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What is a Readers Responsibility

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I am a writer. I write books, newspaper articles and an opinion column. I am also a reader. I love to read. I must admit I like fiction better than history. I like romance better than war. I like Cozy Mysteries better than gore and violence.

I also feel as a writer and a reader it is important to leave reviews of those books and articles I have read. As a writer I also receive reviews on what I have written. As I was reading those reviews some great, some good and some not to good I started thinking about my responsibility as a reader when leaving those reviews. How can I  give a review that describes my feelings about a book, especially if it is one I am not fond of, without being destructive and brutal.

We’ve all had those destructive and brutal reviews. It could be our writing is not up to snuff but as I investigated my reviews and the reviews of other authors, I found that many of the brutal reviews, even for best selling books have a piece of the story about the person doing the reviewing that is not being told.

When Oprah had her book club, this was before the Kindle, I would buy some of the books Oprah recommended. She loved the books and her fans did too. Without mentioning any of the names of the books, I will tell you that more times than not I did not like the books. They were best sellers but I would read them and they left me flat. This was before it was so easy online to review books. If I had been reviewing them on Amazon I would have had to look hard and long for honesty in my review. Did I not like the books because they weren’t any good or they weren’t well written? No, I did not like the books because they weren’t the type of book I usually would read. It would not have been fair of me to trash the book and give it a bad rating. The fault was not in the book but in the choice of a book for me to read.

I recently ordered some tea for a gift for a person. I didn’t take the time to look at the description of the tea. I, who know nothing about tea, thought the name sounded cool so I ordered it. It turned out it was tea smoked with Pine Tar and we thought we could actually smoke ribs with this tea. Other people raved about the tea. It was not the right type of tea for the person that was receiving it. Was it the fault of it being bad tea, no. It was the fault of the person that ordered it and that happened to be me. I did not pay attention when looking for a tea. I got excited about name and not a description.

I have learned, when ordering tea and when ordering a book on Amazon or downloading a free book, I need to check the description, length of the read or flavor of the product and then make a choice. I still read some books I normally would not read. Occasionally I will pick up a history or geography or something very out of my realm. Recently I downloaded a book from Amazon. It cost me $4.99. It was the work of an author I had previously read. I absolutely did not like the book because of the content. Did I ask for my money back? No. I made the choice. Did I leave a bad review. No. I felt I had to be fair. I gave it a three and explained it probably deserved better but it was not the type of book I normally read or liked and if someone liked that genre of book it probably deserved a better rating.

Then there are the books that I start reading but do not finish. If that happens I usually do not leave a review at all. However if I see it as a book problem I will find the author and email them and discuss it with them. Maybe I am wrong. If I can’t reach the author and I do leave a review I usually explain gently my feelings about the book.

When buying a book online I would offer this advice to readers. Check out the book details, check out the reviews. If you see a bad review, check out the reviewer. This has to do with the there is more to the story that I mentioned above. It has been my experience that the bad review has more to do with the fact the reader doesn’t like that type of book. If you look at the readers reviews check out the books they gave high reviews vs the ones that got low reviews. You may find there is a pattern. There are also the reviewers that trash every book they read. Before you exclude a book that you had previously been excited about owning, look into the entire story behind the reviewer.

I have asked myself at times when looking at someone’s reviews when they had trashed a book, why they had even chosen that book to read because it was clear it wasn’t what they liked. I might add if you are one of those that leaves a scathing review with no tact, think about the person on the other end of the review. What if it were you and it were your book? Does it may you feel good to make someone feel bad? Authors have pretty thick skins but it doesn’t mean once in a while that the barb hits. There are times criticism in a review as long as it is tactful and constructive is a good thing.

Just a little musing as I was leaving a review. The next time you choose a book, check out the details. Is a mystery? Is for kids or adults? Does it have enough pages for you? Does it contain any type of material that you would not like? Know the facts before your buy.

cropped-collage.jpgThe next time you read a book and you leave a review I challenge you to ask yourself what your responsibility is as a reader. Is it to bash and trash, fling and sting or heighten and enlighten? Only you know for sure.

