_jack_
Hello. For months now I have been wanting to get back into reading, after a large ICT project gave me no time to relax. However recently, my english teacher had given the whole class homework to get a book, read it, and bring it in to show her where we are up to and describe what has happened so far. I saw this as a great opportunity to get back to reading.
BUT! All the great authors people had told me about to read before, i would pick up completely the wrong book by them and be put off. I have never tried steven king before, and my dad had been constantly saying "you should try him sometime" etc. as he is a big fan.
So, before I go and ruin another author, could someone recommend a great book to start with. I have heard some books like "The Stand" are good. Should i try that? I also heard that he wrote the book that the great film "The Shawshank Redemption" was based on. Please don't give me a crappy short answer. Detailed answers are guarenteed 10 points :)
Thank you.
Answer
Yes you should give King a try, but I can understand why you're unsure where to start; King, while generally regarded as an author of horror, regularly hops around sub-genres, so you can never be quite sure what you're going to get. Of course, if you've never read any of him, you don't want your first book to be one that isn't up your street as it may put you off him.
So, where to start? Well, his greatest work is the Dark Tower series, however you shouldn't start there because firstly it's a seven book series and secondly, to enhance your enjoyment of it you should read a couple of his other books first. The Stand is one of those and yes it's very good indeed, but keep in mind it is also the best part of 1500 pages long. It's hard to describe it briefly but it's a kind of post apocalyptic story where a super-flu kills almost everyone, then the survivors gather in 'good vs evil' sides. It culminates in the main characters of the 'good side' making a stand against the Walking Man, who is the leader of the 'bad side', and a bit of an evil magician, but in a King way, not a Tolkien way.
Another great of his (and also mildly related to the Dark Tower) is Salem's Lot. This is what a vampire story should be; no sparkly, prepubescent, in-the-closet children here, the vampires are smart, evil and...well...everything a vampire should be. Very much a horror story.
I'll recommend one more, as to give you too many options would likely not help your decision, and that is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's a reasonably short book, and tells the story of a young girl who gets separated from her family while walking in the woods in Maine. She gets lost and wanders the woods, and King conveys the sense of isolation, loneliness and childhood fear in such a beautiful way.
So there you are, I hope this has been somewhat helpful, and also hope you do enjoy whichever book you choose. King is one of my favourite authors, I've been reading his books since I was about 10, and they rarely disappoint.
Yes you should give King a try, but I can understand why you're unsure where to start; King, while generally regarded as an author of horror, regularly hops around sub-genres, so you can never be quite sure what you're going to get. Of course, if you've never read any of him, you don't want your first book to be one that isn't up your street as it may put you off him.
So, where to start? Well, his greatest work is the Dark Tower series, however you shouldn't start there because firstly it's a seven book series and secondly, to enhance your enjoyment of it you should read a couple of his other books first. The Stand is one of those and yes it's very good indeed, but keep in mind it is also the best part of 1500 pages long. It's hard to describe it briefly but it's a kind of post apocalyptic story where a super-flu kills almost everyone, then the survivors gather in 'good vs evil' sides. It culminates in the main characters of the 'good side' making a stand against the Walking Man, who is the leader of the 'bad side', and a bit of an evil magician, but in a King way, not a Tolkien way.
Another great of his (and also mildly related to the Dark Tower) is Salem's Lot. This is what a vampire story should be; no sparkly, prepubescent, in-the-closet children here, the vampires are smart, evil and...well...everything a vampire should be. Very much a horror story.
I'll recommend one more, as to give you too many options would likely not help your decision, and that is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's a reasonably short book, and tells the story of a young girl who gets separated from her family while walking in the woods in Maine. She gets lost and wanders the woods, and King conveys the sense of isolation, loneliness and childhood fear in such a beautiful way.
So there you are, I hope this has been somewhat helpful, and also hope you do enjoy whichever book you choose. King is one of my favourite authors, I've been reading his books since I was about 10, and they rarely disappoint.
how can i get my book published?
Kyra
i wrote an entire book (30 chapters) it still needs editing and i've only told one or two people i wrote it, my mom doesn't even know i write i kinda keep to myself (ps im fourteen). I posted a part of the book on here and got pretty good feedback so i was wondering if there was a way i could email a part of my book to a publisher or something. Do you have any advice?
Answer
Firstly, you need to show it to more people and get more feedback on it; get feedback from *people* (plural) who have read the whole thing. You're not going to get published by editing your book yourself and getting only a few paragraphs critiqued by people here. writers are hardly qualified to fully edit their own books.
Just remember that those giving you negative feedback (not mean feedback) are only trying to help you make it better so that one day you can get it published, so don't be afraid of feedback. It might not always be what we want to hear (that's so great!) but be wary of those who have nothing to criticize about your work. Chances are they're unqualified to give you feedback and as an amateur writer you're not writing anything perfect at this stage. And, I know for a fact that most people here critiquing other's writing are not qualified to give you helpful feedback that you can use. Look elsewhere for it. And this is no offense to those who critique work here. I've posted samples of my work and I've also gotten the same type of feedback you've gotten (nearly all the time) but when I go to other sites with more experienced writers, thats where I start getting the good critiques that let me know that my writing isn't all that perfect. - and great critiques that I can use to make my book and writing better.
Anyway, I'm proud of you and I don't even know you. I think it's great that you've written a full novel at 14. I couldn't even do this when I was in my early 20s (I could only write 20 pages, haha). Keep up the good work and no matter what, never stop writing if publishing a novel is your goal. get up the courage to show it to more people; that's the only way you'll get better and I believe that you will. Hang around writing communities for encouragement with your writing. Good luck to you.
Firstly, you need to show it to more people and get more feedback on it; get feedback from *people* (plural) who have read the whole thing. You're not going to get published by editing your book yourself and getting only a few paragraphs critiqued by people here. writers are hardly qualified to fully edit their own books.
Just remember that those giving you negative feedback (not mean feedback) are only trying to help you make it better so that one day you can get it published, so don't be afraid of feedback. It might not always be what we want to hear (that's so great!) but be wary of those who have nothing to criticize about your work. Chances are they're unqualified to give you feedback and as an amateur writer you're not writing anything perfect at this stage. And, I know for a fact that most people here critiquing other's writing are not qualified to give you helpful feedback that you can use. Look elsewhere for it. And this is no offense to those who critique work here. I've posted samples of my work and I've also gotten the same type of feedback you've gotten (nearly all the time) but when I go to other sites with more experienced writers, thats where I start getting the good critiques that let me know that my writing isn't all that perfect. - and great critiques that I can use to make my book and writing better.
Anyway, I'm proud of you and I don't even know you. I think it's great that you've written a full novel at 14. I couldn't even do this when I was in my early 20s (I could only write 20 pages, haha). Keep up the good work and no matter what, never stop writing if publishing a novel is your goal. get up the courage to show it to more people; that's the only way you'll get better and I believe that you will. Hang around writing communities for encouragement with your writing. Good luck to you.
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