I think one of the things people don't realize about writers is that we have to look at what we read in a much different way than the average, non-writing reader.

That's not to say that we read better, just differently.  I've done both tracks of the English program at my school, literature and creative writing, and completed both, and there really are fundamentally different ways of looking at literature.

In a literature course, you take the text as it's given to you and look for meaning.  If something doesn't quite fit, you try to find a theory that explains it.  You look at devices in terms of how they enhance meaning.

But when you read as a writer, you acknowledge that sometimes parts of texts just don't work and shouldn't be there.  You look at devices in terms of how they enhance the meaning, yes, but more importantly, how they enhance the experience. 

When you read as writer, you think about what you would do if you were writing the story.  You think about which elements you would keep, which you would change.  You think about what you want from a book and how to achieve it.

So really, every time I pick up a book to read for fun, I'm still working on my writing.  It's research, in a way.

That said, I'm going to try to record some of my thoughts on the books I read as I have them.  This is something a lot of writers keep in their journals, but since I stink at keeping a written journal, I'll try to keep some thoughts here.  And, hey, maybe it will tell you what's good to read.

I've had a few questions in comments about the preview I posted here, and since Blogger has no comment-response feature (man, get with the times, Blogger), I thought I'd make a post for some answers and some more info on the piece.

The story I'm working on is currently untitled.  I've been calling it by the names of the main characters (Candace and Spencer), which could be a permanent title if I decided to make this into a series of stories.  Currently, the piece is sitting just shy of 3000 words, and I think by the time it's done, it will be over 10k, maybe closer to 15k.

I am looking to self-publish this piece.  The idea came from all of the people who have told me over the years that I really ought to make some money off my writing.  I'd always brushed off those comments, given that I had no original works to "sell," and I'd never been very confident in writing original works.  I was much happier continuing in the fanfiction world.

After four creative writing classes, I've become a great deal more secure in my original writing, and I think it's time to give it a go.  At worst, it will be a trial run and a learning experience.  At best, it will allow me to get my original work to more readers and hopefully supplement my aching bank account.

The plan is, once the work is finished and well-edited, to have an order form available here for anyone who wishes to read the full work.  There will likely be a more polished preview beforehand.  The order form will allow me to send an invoice via PayPal to each "customer," and once payment is made, I'll send the story in a PDF file.

The price will be something like $1.50, I think.  Given the short length of the work, I wouldn't set the price any higher, but I might go lower, as supply and demand dictate. 

So there's my master plan for you!  If you have any questions, ideas, comments, I'd be happy to hear them.

The purpose of this blog is to provide access to any original works I self-publish, most of which will be works of fiction.  Typically, these works will be short stories or anthologies of short stories. 

These works will often contain adult content, including strong language and explicit sexuality, and as such, will not be available to anyone under the age of 18.

No adult content will be placed on this site.

These works will be available for purchase via PayPal which anyone with an e-mail address and a credit card or bank account can use.