On The Road To Iowa!

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Something About Nothing – Column for Albert Lea Tribune, March 17, 2014

On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on the road again. iowa photo: Iowa Iowa.png

Those words from the Willie Nelson song rumbled through my head as we prepared for a trip to Iowa for a weekend of fun with our son and his children. We had not been across the border, down south, well, a little down south, since the beginning of October. Every time we prepared to get on the road again, we had a snowstorm.

I want to share a few thoughts with you about our visit traveling across the Minnesota border to outside of Des Moines. I always find experiences when I travel that direction or at least something that makes me laugh and wonder.

I gave thanks when I stepped out of my car and I could remove my winter jacket and walk around a house on the dormant grass.

I learned that I need to brush up on my Xbox skills so my grandson doesn’t keep beating me in “Madden NFL” and some other crafty game. Of course, it would have helped had he actually explained what I was supposed to be doing and what the buttons meant on the controller.

The first game we played, which I can’t remember the name, his character blasted me right at the beginning, time and time again, and, yes, I quit in protest of not knowing how to play. My goal, I will learn and conquer and surprise him in the future.

I reinforced my opinion of some drivers on the interstate. Some drivers really are idiots.

I know I must remember the correct name of Orange Leaf frozen yogurt. My grandkids think it’s funny because I always call it Orange Peel. The yogurt tastes the same no matter whether you call the place Orange Leaf or Orange Peel. It is yummy.

It is possible when you wake up in the morning and are in a new community, and you realize you can’t stand your hair one more day, that you can walk into a salon and find a stylist that cuts and styles your hair exactly as you wanted it. When panic mode hits and your normal stylist is hundreds of miles away, there is someone who can save you.

Attending the “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” movie I noticed the adult men were laughing louder at some of the nuances in the movie than the children. I wondered how many of those subtle comments my young grandchildren would remember and ask later on what they meant. Why do movies for kids now have to have suggestive comments in them for adults?

It is possible to meet new friends in strange places. Another grandmother and I bonded at our grandchildren’s gymnastic practice over exercise. We decided the frog hop and the “pull the pad by your toes as you crawl across the floor” — we didn’t know the real name for the exercise — would be perfect for us to try at home. We agreed we wouldn’t let anyone else watch us. We decided to skip the upside-down-against-the-wall exercise as we felt we are a little balance challenged and our heads are dizzy enough without turning upside down. The strange thing about talking to this new friend was that it felt as if we had known each other a long time. I hope we meet up again.

I came away from a conversation about Sunday school with my grandchildren wondering why we don’t take kids’ advice when they have suggestions for making learning in Sunday school more interesting. They have some good ideas.

I concluded that unless we can figure out a way to turn off the electronics it is going to be a hard sell to turn children into readers in this gadget world of ours. Thank goodness for teachers who assigns their class reading assignments where the kids have to read at least 20 minutes every evening. Maybe in that short space of time something will spark a love for reading so they want to put aside their gadgets and get lost in the words and pages of books.

I learned on this trip that my 11-year-old granddaughter is a good cook. Not only can she cook, she makes it look like the enticing food on the cooking shows. My mouth still is watering from her scrumptious French toast and strawberries and cream.  She, unlike me, has the patience to stand and nurture what is cooking instead of walking away and ignoring it until she thinks it is done. She taught me that if she can be patient while cooking, I can too.

As we traveled the road back to Minnesota in the nighttime hours, I became aware of the number of people who have died on the freeway this year in the state of Iowa. Signs over the freeway in the darkness at various points in the road flashed those numbers and warned us to drive safely.

As we came back to Minnesota that night I looked at the beautiful stars in the sky and the brightness of the landscape at night because of the snow and marveled at the differences a few hours can make in our lives.

I thought back to my experiences during the weekend and was filled with wonder at how many experiences small and large that we travel through in our lifetime. The tiny pieces of moments and experiences weave together to change something about us, however small. We may not notice, but we are changed by the moments not just the hours and days.

