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Fluffy Business
Fluff: The Stuff of Champions
Created on 2005-04-20 13:23:33 (#6861058), last updated 2008-12-15
97 comments received, 47 comments posted
Basic Account [Gift]
52 Journal Entries, 106 Tags, 0 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 3 Userpics
Basic Info| Name: | fluffy_business |
|---|
BioWhen you start reading and writing before the age of three, it's pretty much a given that words will be an important part of your life. For me, I'm not sure I could live without words--the cadence, spelling, double meanings and pronunciation have fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and are as much a part of who I am as the color of my hair or my height.
My love affair with books probably started with a book my mom gave me to explain why her tummy was getting bigger--The New Baby. It's the first book I remember reading repeatedly, and I still have it (which is a good thing, since it's apparently not being produced any more). I had a massive collection of Golden Books as a child, and cherished every single one of them.
As I got older, my book choices began to range from the Betsy Books to Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time to every book Lois Duncan ever wrote. While in elementary school, I also competed in spelling and creative writing contests, and even placed in a few of them.
By junior high, I was still competing, but my reading tastes had started to change somewhat drastically. I'll never forget the day I found my then step-grandmother's collection of old Harlequin Romances. I think I was around twelve, and those books just opened up a whole other world I'd had no idea even existed. I got my hands on some books by Johanna Lindsey and Virginia Henley, and then somehow--in the seventh grade--convinced my mom to buy some more for me. If she'd only known that I was getting more sex education than I'd ever needed at that age from those books, she probably would have freaked.
At any rate, I remember devouring romance novels one after the other--I would read them during science classes (who needs to know how to dissect a frog anyway?), during math classes, on the school bus in the mornings and afternoons, in the gym before class, during lunch, after school while waiting for the bus...you get the picture. I was a romance novel nerd, but all the girls thought I was so cool because I was getting to read about S-E-X and they weren't.
During high school, my reading preferences began to change a little bit more, from the historicals and bodice rippers to more contemporary authors. I think I discovered Jayne Ann Krentz my senior year of high school, and Nora Roberts, Maggie Shayne and Susan Elizabeth Phillips soon followed.
Nowadays, I read primarily contemporary romances, preferably with a comedic take on love, life and relationships. I've also been known to read some chick lit, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a fan of erotica. I read mostly for pleasure, but I can never seem to completely shut off the critical side of my brain.
That's what happens when you're also a writer--you begin to read things critically, even when you don't want to. It's a habit, and most often a subconscious one (at least for me). I mentally catalogue the things I do and don't like about a book, think about what worked and didn't work for me once I'm done with it, and try to relate what I just read to my own writing or my own voice.
More often than not, I'm usually drawn towards books that I can relate to, which then inadvertently reflects upon my writing. I've always been drawn to best friend stories, so it's no coincidence that I've often toyed with the idea of writing one. I'm drawn to humor-filled stories, but that simply reflects upon who I am as a person--I prefer laughing over crying, and my coping mechanism is cracking jokes (even at some inappropriate moments). That isn't to say I don't enjoy a good romantic suspense or paranormal romance every now and then, because I do (two of my favorite authors are Nora Roberts and Maggie Shayne). My tastes are varied and complex--a lot like myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The "fluffball system"
I rate novels by giving them fluffballs.
One fluff means it was bad. Very bad. So bad I probably couldn't finish it.
Two fluffs means it was okay. I finished it, but sure as hell wouldn't recommend it.
Three fluffs means it was decent to good. Not the best thing I've ever read, but most likely fun and entertaining if you're looking for something that's a bit mindless or if you need a form of escapism.
Four fluffs means it was good and that I would recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of book. I enjoyed reading it and will probably look into other books by the same author.
Five fluffs means it was freaking awesome. So awesome I couldn't put it down. So awesome that I squeed like a little fan girl who barely managed to rub up against Justin Timberlake's left elbow at the VMA's. So awesome I immediately rushed to the bookstore and bought every other book I could find by this author. So awesome...eh, you get the picture.
