Catching Idle Butterflies

Out with the new, in with the old

In “Writing for the Soul,” Jerry Jenkins was asked, “Do writers care about the quality of their work as much as they once did?”

         Frankly, I worry more about the quality of editing today. When I worked for Moody magazine, we evaluated every word and edited and rewrote as heavily as necessary. Readers could sense that in every piece. We stood behind each work, trying to make the articles sing.
         Book publishers who care do the same thing. Editors work with authors for months until the flab is gone.
         I’m alarmed at the obviously thin editing in too many books, both inspirational and general. I believe writers want to get better. That’s why good editors are important. The Christian Writer’s Guild is trying to help publishing houses (and their editors) by teaching people to write well.

Mom, Tom and I went to the mall to check out the stores. Being bibliophiles, we spent most of our time in Waldenbooks. I was disappointed in the selection, specifically the magazines. Most of the magazines taking up the rack space included entertainment magazines. Read scarlett_o_h’s blog entry "Invalid Entry" , because she perfectly described what they contain and my own reaction to them. Plus the rack included magazines such as “The Official Star Wars Insider Magazine,” the “SciFi Channel” monthly mag. What surprised me, and even disgusted me a little were fan magazines dedicated to television shows such as “Stargate SGI.”

As for my own interests, I found little. No writer’s magazines, no astronomy, no science or even science fiction/fantasy magazines (those not dedicated to television shows anyway).

Then there are the books. Most of the store was dedicated to romance or contemporary fiction, some of which I’ve tried to read more than once. I have much of the same feeling about the writing of these authors as Jerry Jenkins has. Even if I like the story, the writing can sometimes make me cringe it’s so deplorable.

I’ve come to the conclusion it’s all about the money. Publishers care more about famous authors tossing out a book every six months to a year than the quality. That leaves no time to edit. Even some of my favorite authors have written crap such as Dean Koontz and Terry Brooks. I compare it to a puppy mill, only these companies are churning out badly bred books instead of dogs. They couldn’t care less about the product, as long as it hits the bookshelves within a certain time and they make their money that much quicker.

The flipside is these books are still selling. Why? I can only guess it’s a symptom of people not getting the quality education they once did, or they don’t take the time to care about good writing. Perhaps both.

I walked out with no books, neither did Mom. Tom purchased an issue of Forbes magazine.

Then we found a treasure.

Our last stop. I opened the door to this little store, and that smell, musty, old, but oh so tantalizing wafted out and filled my nostrils. I breathed deep and grinned. Only books carry this smell, and the older the book, the stronger the odor.

I perused through each room, all bursting with books on shelves, sitting on tables, or piled in boxes on the floor. Some were published as early as the 1920's, yet still in excellent condition, others only a few years old. Each room had a table and a chair or two, all different, like they’d been found in some corner of an old attic or bought at a garage sale. The whole place felt homey, comfortable.

We chatted with the older couple who owned the store. The man, skinny, white haired with thick glasses had a very professorial look. A bookworm if I’ve ever seen one. The wife, shoulder-length silver hair and easy smile asked us many questions, much like she would a guest in her home. I actually had the impression their collection had once been their own, and after retiring decided to sell them for others to enjoy. Though not the right impression, it was my first.

Mom walked out with six or seven books, just tickled. She even said to me, “If I’m not at home, I’ll be here. I could live here.”

Tom walked out with two.

I left with hands empty, but that’s because I know my mom would have wanted to buy anything I wanted. Thanks, but I’d rather spend my own money. I did find three books I wanted, but I’ll return on my own to get them.

Yep, that’s a place I’ll go back to as well, because a voracious reader like me who loves good writing as well as good stories will find plenty there.