“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.” — Wayne Dyer

The Crazy World of Authors

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It’s a crazy world to keep up with. I am not referring to the violence, the weirdness or whatever your mind thinks when you hear those words, it is a crazy world. I am referring to all the social media that needs taking care of in the life of a writer and an author to keep their name front and center.

Yesterday I spent mostauthor collageedit of the day working on a book trailer for my book “Whatchmacallit? Thingamajig?. It is book I wrote for my grandchildren putting them in adventures of helping their Grandma out of trouble. Along the way they learn a little more about their grandmother when she was young. I will admit it is not my best work but when I first wrote it I was only publishing it to have a hard copy for my grandchildren, but low and behold, it is selling.

I have a Twitter account. Twitter is fun. I have a Pinterest account, so many ideas, so little time. I have a Stumbler Account, a Tumbler Account, a Facebook account, a LInked In Account, a Reddit Account and an Instagram account. I must admit I don’t know what to do with all of them, but they are important to get the word out about my writing. I am sure other authors may feel the same way. Each of these accounts are fun but the time that I spend on these accounts take away from the writing.

Of course, add this blog, add my website julieseedorf.com and it is my crazy world.

Then of course, I am waiting for my second book to be published which is “Granny Skewers A Scoundrel.” Then I will need to add more media for that book. I am also writing my second young reader book called Snicklefritz. Add my newspaper column, “Something About Nothing,” the articles I write for newspapers each week, and the third book I have started in my Fuchsia Minnesota series. Wow, I am tired reading this.

I forgot about Goodreads. I love Goodreads. I love to read. My Kindle is full of books waiting for my sleepy eyes to be fixated on them so I don’t get any sleep at night. I am too intriqued by whatever story I am reading.

I also decided to design cups and apparel to go with my books. I have the accounts set up and have a few things designed. The shop name is Hermiony after my character from the Fuchsia, Minnesota Series.

Let’s not forget about book signings and blog tours. A few of the Cozy Cat Press Authors and I are starting a tour this spring introducing all of you to our unique fictional communities and our characters.

Don’t feel sorry for me. The time I don’t have and the stress of all this is keeping me alive and breathing. Someone said to me recently on an interview on starting her new business, “I
heard a commercial and it said if you love what you doing and you get paid for it, it is called retirement.  This is my retirement.” I agree with her statement. After leaving a career in computers and finally doing something I love, I can breath.

Why am I writing all of this? I want people to know that writing is not an easy career. The authors that you see and hear and read about, aren’t like the ones in the books and movies where the scenery is beautiful and they work in a peaceful place and tap away on their keyboard. Writers have to market their wares and they have to keep writing. It is a job. Interruptions are hard because they break your train of thought. There is also writers block but they keep writing through that block until they find their inspiration again.

To be successful writers have to write. They have to market their books and they are busy people. It might not be the type of busy that those that punch a time clock or work in the corporate world know. How hard is it to sit at a computer and write all day? To those that work in the world it looks easy. Ask a writer and see what they say. It is important if you have a writer friend to  understand that they do have a career and they need the time to work at their career.

We love books, we love inspiration and we love the creativity that is in those books but look past the pretty, the fun, the creativity, and look at the hard work that goes into those words. The blood, sweat and tears of parts of those authors are in their books. Their soul is in their books. Those books are released into the world for all to read and critique. Does that happen in most peoples jobs that the entire world can critique their performance?  Writers are willing to take that chance that the world may  not be kind. The world will love them, hate them, or toss them aside. Writers have courage. They let the world know who they are and they work hard to bare their imagination to that crazy world.

Thank an author today for bringing you writing that challenges you, makes you laugh, helps you understand, moves your heart or makes you mad.  Thank an author today if they took you to a fantasy world that let you leave the real world and all your problems behind for a few moments. They may have changed your life in some way. They will appreciate it.

In case you are interested. http://www.facebook.com/sprinklednotes
Twitter:  julieseedorf@julieseedorf