prevaricator

Well, here it is June already and time for my annual Summer reading picks. I have read some wonderful books this year, and for those of you who have already read Sunset Tomorrow, here are some of the other good books out there:

Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene
This is far and away the best book that I have read in perhaps the last decade. If you are ever in need of a book to restore your faith in humanity, rush out and buy this book. The author goes in search of "the best America there ever was," and he finds it in a small Nebraska town where he discovers the echoes of the most touching love story imaginable: a love story between a country and its sons. You will be ASTOUNDED by the story of North Platte, and the people who lived there. It will change your life.

King Dork by Frank Portman
This is a brand new book, published in April of 2006. Though it is sold as a Young Adult novel, it transcends the age bracket. Believe me, I have not been accused of being a young adult for a long, long time. What is even more incredible is that this is Portman’s first novel! The main character is unforgettable, and many will identify immediately to his high school existence.

Lamb by Christopher Moore
Hands down the funniest writer being published today! In Lamb, Moore tells an alternate version of the Gospels. In fact he introduces the Gospel According to Biff. Biff being Jesus’ childhood friend. Irreverent and yet respectful of religion, you will learn such things as what the ‘H’ stands for in Jesus H. Christ, you will find out why the bunny is a symbol of Easter, and what all the manifestations of the image of Mary are all about. I laughed so hard that my family thought I was insane. Read every Christopher Moore book you can get your hands on.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Quite possibly the greatest idea for a plot I’ve seen all year. The lullaby in question is called “The Culling Song,” and it does some very bad things. This darkly, comic novel follows a reporter as he tries to track down ever copy of every book containing this lullaby. Such power is contained within the verse that reading it aloud can kill the person listening, and the main character finds himself an unwitting mass murderer because he has memorized the verse and just thinking it kills the people around him. It is stuck in his mind, repeating over and over. Can it be stopped? One more side note…the subplot involves a real estate agent who deals in haunted houses, because the owners flee and she can re-list them quickly. Genius.
Have a great Summer Everyone. Email me anytime you like at gnubill@yahoo.com

The purpose of promotion is to get people's attention, and to make a pitch for your book. But if you aren't immediately successful what do you do? You give that person your CONTACT information. It can be a business card, a book mark, a pen, or a sheet of toilet paper, but it must bear some sort of address.

Consider this: Sunset Tomorrow by E. Ervin Tibbs. Great for the ego, I give a person the name of my book and the name of the author. Wow! But six weeks from now, that person will look at my card, my bookmark, or my pen, and if even if they remember me and my book, what do they do about it? Probably nothing. If, however, the card, the bookmark or the pen has the following: Sunset Tomorrow by E. Ervin Tibbs-ervtibbs@yahoo.com-www.ervtibbs.com, that person will have two ways of making contact. The email address gives customers a way to contact me directly but maintain their privacy. For those customers who are even more cautious, my web page offers them a way to find out a little about me and my book without being forced to make any direct contact at all. Now the odds are better that I will actually sell a book.

For privacy concerns I like to use email or my web page, although with certain groups, such as book store owners, I do include my phone number. Whatever you use, don't limit contact information to handouts, put it on everything, bumper stickers, Tee shirts, even your return address labels. As a last resort tattoo it on your backside and wear a bikini. No matter how much interest you manage to arouse, if you don't give your customers a way to contact you, they can't buy your book.

Dramatic structure is usually thought of in its larger sense, when describing the composition of a scene, a chapter, or an entire novel. But dramatic structure can be applied to individual sentences and one of the most affective devices is ascending or descending order.

If the writer is using a series of words, or phrases, that series should have an order of importance. For example: When Jack won the lottery, he bought a new Jaguar, a motorcycle and a watch.

The sentence might be accurate, but can be improved. Example: When Jack won the lottery, he bought a watch, a motorcycle and a new Jaguar. The Jaguar is the most image-provoking word and is used last to increase drama.

Descending order is a little different. It reverses the order, but still increases the drama. Example: After Jack declared bankruptcy, he was forced to sell his Jaguar, later his motorcycle, and eventually even his watch. In this instance selling the watch demonstrates just how desperate Jack has become.

Whether ascending or descending, careful attention paid to order-of-importance can improve almost any series of words or phrases.

Everyone have a great summer. The Prevaricator will return in September.
The Editor (Erv)

In either fiction or memoirs, description requires the precision and delicate balance of a chemical equation. Too much slows down the story, and too little leaves the reader without a mind picture. But the term itself needs to be defined or at least explained. Most people think of description only in its visual sense–what we can see. But that's just a beginning. We can't be satisfied with a mural painted with words, no matter how vivid. If we are to create a three dimensional, forward moving scene inside the reader's mind, we need to enlist all five senses. Not all need be engaged at the same moment, nor always in the same scene, but to use them all as often as possible enhances a story and puts the reader fully in the action.

A simple example might be: George made his way into the forest and was grateful for the shade.

In that example, the only description is "forest" a term so vague and non-specific that it produces no lasting impression.

Consider doing something like this. George made his way into the cool, blue shadows of the forest, where dry pine needles crunched beneath his feet; their sharp turpentine fragrance filled his lungs and left a sharp bite on the back of his tongue.

"Cool" is the sense of touch, "blue" is sight, "crunched" is hearing, "turpentine fragrance" is smell, and "sharp bite" is taste. In actual use, I would probably not try to cram all the sensual cues into a scene this short, but it is easy to see that doing so produces a clearer image than "forest."

Another important fact is that George is moving into the forest as it is being described. It isn't always necessary, or even desirable to combine action and description, but is a technique that can maintain the momentum of a story and still give it a setting.