Discussion Topic #8

1. I am a pants writer. No outlining for me unless I do it subconsciencely. I usually start with an event or ending and then write to and/or around it. I finish the first draft in one sitting and then the editing begins. I have stories I have been working on for years, but the NH classes have helped me to improve them or the idea I had and get them into a polished form.

2. Here are a few of my favorite books. Please excuse the non-underlining because it is too hard to do on wdc.
Clan of the Cave Bear & Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
A Knight in Shining Armor & The Raider by Jude Devereaux
Andersonville by McKinley Cantor
Blood & Money by Tommy Thompson
Windmills of the Gods by Sidney Sheldon
A Time to Kill, The Client, and A Painted House by John Grisham
Slipping & Dregs by Barri Bumgarden
Hank the Cowdog #1 by Jon Erickson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
Showboat by Edna Ferber
Desiree by Annemarie Selinko
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Oliver Twist & David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Roots by Alex Haley
Small Sacrifices & This Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
Watchers & Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz
Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown

My list is mixed. It is certainly mixed as to subjects, levels, etc. I want to be invested in a character because while I am reading, I am that character and I am living the story. My tastes have changed as I have aged--I am sure everyone's does--but I want a book that is either very funny or has a riveting storyline. When I was in my 30's, I wanting sexy romances.....then I got tired of their formulas. An outline of my reading life is as follows: 1. GIve me a book with sex. I will re-read the sexy parts....several times 2. Give me a book with sex. I don't reread the parts, but can be found fanning myself and looking for new ideas to try in my bedroom. 3. Give me an interesting story. I read through the sex parts matter-of factly. 4. Skim the sex parts. 5. Skip the sex parts. 6. Began reading true crime and books probably that don't hinge on the sex....I like murder and mayhem now. Guess I'm getting all the exciting sex in real life.

4.I don't write the kinds of stories I like to read because I do not have the necessary background experiences or knowledge. I notice I write about teaching (DUH) and having babies (double DUH)and abuse (triple DUH). I worry that I am a one horse act. I guess my stories have to have a basis in teaching because I am preparing to begin my 38th year in the classroom and it is not only my vocation, but avocation as well. If I am writing a story for myself and not NH class, I like humor. My husband and I both have--I think--great playful, humorous personalities. Sometimes the humor comes through more serious subject matters. When I have an assignment.....then I start reaching for straws of hope. One thing I have noticed, however, that I have to write a complete scene or story for assignments that don't have to be finished pieces. But, they have to be finished for me which makes me sound like a plotter, but I AM NOT.

5. Thank you for reading this rather long, uninteresting dissertation.