Writing the Perfect Book: A Bridge

At the beginning, the hero is not yet on the scene, but only exists in the mind of the reader, suggested by the urgency of the entire plot.

The heroine is the perfect touch of helplessness and womanly strength and beauty. She embodies the hopes and fears of women everywhere.

The setting is a stellar combination of your finest dreams haunted by your worst nightmare. It is both a place you have been and a place you hope you never have to see, a bridge between your life and your imagination.

The pace is leisurely when you are enchanted, but galloping when the suspense is ratcheted up.

When the hero arrives, he is everything you want him to be. Vulnerable, totally capable, and in the nick of time.

The ending comes far too soon.

The lingering taste in the palate is satisfaction, with a mouth-watering thirst for more.

Insert  description, characters and dialogue here.

books rethunk

I've been gradually opening my mind to the concept of e-books taking over the publishing world. The biggest barrier for me is one I find it hard to verbalize. I suspect this is the case with many people. How do you describe the difference between holding an actual book with a cover and pages in your hand, compared to holding an electronic device?

But, I have tried.

The day I knew 'they' were winning was when I entered a contest to win a Kindle. So, I wasn't as against the device itself, but rather the expense, perhaps? Since I normally don't buy books at the usual new price, but rather review books for free,borrow from the library or my mother's extensive book collection, I object to being locked into reading at a cost higher than my current one.

But this was before I found myself surrounded by a sea of children and parents waiting to go into the Storytime Hour at my local library.

I saw toddlers, and babies, preschoolers and kids in strollers with moms, dads and grandparents. The library had provided books in baskets in the foyer where they were waiting. Adults knelt on the floor and sat in chairs with children on their laps. Kids were lifting the flaps of flap books, pointing to colorful pictures, drooling on books, listening to the adults read, and prattling about the pictures.

Instantly in my mind, I replaced each scenario with an e-reader. It was not a pretty sight.

All that work. Gone in an instant. I wasn't going to be able to keep up the pretext of going with the flow into a new generation of e-reading. And now I had one solid reason why.

What's your opinion on books vs. e-readers?