Wednesday, February 24, 2010

THE THRIFT STORE ADDICT VS. MARILYN MONROE'S BRA

Catchy title, huh? Well, at least it got you here!

I've been a thrift store addict for over twenty years. Love the people, love the clothes, love inspecting what other people have thrown into cardboard boxes and dumped into one of those metal containers found in mall parking lots. Thrifters know these second-hand stores have no fancy frills, often concrete floors, and NO COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT. You buy it, you own it. The majority of "stuff" in thrift stores is dented, scratched, broken, or NEW (wedding, birthday, Christmas gifts someone didn't like). Hmmm, wonder if they've thought about re-gifting? Anyway, a thrifter knows it's all about separating through the really bad stuff and getting to the treasures. Ahhhh, yes, by now you've probably guessed where I'm going with this morning blog.

I'm on Chapter 12 of ISLAND PASSAGE, going through the manuscript again. Still picking through the "bad stuff" and getting to the "treasures." Let me give you some advice: forget the frills, fancy words, and trying to write like Toni Morrison. Remember this. Toni Morrison writes like Toni Morrison. Get the point? The more you dress up a sentence and call it literary, the more you look like a ten-year-old girl wearing Marilyn Monroe's bra. Go through and tighten your sentences, pick out the flowery words that trip the reader's concentration and makes him/her stop reading mid-sentence. After a few times of stopping-and-starting, the reader loses interest and drops YOUR BOOK into the return slot of the library. Or, if your reader actually bought the book, it might end up at a thrift shop, making the rounds of drab, metal shelving and keeping company with a hodge-podge of other books. No worries, I've found some wonderful "stuff" on those shelves! KEEP WRITING!!!

1 comment:

  1. Love the title and love the content. How true. Sher, I love the way you look at things.

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