Musings

Weekly Musing: Take Me to Your eReader

DH Hanni

Traditional books vs. eBooks. Which is better? Do the rise in popularity of eReaders and eBooks spell the end for traditional books and bookstores?

My thoughts on these questions is *shrug*, I don’t know. Personally, I still prefer books. I’m a bit old-fashion that way but I have slowly grown to be okay with eBooks. I have a second generation Kindle that I got as a hand-me-down from one of my brothers-in-law. At first, I didn’t have too many books on it. Just classics and fairy tales from around the world that were available for free download from Amazon’s website. That was at least a couple of years ago and at first, I sort of ignored my Kindle. For months it would sit, battery life crazy long, waiting for me.

My biggest hesitation was after staring at a computer screen all day, the last thing I wanted to do was stare at yet another type of computer screen to read for fun. My eyes needed the rest and my body, too. To completely unplug from the world and get back to basics. And I’m convinced I can read paper faster than a computer screen.

Another reservation was wrestling for a long time with the concept of paying for something that I can’t tangible touch. A book I can touch and I love the feel of a book. The weight or the absence thereof. The way I hold one depending if it’s a paperback or hardback, small or large. The way my cat bumps against the corner of the book pushing it forward so I lose my place. Or when she just flat out walks across my stomach in front of the book. I love breaking in the spine on them. I can write or highlight a book (only my books for research get this treatment).

A physical book has a certain magic to it. The cover art. The size. The feel. The smell even for some people and animals (I had a cat that loved licking the pages of books but only those printed before 1980). Going into a bookstore or library has a calming, tranquil effect on me. As I cruise those aisles, the whole world goes away. I’m in my own little bubble and get annoyed if anyone tries to pop it. I like being able to physically browse the shelves in search of a book that looks interesting. I find this difficult to do online even on the library’s website.

But for all the pros of physical books, they do have a small list of cons for me. The biggest one is portability. Paperbacks are easy to carry if you have a big enough bag for them. Hardbacks can be difficult to hold up if you are like me and read in bed. Another con of physical books is they take up a lot of space but I like the idea of building a proper home library. It’s cool going into the den and staring at a couple of bookcases full of books. But moving with those and finding space for new acquisitions is dicey. I have well over 200 books on my Kindle alone. Not sure how many physical books I have but I don’t think it comes close to 200. Cover art on a book can be a con especially if one is trying out a new author or genre. If you don’t want the whole world to know you are reading some bodice ripper or a gory horror novel, an eReader can conveniently cover this up. All anyone can see is the cover to the eReader itself.

Yet eBooks have some advantages over physical books. When I buy physical books, I usually get them used or from the bargain table that’s why I was shocked a few weeks ago to see the prices of a brand-new paperback book. The range was $12 – $16! For a paperback. A paperback. A bit much but then again I remember when paperbacks were like $4 – $6. I understand it is costly to print a book up but paying that much seems ridiculous. And it’s not like the author is seeing a lot of that money. The price of physical books really makes eBooks a lot more attractive. And authors get a higher percentage from a sale even if the purchase price is lower than a physical one.

Competitive pricing encourages me to be more willing to try a new author or genre. $.99 for a book? Sure, I’ll get it, what the hell. If it sucks, oh well. Of course, there is always the library but a lot of titles aren’t available for downloadable checkout. What is also neat, though, is Amazon has a list of free books. Some authors can choose to make a book free for a certain amount of time as a way to encourage people to try them out. Again, who wouldn’t want a free book? If the book sucks, I didn’t waste any of my money. I must admit, most of the books on my Kindle are free. I’m cheap like that.

So do eBooks and eReaders spell the end of physical books and bookstores? I hope not. And I don’t think so at least for a while. Not every book is available electronically so the need for physical books, bookstores, and libraries is there. The bookstores I go to, both chain and local stores, still attract a lot of people. And they are still bustling places full of bookworms. I suspect many of them are like me and have an eReader. Only time will tell especially with the younger generation, one that has grown up with some many more electronic avenues to movies, music, TV, and books than any previous generation.

Front Page

Another story getting published!

DH Hanni

Somehow I managed to get another story published. I submitted my story, Secrets and Lies, to Hidden Animals. According to their website, the first issue is supposed to come out on July 16th but I asked them to confirm that. I’ll post the link to it when it’s available. This is free to download.

