Suggestions?

 Hi everyone! I hope all is well. I am curious to know what everyone is reading. While I have been busy with my project and Masterclass, I am also looking for a good read. 

Creative Writing: A learning process for writers

If you look at the famous authors, you will find that very few ever attended a college or university, let alone the handful that actually majored in composition and literature. In all honesty, the majority of them would not have told you they were writers because frankly they did not know it themselves! 

You see, being creative and imaginative and inspirational is vital to being a creative author. It is more than sitting at your desk with that breath-taking setting, that realistic character, that mind-blowing plot, and so on. It is merely about using your own experiences and writing them out the same way an artist would paint. 

I have come to the conclusion that there are three distinct types of writers. Firstly, we have the “dreamers” that spend a lot of time thinking and entertaining themselves with their own ideas but never bother to jot them down. Secondly, we have the “commenters” who spend their time outlining and making plans for success but lack the motivation to finish. And thirdly, we have the “achievers” that are committed to their ideas and work at them daily. It’s interesting the different kinds of writers I have encountered in my young life. I notice that a lot of us are “commenter’s” in that we are all about the story and the trail that will launch us into fandom. 

I will keep it real with you by listing all the books that I have attempted to write and fail: 

The Guardian
The Finding
Blue Bird
Juliet
Wishing Wall
Spindle
Mandrill

You see, I have tried to write a total of seven novels. If you think I have failed, that is your opinion. I think the greatest thing about creative writing is that you do not have to continue or finish your work in order to learn from it. Currently, I am working on this list. It has taken the other six to teach me things like aspiration, commitment, and determination. It is also changing the way in which I write. Not everyone has a first-person point of view, which can shape the way you look at characters and plots when you find out what works for you and what does not. 

Creative writing is a learn-as-you-go kind of process. 

-Matthew Benton

Review of “Of Bees and Mist” by Erick Setiawan

“Of Bees and Mist” by Erick Setiawan is an enthralling read from the first page. It was first recommended to me through Amazon and Good-Reads. I have reread it a great deal and enjoyed it every time. It is a young adult story and also Setiawan’s debut novel which may come as a surprise because the language reads like it was written by a distinguished author. The book is told in the third-person but the main focus is on the life of Meridia.

The story begins with Meridia as a child. Her father, Gabriel, is presented as a cold and numbing character who is impossible to win attention or love from. It is shortly revealed that every night he leaves in a cloud of mist and returns home the following morning in the mist; he having a long-standing affair with another woman. Her mother, Ravenna, is no exception with her private dark language and obsessive behavior. The house, like the parents, is always filled with a bitter coldness to where Meridia can never remain warm for very long. Needless to say, she lives a very abnormal childhood.

The story transitions into Meridia’s life as a young adult where she meets Daniel. It seems unreal when she finds herself taken by his charm. She then learns to cherish his mother, Eva, whose laughter brings her warmth, appearing to be everything her own mother is not. Later in the story, Meridia realizes that Eva is the one responsible for keeping people awake durring the night, torturing them with the sound of a thousand buzzing bees. Daniel’s two sisters, Malin who is spiteful, and Peremony who is gentle and kind, are the family she envies. Meridia becomes Daniel’s bride through a sacrifice on her own mother’s part.

After having married Daniel, the plot of the book begins to take an unmistakable turn. For the remainder of the story, Meridia spends a majority of her time arguing with Daniel, feuding with Eva, re-establishing her relationship with her mother, protecting her sister-in-laws, and finding the answer to Gabriel’s secret.

The setting of the book is a mystery in that Setiawan never gives the reader a name, only the title of streets, estates, markets, and festivals; however, the language makes-up for it. It truly is an outstanding novel for those who enjoy fiction, literary, fantasy, young-adult, or those who enjoy stories with a fairytale-esque ending to it.

by Matthew Benton 

Review of “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen is one of those rare novels that will be read over and over again. It is great entertainment as well as insightful in its portrayal of life in the circus and the on goings in the show-ring. 

It follows the life-story of Jacob Jankowski, dividing the book into two perspectives: the ninety-three year old and twenty-three year old of Gruen’s main character. We learn early on in the plot that Jacob is Polish, orphaned, and an almost-graduate of Cornell University for veterinary science. At the tragic death of his parents, Jacob find himself jumping a locomotive which surprisingly belongs to the Benzini Brothers, a circus in the heart of the American depression-era. Jacob is hired both as the circus’s handyman and personal animal care-taker by August, the owner. He encounters Marlena, the lovely woman that works with the horses in the show’s menagerie; Camel, the manager of sorts of the circus laborers; Barbara, the showgirl, and Rosie, an adult Asian elephant who becomes the central component in the novel. By training with Rosie, Jacob becomes close to Marlena and learns a great deal about August. It is also this elephant the brings about the shocking ending to the novel and alters the lives of those involved for life.

