Alison Kent's Blah Blog

The winners of the ARC giveaway for THE PERFECT STRANGER are:

Lauren Dane and Elle Fredrix. If you two will email me your mailing addresses, I’ll get those sent out!

I found this entry earlier this month, and forgot I’d been saving it for a Wednesday. I’m one of those people who does believe there is a distinction between storytelling and writing, and know I fall into the latter. To me, storytelling is remniscent of the oral tradition, and I’m not the sort of author who can suck a reader into a story without a calculated use of words. It doesn’t come easy to me. Or naturally. Yes, I’m faux. *g*. Keith Snyder’s analysis here really worked for me. He says:

What is writing, and what is storytelling? This is not something you need to be born with. This is something you can learn. So maybe this will learn somebody.

Point of confusion #1: The term “writing” is used when the speaker means the completed combination of “writing” and “storytelling.”

So let’s differentiate for the purpose of this explanation, with the understanding that the word actually has more than one meaning. (And with the further understanding that I can pick on as many things in this thesis as you can, but just go with me.)

Storytelling is what you show happening. Writing is how you say it.

He goes to the place and finds the thing? Storytelling.

The reader can’t shake the image of the place? Writing.

The dialogue reveals where the thing is? Storytelling.

The dialogue hits the ear in a pleasurable way? Writing.

Paul Guyot (who is FINALLY blogging again, YAY, even if it is only part time) gets into the subject a bit, talking about the author of a book that I have on my TBR pile already, having pre-ordered long ago after reading about it at Killer Year. About author Marcus Sakey, Paul says (And really, read the whole post; it’s so worth it, and you’ll see why I’m a Guyot fan:

I saw Sakey on this panel and I knew that he was a good writer. Very, very good. Just by listening to him. By hearing the way he talked about writing. See, the people who get it – who truly get writing, they talk about it differently than the rest of us, who are simply trying to convince people we know what we’re doing.

(…)

I checked out Sakey’s web site, read some Q&A’s with him, read his thoughts on writing, read a couple of excerpts from the book. And after all that and those forty-seven freaking pages, I knew that Sakey wasn’t just a great writer…

He has the combo platter.

See, there are great writers. And there are great storytellers. And every once in a very rare while, God looks down and hands the combo platter to someone. A great writer AND a great storyteller. You may think there’s a lot of them out there, but guess what – you’re wrong. And I know a few of you believe great storytelling is great writing and vice-versa… I used to think that, until I read each without the other.

(…)

I know a large number of you don’t give a shit about great writing so long as the story works. And a lot of you can’t stand reading amazing prose if there’s no story to grab you. As stated, I can enjoy both. I guess it’s because the combo platter is so rare, that I’m used to settling as a reader. Taking what’s out there. So then, when I do find it – especially in someone without a dozen books under their belt – it makes me look in the mirror and think: perhaps if I had understood earlier, or worked harder, studied more, pushed myself more… maybe I could’ve had the combo platter.

Whatcha think?

(Oh, and Holly Lisle is having a one day sale!)

You know, I’ve always wanted to be a Mira author. Who knew it would happen . . . in Germany!

I think this Weiber after work is BOUND TO HAPPEN, though it could be BTH and ALL TIED UP in an anthology. I can’t tell from the copy!

„Chili extra hot“
Macy hat sich für ihren regelmäßigen Mädelsabend diesmal etwas besonderes ausgedacht: Sie veranstaltet eine Party, auf der jede einen Partner zugewiesen bekommt. Innerhalb von vier Wochen sollen die Pärchen gegenseitig ihre intimsten Geheimnisse herausfinden. Dem Sieger winkt eine Reise auf einer Yacht. Macys persönlicher Gewinner heißt noch am selben Abend Leo Redding, ein smarter Anwalt, der nicht nur das juristische Handwerk bestens beherrscht.

„Risiko“
Der Hauptpreis aber geht an Sydney und Ray, die kurzerhand beschließen, den Rest der Clique mit auf Kreuzfahrt zu nehmen. Das erotische Spiel geht weiter, und als die Truppe vor einem Traumstrand kentert, sieht Ray seine Chance gekommen: In der abgeschiedenen Lagune will er die kühle Schönheit Sydney – Spitzname Eisprinzessin – zum Schmelzen bringen …