I’m excited and floored and find it bizarre but in a good way.

UPDATE: Here is the link to the Hidden Animals issue. It’s free to download and my story, Secrets and Lies, appears on pages 39-41. Enjoy!

Musings

Weekly Musing: Habitual Ritual

DH Hanni

I found inspiration for this week’s musing as I took a break from writing and was looking for articles to read. On Women on Writing I found an interesting article talking about the value of getting into a writing ritual. It also related the writing rituals of famous authors past and present. Needless to say, some of the rituals of the greats were eye-opening. From writing in the nude, I’m assuming from the friendly confines of their home, to writing standing up and even in different colors of ink, the article provides insight into the weird mind of a writer.

The bulk of the article, though, does focus on the value of the writing ritual. That need to have just the right atmosphere to get into the most productive frame of mind. To have a ritual is actually good for the brain as it allows for the transition from everyday life into the creative area. Of course not all writers need a ritual to get into the groove but it is reassuring to read being particular about my own writing environment is not uncommon.

When composing rough drafts, I have to not be at home. Too many distractions. Two dogs, a whiny cat, and people who have the nerve to call or ring the doorbell. I just can’t concentrate. So I pack up my computer, my writing journals, pens, and head out the door.

The cliché of the writer in a coffee shop applies to me. It started with when I first began writing for fun. I worked full-time so during my lunch hour, I would usually head to the nearest coffee shop and write in my journal. As I began enjoying and craving writing, I started writing on the weekends and the coffee shop thing stuck.

Which one I go to is up to my mood and the weather. If the weather is crummy or I’m just feeling a bit lazy, I stay closer to home. If the weather is nicer and I want more physical distance from the house, I pick a spot in another town. Different scenery, different demographic of people seems to energize my creativity.

But the physical location of the spot is just the beginning of my ritual. Once inside, I pick an appropriate place to set up shop. Usually I want to be in the back with a clear view of the front so I can people watch while I’m thinking. Hopefully they don’t notice my facial expressions as I think and stare.

So now I’ve got my spot staked at, coffee is ordered, computer is set up, writing journal is ready, and now the fun begins. I fire up Rhapsody and select the classical music station. I absolutely MUST listen to classical music. Classical music helps me think and provides the perfect way to block the noise. I think the complex structure and the absences of vocals is the key to the doorway of the creative part of my brain. I turn that key and it feels like the words and ideas flow out. If I listen to contemporary music, I’m way too tempted to sing and no one needs to suffer through that caterwauling. It’s also incredibly distracting since I’m too busy thinking about the song rather than the writing.

Now that I have settled into music land, I put on my headphones. My headphones have to be at the precise pressure on my head. I wear glasses so the correct pressure points between where my glasses rest behind my ears and on my nose must be in line with the pressure exerted by the headphones on my head. Whenever any of those shift, I take off my glasses and headphones and start over. My feng shui is thrown off. The axis of the Earth is temporarily thrown off its course. Armageddon could erupt in my mind.

Ahhh but I’m still completely settled in. I take off my watch because I’m such a slave to time that I found myself constantly looking at my watch which agitated me. That and it just physically bothers me to wear it while writing. After removing my watch, I then proceed to spread out my stuff. I failed to mention I also try to pick a spot that has a large enough table or two tables I can put together. I take up a lot of space with the computer, the journal, and any research materials I’ve printed out. It’s a great way to ensure people won’t bother me. Don’t wake the dragon.

By now, I’m almost ready to begin writing. I close my laptop because it is a huge diversion with the screensaver and free Wi-Fi. I limit actually touching the laptop to skipping an opera piece, researching something I’m hung up on in a story, or when taking a break. If I’m not doing any of that, the laptop stays closed.

The last step is to arrange the space. Everything that isn’t a journal, a pen, and a dictionary/thesaurus, gets pushed as far away as possible.

And now I’m ready to write.

Oddly enough, when it comes to rewrites, I’m pretty flexible. I can work at home or out and I can actually tolerate non-classical music. As I grow and evolve as a writer, I can see changing my ritual. People get older. Move to some place new. Want and need new sources of inspiration. Plus, in the words of Moriarty on the series Sherlock, “I’m just sooooo changeable!”