Thoughts on "Hatter M" by Frank Beddor, Liz Cavalier and Ben Templesmith

Hatter M by Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier; illustrated by Ben Templesmith
Looking Glass Wars series (gn), book 1
Teen Graphic Novel
Automatic Pictures, 2008

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to reading this...but was just a little disappointed. It was more violence and less plot - and I didn't care for the illustrations (just not my cup of tea). I seem to be hit or miss for graphic novel adaptations of books...more miss than hit, unfortunately. I have the second volume and plan to read it while I have it (borrowed through my library's interlibrary loan department). Who knows, maybe it'll get better?

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Review: "From First Draft to Finished Novel" by Karen S. Wiesner

From First Draft To Finished Novel: A Writer's Guide To Cohesive Story Building by Karen S. Wiesner
Writers Digest Books, 2008
272 pages


My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I originally purchased this book first, and almost immediately ordered the one before it (First Draft in 30 Days), before I read either one - I'm glad I did. (They've been sitting on my shelf gathering dust for over a year and a half - if not two - now...shh ;)

My first impressions of First Draft in 30 Days were more positive than my first impressions of From First Draft to Finished Novel. I found this book more...clunkier; it didn't flow as well (though I thought the metaphor concerning house building as equal to writing was appropriate). I did like the story plan checklist and examples, as well as the proposal guidelines and examples.

Maybe I need to be in that certain position (of turning an outline into a manuscript) for this book to jive. At the moment, I'm sorry to say, it doesn't.


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Thoughts on Double Crossing by Carolyn Keene

Double Crossing by Carolyn Keene

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How do you rate nostalgia? I read (most of) this series as a preteen/teen and absolutely loved them. Now, as I re-read them in (roughly) numerical order, I'm finding them really...corny. But I can see why I enjoyed them at that age - and I can see how they shaped my future (and current) reading choices.

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