Wednesday marks the anniversary of the day I found On Writing by Stephen King at the Tompkins Square branch of the NYPL, and my life hasn't been the same since. It will also be the last day of school, just like that day, though last year it was on a Tuesday.
In On Writing, SK speaks of an "ideal reader," the first person you think of while you're writing, the first person to read your manuscripts. Often the writer's spouse or significant other.
Unfortunately, my spouse is not into reading. Even when he does read my manuscripts, he isn't the one to give me the kind of feedback I want. My daughter will probably be great but she's too young. So the job of being my ideal reader is sort of an open, rotating one.
Would anyone like to be the first to read the first draft of "The Daily Grind"?
5 comments:
I am probably not the "ideal" reader since I haven't read a whole lot of what I consider to be "pure" or "hard" science fiction in a few years, though I used to read quite a lot of it. But I enjoy reading just about anything and am always ready to offer my opinion whether anyone wants it or not.
I didn't know you used to read a lot of science fiction! What did you read?
I hope you've checked out the Christine Murphy link, since she writes both mystery & sci-fi.
Anyway, thanks for reading "Grind"!
Sorry I didn't see this earlier-- I read quite a bit of sci-fi at Apex and would've offered.
Your post is very reminiscent of my husband. He can't stand reading fiction, although he'll happily sit down with The Wall Street Journal or a Flying magazine. My stuff's the only fiction he reads, but I never get back the comments/criticism I'd like.
My older daughter reads a lot, and she's old enough for my fiction (I was a lot younger when I started reading SK and other horror), but unfortunately, she doesn't like horror. :/
Athena, I would love for you to read it. I'll e-mail you.
I read "Being" to Jose and Miranda while I was doing the final revisions. I think reading your story aloud is good - helps you get a feel for where it drags, for one thing. She liked it (and has done several illustrations for it) but had a hard time with some of the latinate words I made up to sound alien.
Flying as in planes? Is he a pilot? I'm glad I'm not the only reader who hooked up with a non-book lover!
I've read too much sci-fi to list. I love old-school Bradbury and Assimov, also comic books and anthology magazines, collections of short stories etc... For fantasy I love Tolkien, R.A. Macavoy, Connie Willis. I like some horror, especially vampire stuff, but I feel that's all gotten to be the same now. I really loved Laurel K. Hamilton when she first came out, then I thought she took a turn for bad porn and quit her. Recently I read the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mysteries and the Kim Harrison stuff that takes place in a vampire ridden Cincinnati. I've also enjoyed Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series. I've read a lot of Stephen King. I'm a gigantic fan of any kind of sci-fi, horror or fantasy TV from Star Trek, Star Gate Battlestar Galactica, Invasion, X-Files... You name it. Oh and I love Rod Serling short stories and old Twilight Zones. My best recent horror read was Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Oh and I read comic books and like to watch the Anime channel. I just can't write Science Fiction, Horror or Fantasy.
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