My love affair with books probably started with a book my mom gave me to explain why her tummy was getting bigger--The New Baby. It's the first book I remember reading repeatedly, and I still have it (which is a good thing, since it's apparently not being produced any more). I had a massive collection of Golden Books as a child, and cherished every single one of them.
As I got older, my book choices began to range from the Betsy Books to Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time to every book Lois Duncan ever wrote. While in elementary school, I also competed in spelling and creative writing contests, and even placed in a few of them.
By junior high, I was still competing, but my reading tastes had started to change somewhat drastically. I'll never forget the day I found my then step-grandmother's collection of old Harlequin Romances. I think I was around twelve, and those books just opened up a whole other world I'd had no idea even existed. I got my hands on some books by Johanna Lindsey and Virginia Henley, and then somehow--in the seventh grade--convinced my mom to buy some more for me. If she'd only known that I was getting more sex education than I'd ever needed at that age from those books, she probably would have freaked.
At any rate, I remember devouring romance novels one after the other--I would read them during science classes (who needs to know how to dissect a frog anyway?), during math classes, on the school bus in the mornings and afternoons, in the gym before class, during lunch, after school while waiting for the bus...you get the picture. I was a romance novel nerd, but all the girls thought I was so cool because I was getting to read about S-E-X and they weren't.
During high school, my reading preferences began to change a little bit more, from the historicals and bodice rippers to more contemporary authors. I think I discovered Jayne Ann Krentz my senior year of high school, and Nora Roberts, Maggie Shayne and Susan Elizabeth Phillips soon followed.
Nowadays, I read primarily contemporary romances, preferably with a comedic take on love, life and relationships. I've also been known to read some chick lit, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a fan of erotica. I read mostly for pleasure, but I can never seem to completely shut off the critical side of my brain.
That's what happens when you're also a writer--you begin to read things critically, even when you don't want to. It's a habit, and most often a subconscious one (at least for me). I mentally catalogue the things I do and don't like about a book, think about what worked and didn't work for me once I'm done with it, and try to relate what I just read to my own writing or my own voice.
More often than not, I'm usually drawn towards books that I can relate to, which then inadvertently reflects upon my writing. I've always been drawn to best friend stories, so it's no coincidence that I've often toyed with the idea of writing one. I'm drawn to humor-filled stories, but that simply reflects upon who I am as a person--I prefer laughing over crying, and my coping mechanism is cracking jokes (even at some inappropriate moments). That isn't to say I don't enjoy a good romantic suspense or paranormal romance every now and then, because I do (two of my favorite authors are Nora Roberts and Maggie Shayne). My tastes are varied and complex--a lot like myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The "fluffball system"
I rate novels by giving them fluffballs.
One fluff means it was bad. Very bad. So bad I probably couldn't finish it. Two fluffs means it was okay. I finished it, but sure as hell wouldn't recommend it. Three fluffs means it was decent to good. Not the best thing I've ever read, but most likely fun and entertaining if you're looking for something that's a bit mindless or if you need a form of escapism. Four fluffs means it was good and that I would recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of book. I enjoyed reading it and will probably look into other books by the same author. Five fluffs means it was freaking awesome. So awesome I couldn't put it down. So awesome that I squeed like a little fan girl who barely managed to rub up against Justin Timberlake's left elbow at the VMA's. So awesome I immediately rushed to the bookstore and bought every other book I could find by this author. So awesome...eh, you get the picture. ConnectInterests (56):
amber quill press, blogging, books, breast cancer awareness, chick lit, chocolate, cnn, comedy, comedy writing, computers, current events, dialogue, domestic violence awareness, erotica, faeries, fat chick lit, fiction, football, freedom of speech, gender issues, genre fiction, hollins university, human rights, jennifer weiner, johanna lindsey, kaye dacus, maggie shayne, men, music, nora roberts, paranormal romance, photography, plus size, poetry, politics, prose, publishing, reviews, romance novels, romancing the blog, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, seton hill university, setting, sleeping, smart bitches trashy novels, susan elizabeth phillips, technique, texas, university of north texas, voice, women's fiction, women's rights, writing, writing chick lit, writing popular fiction
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