to the rest? LOL. I always feel suckered. And I wonder WHAT happened?! So yeah, concentrating on the end is probably even more important. We may slack once we get that perfect opening... can't let that happen. :)<br /><br />JenJennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-28228458715878192282009-11-12T19:11:14.302-06:002009-11-12T19:11:14.302-06:00Hi Jen,
Agreed - I used to always finish books, b...Hi Jen,<br /><br />Agreed - I used to always finish books, but life is too short and my TBR mountain range is too big to waste time on bad books! *g*<br /><br />Yes, the first in Rachel Vincent's series is STRAY. I enjoyed it, but it didn't grab me like PREY. I think she gets better with every book.Helen R-Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-17641560358674458832009-11-12T13:29:39.273-06:002009-11-12T13:29:39.273-06:00Jen,
Okay, hate to admit this, but I am sick to ...Jen, <br /><br />Okay, hate to admit this, but I am sick to death of the obsession over the beginning of a story. YES, YES of course I understand that agents have limited time and that if you don't grab them right away it's over, and I've even sat through Surrey Idol a couple of times, but still. <br /><br />I picked up a book the other day and the first sentence was so contrived that as I read it I couldn't help but wonder if the author was trying to win some outlandish first sentence contest. <br /><br />So I'm thrilled that you talked about the END of a chapter. You've got some great examples!Lottery Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11171564761912007601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-61127336668243743182009-11-12T08:55:30.452-06:002009-11-12T08:55:30.452-06:00Jen -- so, so true! To me, it is ALWAYS what comes...Jen -- so, so true! To me, it is ALWAYS what comes next that drives me to keep reading. And that fact can easily be overlooked. <br /><br />Thank you for reminding us all. AWESOME post!<br /><br />As for books that kept me up at night: totally the Harry Potter books (hey, you couldn't risk some loud mouth spoiling the ending for you!), and the last book that did that for me was Shana Abe's The Dream Thief.Kristen Callihanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01448274676402616525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-9123408101244481742009-11-12T07:15:14.191-06:002009-11-12T07:15:14.191-06:00Thanks, Deniz! :) And yes on all of those books. ...Thanks, Deniz! :) And yes on all of those books. Though I must admit, *cough* *glances around for a nearby rock to hide behind* I found that I didn't enjoy the LOTR books quite as much as an adult. I recently listened to the first two, tried the third and just couldn't do it. Probably the frame of mind thing, but I think after seeing the movies so many times, they're a little slow. <br /><br />*runs and ducks for cover!*<br /><br />*Peeks out*<br /><br />Still friends? (g)<br /><br />And yeah, I used to be the read and finish no matter what girl...but each time I finished a bad book, I would lament the amount of time I lost. That's 6 hours I'll never get back...or dang, could've worked on MY book during the hours I spent sludging through that crap. But then again, no matter what the book, I always take something away. Even if it's just knowing I do NOT want to write like THAT. (g)<br /><br />JenJennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-47579156916877744552009-11-12T07:10:19.148-06:002009-11-12T07:10:19.148-06:00Helen -- I actually used to be one of those people...Helen -- I actually used to be one of those people who would finish a book no matter my enjoyment level. I've sludged my way through some really bad books--all for the sake of finishing. Not anymore. I usually either a. Stop and never go back b. Give a book another shot sometime down the road--maybe I wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy it. That actually happened with Libba Bray's A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY. Just couldn't get into it the first time I tried, but months later I LOVED it. Go figure. <br /><br />Now, I'm a bit more pressed for time, so probably a little less forgiving of books that don't snare my attention right away. But still, I usually give them a decent shot of at least a few chapters. (g)<br /><br />I read the first in the Rachel Vincent series...STRAY? I thought it was awright...bought the next in the series but it's somewhere in my massive TBR pile. :) And YES on HP and Westerfeld. Definitely.<br /><br />JenJennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-33683565266005653452009-11-11T13:19:57.057-06:002009-11-11T13:19:57.057-06:00Back to say, great post Jen! :-)Back to say, great post Jen! :-)Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-33141415087252580332009-11-11T13:19:36.943-06:002009-11-11T13:19:36.943-06:00I feel guilty if I give up on a book and there'...I feel guilty if I give up on a book and there's very few I have done that with. Other times I'll skim through to the end, if I can't bear to read it. I'm trying to remember what was the last book I quit... I might have to skim to the end of Wicked, though; it's really doing nothing for me.<br />There's a lot more books that I just couldn't put down - Diana's, the Harry Potter books, the first time I read The Lord of the Rings (it was twenty years ago today... well, roughly), Stephen King's It and The Stand (the former cos it was so scary I had to finish it in one day and the latter cos it was so good I couldn't part from it) and... there must be others but those are the ones that come to mind first.Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-28427912387886697032009-11-10T21:11:44.800-06:002009-11-10T21:11:44.800-06:00FWIW, I don't think I've ever given up on ...FWIW, I don't think I've ever given up on a book after one line - or one paragraph - regardless of whether I bought it or not. I give it about 3 chapters or 50 pages, give or take.<br /><br />A very small selection of the books I haven't been able to put down:<br />* Harry Potter, Book 5, I think it was, I sat down to read "the first few chapters". Four hours later...*g*<br />* anything by Scott Westerfeld<br />* Prey by Rachel Vincent. I zipped through it in about two sittings (two, because I had to go to work *sigh*) and am now counting down until March 2010 when the next book is out.Helen R-Snoreply@blogger.com