I just read a post in one of my critique groups about a survey showing that the pressure of the literary world being such as it is, “more than one in three consumers in London and the south-east admit having bought a book “solely to look intelligent”, the YouGov survey says it finds one in every eight young people confessing to choosing a book ‘simply to be seen with the latest shortlisted title’ This herd instinct dwindles to affect only one in twenty over-50 year-olds.”
This article brought to mind my bus ride home on Friday night:
Sitting in my front row corner seat, I pored avidly my book as I analyzed just how the author conveyed a certain emotion, how she got her point across without breaking the “show don’t tell” rule. Basically re-reading the book to see why above all books I’d ever read, (except for the Bible) this one book, stood out in my mind, even though I’d read it eons ago.
You know how you realize that someone is watching you and even though you try to ignore it and are totally focused, you just have to look up to see who it is?
So I’m reading and I can’t take it anymore, I look up, just in time to catch the eyes of a little girl, of about twelve years of age.
She looks at me, looks at the book I’m reading then looks at me again.
Finally, I get it. She’s wondering why an adult is reading a book, clearly marked for a 5th grader. What? Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret is a classic!
Had I not been using the book for research, I would have donated it to her as I left the bus, but…I had a few more chapters to complete.
What I realized is that my writing tone, closely mirrors that of Judy Blume. No I don’t have her skill…yet, but we are both open, and not afraid to push the envelope. Funny how things influence us without our realizing, which is a good argument for monitoring what our children are exposed to.
Btw…re-reading Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, spurred a post the next day, which I don’t really want to expose to all and sundry, but if one of my regulars would like to read, email me and I’ll send you the link to the post.
Peace,
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