Search found 65 matches

by Lorelei Armstrong
April 13th, 2010, 10:59 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: Bestsellers that don't live up to the hype
Replies: 29
Views: 11449

Re: Bestsellers that don't live up to the hype

The people in Honors English this year had to read The Inheritance of Loss and practically every single one of them hated it. I think they thought it was just really pretentious. Agreed. It had one of those new-age titles and was a complete snooze. I just finished Roberto Bolaño's 2666 . Nine-hundr...
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 11th, 2010, 11:32 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: Bestsellers that don't live up to the hype
Replies: 29
Views: 11449

Re: Bestsellers that don't live up to the hype

I really didn't like Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The story crept along, the main character was pathetic (and not in a good way), and if I heard one more word about Trujillo I would have started shrieking. What made this book a winner I have no idea.
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 11th, 2010, 1:14 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?
Replies: 85
Views: 37287

Re: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?

Be warned that Tolkein got the LOTR trilogy published without editorial input, and it shows. Expect slow writing, passages that could be yanked out entirely, and writing that is, well, not great.
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 11th, 2010, 1:53 am
Forum: Books
Topic: Why do you reread books?
Replies: 28
Views: 13869

Re: Why do you reread books?

I only reread Ulysses. Joyce manages to leave an impression of something more than is there on the page.
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 11th, 2010, 1:49 am
Forum: Books
Topic: The Time Traveler's Wife was painful to read
Replies: 7
Views: 3390

Re: The Time Traveler's Wife was painful to read

Didn't do anything for me because everybody was forced by circumstance to be passive. She was on the proverbial widow's walk staring out to sea waiting for him to reappear. It wasn't far into the read that I wanted to shout "I get it, I get it already! Make something happen!" Ugh.
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: What are you reading now?
Replies: 528
Views: 307855

Re: What are you reading now?

Finished John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River and Toni Morrison's Sula and just started Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin. Still a few hours to go in the audiobook of Roberto Bolano's 2666, and then I think I'll get his Savage Detectives.
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 8th, 2010, 6:26 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Question about manuscript readers
Replies: 17
Views: 6649

Re: Question about manuscript readers

@ Margo: any chance I can mooch some of your time? =D @ Lorelei: Maybe it's the area, but the average person here doesn't seem to read much. Most of them have never heard of Ibsen, Camus, and some went as far as to not know who Agatha Christie was. Then there are those who, like Ink said, would rat...
by Lorelei Armstrong
April 8th, 2010, 3:59 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Question about manuscript readers
Replies: 17
Views: 6649

Re: Question about manuscript readers

Wow, a problem I didn't know existed. I've never had a beta reader quit before the end.
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 25th, 2010, 1:09 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: Which book have you read the most number of times?
Replies: 90
Views: 31223

Re: Which book have you read the most number of times?

James Joyce's Ulysses. There's something new in that book every time I open it.
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 20th, 2010, 2:53 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Question on Etiquite...
Replies: 12
Views: 4588

Re: Question on Etiquite...

And whatever you do, spell "etiquette" correctly.
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 13th, 2010, 12:18 pm
Forum: Writing
Topic: The importance (and difficulty) of gestures
Replies: 55
Views: 48328

Re: The importance (and difficulty) of gestures

Make the situation clearer and the drama bigger. Use the story itself. If the scene is clear and the drama is strong, the reader will know what the character is feeling, without all the shrugging, smirking, etc. The characters' actions and reactions will be clear, and their gestures will be unnecess...
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 13th, 2010, 12:13 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: TWILIGHT - thoughts?
Replies: 107
Views: 46870

Re: TWILIGHT - thoughts?

Ishta wrote:And now feel free to lambast me for saying that regardless of our personal life choices, women the world over really do have a secret daddy complex. :-)
This line bothers the grown-ups.
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 5th, 2010, 11:46 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Questions for agents
Replies: 3
Views: 2081

Re: Questions for agents

Think of the three major changes you would least like to make to your book. Ask the agent when he/she will ask you to make those changes. Consider now whether you will be willing to make them. In my experience with three agents, they will eventually ask for those changes. Will your head explode? For...
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 3rd, 2010, 2:39 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: TWILIGHT - thoughts?
Replies: 107
Views: 46870

Re: TWILIGHT - thoughts?

Sorry Lorelei, but "the lady doth protest too much, methinks." Hey, I'm old, I've read almost nothing but literary fiction for twenty years, I've got the graduate degree in writing, and I don't like Ms. Meyer's work. As a reader I don't like poor writing, I don't like average writing, and...
by Lorelei Armstrong
March 3rd, 2010, 12:20 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: How do you stop taking rejection personally?
Replies: 37
Views: 16513

Re: How do you stop taking rejection personally?

Putting aside the self-confidence and supportive talk, which is all very nice... Explore every possibility. Have you gotten some good, hard criticism? Have you joined a tough writing group? Gone to some work-oriented conferences and read your work to your peers and professional workshop leaders? Tak...