No Genre fiction or Chick Lit?

I've been trying my hand at No Genre Fiction and I need some feedback.

This is my first attempt at No Genre Fiction.  It has no Romance, no Mystery, no Zombies, Aliens, or Vampires. It follows the rules as to no genre and it is a fictional story about something that can happen in everyday life.

So do you think it could be classified as,  No Genre Fiction? Or do you think it would be Chick lit?

Find one person's definition for Chick lit here  http://chicklitbooks.com/what-is-chick-lit/

Okay here's my story...

"All Grown Up"

    I look at my reflection in the mirror. No longer a child, there’s a young woman staring back at me. I hear the knock at the door and glance over my shoulder as my maid of honor opens it. 

   Standing there in his dark tuxedo, looking more handsome than I can ever remember, is my dad. He puts out his arm to me and asks, “Ready to go?”

   I walk over and kiss him on the cheek. Our eyes are almost even now and I wonder, Has he gotten shorter, or is it just that I have grown taller? This man who used to tower over me when he taught me how to ride a bike and to throw a baseball when I wanted to join little league. Leaving a smudge of lipstick, I wipe it away with the tip of a finger, nod my approval, and notice the gray that streaks through his hair. I slip my arm through his and whisper, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I let him lead me out into the foyer as the music begins. Our steps are matched in harmony as we walk towards the alter and I can feel the eyes on us, watching every step we take. There is Aunt Mae, smiling and wiggling her fingers in a wave. And Uncle Henry, tugging at his tie, and looking bored out of his skin. Too many people watching us. It makes the heat rise high on my cheeks. I feel exposed and jittery. I stumble and tighten my grip on dad’s arm. 

   He pats my hand and smiles. His smile comforts me. Me, his little girl, looking all grown up in white satin and lace. “You okay?” He asks. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”

   I smile at him through the lacy gauze of my veil. “Dad were you this nervous when you married mom?”

   He leans his head against mine and whispers so only I can hear. “I was so nervous; I forgot to put my socks on. My feet started to sweat and my shoes slipped up and down. I had blisters for weeks.”

   I chuckle at his secret. We pause next to the pew mom is sitting in. Even though her smile beams with love, her eyes fill with tears. She dabs at her eyes and gives me a watery smile. I smile back and can feel my own tears well up as I turn my attention to the handsome man waiting for me at the alter. Dad takes my hand and holds it out to this man, who in a few moments of time will become my husband. As I let go of dad’s hand I know in his eyes I will always be his little girl, but as I take the hand of my husband to be, I know in fact that I am “All Grown Up.”

Okay that's my story. What do you think? C.K. Hopper left a comment on my other post saying that No Genre Fiction sounds rather boring, so I tried to make it as entertaining as possible. 

I am writing another one titled, "Passing the Time" that I will submit to a magazine that only accepts No Genre Fiction. 

   Also I have a question; Do you think No Genre Fiction can only be written in first person POV, or do you think it's possible to write it in second or third person POV?

   And if you'd like to try No Genre Fiction, post a short story on your blog and then email me the link and I'll do a post, sharing everyone's links.

   Have a great weekend everyone! And stop by my other blog and check out all the covers so far for, "Show Me Your Cover! http://karensdifferentcorners.wordpress.com/category/book-covers/show-me-your-cover/

Reviews vs. Critiques

I am doing "Show me your Cover" on my other blog for the next 30 days, so I thought I'd share a post or two here on Different Corners in my Life.
First, if you'd like to participate in, "Show me your Cover" you can find the rules here;
http://karensdifferentcorners.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/come-one-come-all/

In fact it's that post that got me to thinking about reviews vs. critiques.

Why is it, when we write a review, we feel the need to critique the book and tear it apart? Pointing out all the flaws, instead of just enjoying the story.

I recently read, Devil's Nightmare written by Robert Pruneda. In fact it is the first cover featured on "Show me your Cover"

It is a beautiful cover and a great story! And I gave it an honest review, but where do I get the right to critique it?

When I ask for reviews of my own books, I do ask for the honest truth. Give me all you've got, but that's because I haven't used critique partners or beta readers and I know I should. I know my stories are good, but my writing sucks, BUT I'm learning. Wow that was a little harsh, but then again, I am my biggest critic and my own worst enemy. I tend to grab the football and run for the goalpost and...Touchdown! Oops...I say as the other team pats me on the back. "Thank's, they say, 'for winning the game for us" It's all about hindsight, Karen. Stop and think before you speak.

But I like to read a book for the stories. I like a book that will give me an adventure. That will take me away. Make me use my imagination, and have me afraid of turning out the lights, and "Devil's Nightmare" did just that.

I'm a big Stephen King fan and have recently started re-reading some of his books. I re-read "Dead Zone" last week. Now Stephen King surely has beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders, and editors up the ying-yang, and yet there were typographical errors. WHAT! Stephen King? No way! Yes way.

I read, "Under the Dome" (long book, by the way) And there was one part in it that I just skimmed over. It didn't need to be there. He could have left it out and the story would have been just fine. But...

Since when did I become someone who critiques someone else's work? That's not me. When I pick up a book, I read it to be entertained, to get lost, to slip away from my humdrum life :-) and to find an adventure.

