Reading as a Writer
By: Callie Hutton
I’ve been a
voracious reader all my life. My mom would take a book out of my hands and
point to the door. “Go out and play.”
At various
jobs where I worked, I was known as the woman who always had her nose stuck in
a book. When people would ask what I was reading, most times I had to check the
cover because I read so fast I didn’t even have a book long enough to remember
its name.
Reading has
been my main source of entertainment for years. It disturbs me that now that I
have written several books, gone through critiques, contests, and editing with
publishers, that now I read, not as a reader, by as a writer. It’s sort of like
seeing the faults in your child. You love them anyway, but sad when you
discover those little things that you wished wasn’t a part of their makeup.
I’m
currently reading a book by a very well-known romance author. Every time she
head- hops, I cringe. I have no problem following the story, and frankly I
never could understand the horror that particular issue creates, but I know
it’s not acceptable. Then there’s the flat out mistakes. Missing words, wrong
words, repetitive phrases. Reversed letters so it reads: “her won” instead of
“her own.”
I suppose
at one time that would never have bothered me, or even if I would have noticed
it. Or is it just editors are getting sloppy? I allow (but don’t accept)
mistakes in self-published books because I realize it’s hard to find your own
mistakes, even though any decent self- published author uses beta readers and
critique partners to catch them.
But when
you’re reading a book by a well-known author, coming from a “big” house, and
you see these mistakes, it irks me. Have I always been this fussy? Or is this a
new trend? In any event, even though I never intend to give up my favorite past
time, it’s now riddled with annoyance.
How about
you? Do mistakes bother you? Does it pull you out of the story? Do you think
there are more mistakes in books now then, say, twenty years ago? And lastly,
when you see mistakes in a book, do you try to contact the author and let
him/her know?
Inquiring
minds want to know.
Callie has
been making up stories since elementary school, and writing gave her a way to
turn off the voices in her head. She’s had a number of articles and
interviews published over the years, and finally decided to put her writing
skills to the test and write novels.
Oklahoma
is where she hangs her hat with her husband of thirty-six years, two young
adult children, and three dogs.
You can catch
her hanging out at Facebook, Twitter- @CallieHutton, and her home base,
www.calliehutton.com. Stop by sometime and say hello.
Blurb for Miss Merry’s Christmas:
The Duke of Penrose is not happy with Miss Meredith
Chambers, the American governess his new wards have arrived with. He quickly
replaces her, happy to have his unwanted attraction to the unsuitable woman behind
him. Until his mother hires her as a companion…
England, 1817. David Worthington, Duke of Penrose
dislikes Miss Meredith Chambers, the American governess who accompanied his new
wards. He especially detests his attraction to the insufferable woman, and is
anxious for her replacement to arrive.
Merry is thrilled when the Dowager Duchess Penrose hires her
as a companion. Now she can stay with her beloved charges. But can she ignore
how her heart thumps when the pompous duke gets close?
Two people determined to ignore each other, despite the pull
between them, and the sparks that fly whenever they're together.
Buy link: http://amzn.to/TSKlw1