Through a leap of faith, Jacob wins the experience of a lifetime as a traveler, a doctor for exotic animals, and a lover. It is easily one of the top-three favorites on my bookshelf for its beautiful imagery, fluent writing style, and challenging plot.

Rating: 5 * * * * *

By: Matthew Benton

Dusting off the old books at 'The Shaky Shelf'!

Fellow writers, authors, and book lovers:

I am changing the look and feel of  'The Shaky Shelf'! Among the changes are: the layout, features, and there is even an official domain: www.theshakyshelf.com! Go books!

I am extremely excited about the new page launch (any day now). Be sure to bookmark the new site address. The servers are in the process of updating everything yet so it may take a few days to become live. I am in the process of transforming the lives of book lovers, writers and bloggers everywhere. I assure you, there is no place you would rather be than right here!

Join me as I kick this site into orbit!

Higher standards

Recently, I went onto the Amazon discussion boards. Many readers are upset about the fact that lots of Ebooks are being published with a lot of errors. While I would like to say that this is not the case, I must admit that it is the case. While not all Ebooks are riddled with grammatical errors, lots of them are. I was under the impression that this was getting better but I am not so rue anymore. I went to Barnes and Noble recently and read some books via my Nook (yes, that is a cool feature that Barnes and Noble has provided its customers..eat your heart out Kindle, ha ha). It was disheartening to see how many Ebooks has mistakes in them. Many of these mistakes were so obvious that I am led to believe that the person did not even use the 'spell check' feature before converting and publishing their work.

I am not the grammar police. I commit many structural sins with regard to sentences. However, one of the easiest things to correct is spelling. I am not saying that Authors should be perfect with no flaws. However, I am saying that we need to be more mindful of what we publish. You do not need editors to find the errors that I found. We have to hold ourselves to higher standards. Just because it is easy to publish an Ebook doesn't mean that we should throw caution to the wind. Our readers are looking at us very closely and they do not like what they see.

Hardest part of being an Author?

What is your biggest challenge as an Author? For me it has to be procrastination as well as marketing. Procrastination can shoot you in the foot before you even start because there is always something else that you could be doing. However, pushing past that has great rewards so sometimes I have to literally throw myself into it no matter what. Marketing is also difficult unless you understand things like demographics, niches, etc. I am learning as I go along and there is no shortage of lessons.

Readers Post Here!

Hey Readers,

What types of books do you like and want to see published? Let the Authors know. It would almost be like having stories that are tailored to your specific interests. The only way for the market to stay on track and for Authors to continue to produce excellent reads if for you to tell us what you want.

Don't be shy, would you like to see an alien who falls in love with a teddy bear, or a poodle that turns into a superhero only on the first full moon of the season? No matter how crazy, funny, scary, or weird..we want to hear it.

Maybe you have been wanting to finish that custom deck but there are no books out that explain how to create exactly what you want..tell us!

Authors Post Here!

Have you recently published any good books? Tell us about it! Let us know your name, title of your book, price, brief synopsis, reviews (if any), and url where we can find your book.

There is no shame in wanting to get the word out so feel free to post! Be sure to let your friends know about this site so that they can check out your work and maybe even post some reviews for you here!

Be sure to tweet/like and share this page so that we can promote all of the up-and-coming Authors!

Have some fun!

Looking to relax a bit and step away from the writing? Check out my other blogs..you'll be glad that you did!

http://pique1.blogspot.com/
http://thelounge123.blogspot.com/

Spread the word!

College Boot Camp

Hi everyone!

So I decided to kick this blog off with the introduction of my new Ebook. It is entitled "College Boot Camp and it is for sale on Amazon.

This is an important Ebook and I have it at a low price point in order to get it into the hands of as many people as I can. This book is packed with great college advice from someone who has been there. I have learned many tricks and tips that will help you get through school faster and save you boat loads of money.

You can't afford to drop the ball on this one. This little Ebook is worth much more than I am selling it for. Check it out before the price goes up in December!

Be sure to leave a review as well.

http://www.amazon.com/College-Boot-Camp-ebook/dp/B008FQGD9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343317845&sr=8-1&keywords=college+boot+camp

If you want your ebook reviewed and/or featured, please send me a message with the digital copy attached. I will try to get to as many as I can. While I cannot promise a review on every book, I can give your book a mention on the site.