So from now on, if you ask me (Rob didn't) for a review, you are going to get a basic, "I loved it, or I hated it"
 If you ask me to beta read or critique it, then that's a different story.

Pick up "Devil's Nightmare" and read it. Put your critical eye aside and Read it for the story. It's a thrilling story!

Mistakes, Reviews, Edit!

Okay Everyone should know by now...I'm a sucker for my daily horoscope and today is no different, but I love how it always works to my advantage when it comes to writing a blog post. So without further ado, here is My Horoscope for today

Don't be afraid to look for (and find) mistakes in your work -- after all, isn't it better to discover something that you did wrong yourself, rather than have the big boss or teacher discover it? Sure, it might require more energy or time to proofread or double check something, but instigating a positive change is always worth the extra effort. You need to build a reputation as someone who gets it right, not just someone who gets it done on time.

Okay so I have been looking for reviews on my novelette "Kyle & Kelly" Which was free this past weekend. Now I'm not a professional reviewer myself and really hate to give negative reviews or even constructive ones, it's just not me, but if I read a book and I like it, I will leave a quick review for the author on amazon or smashwords, or wherever their book is and I will review it here on my blog. Anyway I have been searching for people to review my book but I'm sorry, I am not going to pay someone $25 to give me a review! Besides there are plenty of my copies that people have purchased out there that I shouldn't have to pay for a review.  I'm cheap! I learned that from my dad :-) But I learned from my mom that if you are going to do something, do it right!

So now on to Mistakes!

Also I am not going to pay someone $3 a page to proofread and edit my book. I'm sorry once again, but as I said, I'm cheap." BUT and that's a big word! That doesn't mean that I should just throw it together and publish it without reading through it, time and time again myself. Yes we all use spell checker, including myself, And no it doesn't find "Hi" misspelled, even though it should say "His" Or that you wrote "your" instead of "you're" or even the fact that you somehow put an extra word in like "He is was the whatever" Yes sometimes my grammar is off and my puncuation isn't in the right place, and I have fragmented sentences (Hey, that's how my character said it in my head!) But I don't want people to give me a bad review because I didn't take the time to read through my own story and find my mistakes before I put it out there for the whole world to see.

 I don't want to give you a bad review based on your mistakes. I want to give you a good review because your story intrigued me, made me laugh, or cry. I know it's hard when you have a 100,000 word novel. Print it up and read through it. Enlist the help of family and friends to see if you have mistakes. I know we all get in a hurry.

 I got the idea for "Kyle & Kelly" on the 10th of January after receiving my jury duty summons. I wrote it out and must have read it 50 times before taking the plunge to self publish it. It is only 78 pages. It would have been 113 pages if I hadn't had problems with embedded fonts and formatting, because I ended up using the Arial font instead of Times New Roman. I had it published and available by the 3rd of February (My birthday!) Yes, I was in a hurry also, but I hope that when people read it they will like it or hate it because of the story and not because of mistakes. Please and I can't say this enough.. If you are cheap like I am, read and reread your story, find your mistakes, and be proud of your work.

If anyone would like to read "Kyle & Kelly" and review it and yes look for my mistakes, let me know and I can send you a copy.  

Oh and just so you know, I have very tough skin and you can't offend me, unless you tell me I'm rude, which seems to cause little mental breakdowns on my part!

:-) Have a great day everyone! 

Love to Read!

Good Morning and Happy New Year! I was supposed to have posted this blog post 3 days ago, but... And it was supposed to be about New Year Resolutions and Goals, but...So I thought I'd combine them into one post today.
First, I don't make resolutions. To me they are like "Promises" and "Rules"
"Never make a promise you can't keep."
                  And
"Rules were made to be broken"
So no resolutions here! For me they are just a way to set myself up for failure. But I want to share some other blogger's posts with you this morning on their resolutions and goals.

http://nepheletempest.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/as-the-year-fades-to-memory/
http://www.rachellegardner.com/2011/12/goals-resolutions-words/
http://www.ericaluckedean.com/the-daily-blog/2012/1/2/theres-nothing-like-a-good-book.html?lastPage=true#comment16431943


http://clairejdeboer.com/2012/01/the-difference-between-a-new-years-resolution-and-a-goal

But wait! I do have some goals for 2012!

1. I want to read more books by new authors. I'm a big Stephen King fan, but since I started writing in 2011, I decided to start reading books by new authors and giving them support. (And I'm doing good so far. I have read two books since Christmas by new authors. Richard C Hale and Carolyn Arnold.)
2. To get better at writing reviews. I tend to be short and to the point!
3. To improve my query writing. Here I also tend to be short and to the point. 
4. To keep learning new things.
5. Finish writing the middle two books for my series, "Chris' Journey Turning Different Corners"
6. And last, but not least, to reconnect with family and friends that I seem to have been neglecting since I started writing. I've heard being a writer is a lonely life and boy they weren't kidding!

And this is my tarot card this morning. Sounds good to me!

"The Knight of Pentacles card suggests that my power today lies in practicality. I plan ahead and consider my options to set priorities or define goals that serve my long-term purpose. My values lay in the potential that often remains unseen by others. I am cautious, steady, optimistic and reliable and have earned the new trust or position that empowers me. My asset is accepting responsibility."

So I wish each and everyone of you, "An awesome new year, filled with success for all your resolutions and goals!"