How do you instill in your children a love of reading? In a day when everyone seems to be addicted to cell phones or video games, how do you make a child put down their electronics and read a good book?
A big attraction to electronics is the fast-moving frames and lots of action. Books may seem to be quite boring in comparison. Providing a variety of reading material may help. So, why not make a day trip to a local library and expose them to the endless variety of choices. At the library, there will usually be a large assortment of good fiction books to choose from that are suitable for children of any age. Depending on their age, they might like to read mystery fiction, I know I did when I was a child. Or perhaps, they prefer crime fiction or suspense fiction, something with a good plot! Allow them to choose five to eight books of their choice to bring home. The fact that they chose the book and not you will encourage them to read it.
Or, if there are no libraries near where you live, why not together with your children search for online books that they would like to read. There will be an endless number to choose from!
When I want to begin a new habit, I often need to have some kind of reward for accomplishing what I set out to do. Why not create a chart or graph where the number of books read can be recorded? That way, your child can visually see the progress they have made in the amount of books they have read.
As a parent, do you like to read yourself? Children will often follow the example of their parents and reading is no exception. Growing up, I never saw my mother read a book. She was always busy around the house, taking care of us. The only time I saw her read was when she was on vacation. Ironically, I tend to also read when I am on vacation! It takes effort for a parent to show children that reading is not a chore, but something that can be enjoyed at every age.
Make reading a special time with your children. I can remember when I was quite young, Mom would read a small book to us before we went to sleep. I know that we had Mom read the same book repeatedly and we knew the ending, but just to have time with Mom was special. Reading then becomes associated with spending time with you – something every child wants! This can also be a good way to reward your children for work well done and to help them relax before they sleep. Video games and electronics don’t have the same effect!
The love of reading that is instilled while young will carry over to when they are older and will prove to be a big asset when in school. Don’t miss opportunities to nurture this love in them when they are young. Reward them for books they have read. Join a book club so a new book is delivered to your home every month! Take the opportunity to spend time with your children by reading to them before they go to sleep. And take a moment too for yourself to remember the time gone by when you too loved to read. Perhaps you will rekindle the love for reading that you once had as you begin to sink into a good book.
Showing posts with label crime fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Monday, January 15, 2018
Are you an observant person?
All of us may want to reply to that question in the affirmative, but the truth is that all of us, after self-examination, would have to admit that no matter how observant we are already, this is something we can still improve upon.
This is a great skill for writers to have as the more observant we are, the more it will come across in the books or stories that we write. We can describe a scene with better detail; we can make our characters more appealing and real. This is true, no matter the kind of fiction you write: crime fiction, horror fiction, suspense fiction, romantic fiction, or mystery fiction.
Thankfully, even if we are not that observant now, it is a skill that can be improved!
There is a saying that “familiarity breeds contempt”. However, familiarity with something or someone can also lead to taking it or them for granted, which in turns leads to being less observant.
I remember one work colleague arriving at work one day saying that he had just driven his car to work and had no idea how he had arrived. He had driven the same route every day to and from work for so long, that now he could do it on “auto-pilot”. He had become so familiar with the route he took that he did not have to think about what to do or where to go. He just did it! Just think of all the interesting details of each journey that he would miss out on if that continued to happen!
I can also remember when I was young traveling with my family to the wedding of some friends. I had played chess and other games with my sister to while away the time of the journey. At the wedding reception, I was enthusiastically greeted by an old family friend that I had not seen for a while. Eventually, she asked me if my sister was also at the reception, to which I replied, “yes”.
She told me that she would go to find my sister and then asked me, “what is she wearing?”
Though I had earlier spent more than two hours next to my sister, for the life of me, I did not know the answer to that question. That incident certainly taught me a lesson!
What can we do to improve? Well, if you type “how to be more observant” in an Internet search engine, you will get a wealth of suggestions, but I will add a favorite of mine that I have found useful through the years.
Learn from comedians! What does that mean? Have you ever listened to a comedian and found yourself laughing at how they can take certain people behaviors or conversations and show you the humor in them? Comedians are great observers as that is how they can get the source for much of their material.
One comedian, actor, writer and film director I enjoyed was the late Jacques Tati. Once, when describing how he got ideas for his material, he said he got it from watching people around him. People walking, driving their cars, people stuck in traffic in their cars. People acting naturally, completely unaware that others might be watching them.
Become a people watcher. Don’t take others for granted. Notice how they dress, how they walk, their posture, what gestures they use and so forth. Then take notes of what you have seen. Try to get new and more in depth details every time you do this. Notice their emotions; notice the humor in what they do. This will not just help you become more observant, but you will also get more details for characters for the next novel or story that you write!
This is a great skill for writers to have as the more observant we are, the more it will come across in the books or stories that we write. We can describe a scene with better detail; we can make our characters more appealing and real. This is true, no matter the kind of fiction you write: crime fiction, horror fiction, suspense fiction, romantic fiction, or mystery fiction.
Thankfully, even if we are not that observant now, it is a skill that can be improved!
There is a saying that “familiarity breeds contempt”. However, familiarity with something or someone can also lead to taking it or them for granted, which in turns leads to being less observant.
I remember one work colleague arriving at work one day saying that he had just driven his car to work and had no idea how he had arrived. He had driven the same route every day to and from work for so long, that now he could do it on “auto-pilot”. He had become so familiar with the route he took that he did not have to think about what to do or where to go. He just did it! Just think of all the interesting details of each journey that he would miss out on if that continued to happen!
I can also remember when I was young traveling with my family to the wedding of some friends. I had played chess and other games with my sister to while away the time of the journey. At the wedding reception, I was enthusiastically greeted by an old family friend that I had not seen for a while. Eventually, she asked me if my sister was also at the reception, to which I replied, “yes”.
She told me that she would go to find my sister and then asked me, “what is she wearing?”
Though I had earlier spent more than two hours next to my sister, for the life of me, I did not know the answer to that question. That incident certainly taught me a lesson!
What can we do to improve? Well, if you type “how to be more observant” in an Internet search engine, you will get a wealth of suggestions, but I will add a favorite of mine that I have found useful through the years.
Learn from comedians! What does that mean? Have you ever listened to a comedian and found yourself laughing at how they can take certain people behaviors or conversations and show you the humor in them? Comedians are great observers as that is how they can get the source for much of their material.
One comedian, actor, writer and film director I enjoyed was the late Jacques Tati. Once, when describing how he got ideas for his material, he said he got it from watching people around him. People walking, driving their cars, people stuck in traffic in their cars. People acting naturally, completely unaware that others might be watching them.
Become a people watcher. Don’t take others for granted. Notice how they dress, how they walk, their posture, what gestures they use and so forth. Then take notes of what you have seen. Try to get new and more in depth details every time you do this. Notice their emotions; notice the humor in what they do. This will not just help you become more observant, but you will also get more details for characters for the next novel or story that you write!
Monday, January 8, 2018
What is the best bottle of wine that you can buy?
Is it a bottle that costs $10 or a bottle that costs $1,000? Would it be a French wine, Italian, South African, or from another country? There are so many possible answers to that question because there are so many to choose from. You can try a friend’s recommendation, or you might do research on what different wine experts say and try one of their choices. However, the best answer I heard to this question is that the best wine to buy is the one that you enjoy. That is logical, I am sure you will agree. People differ. Personal tastes differ. What you like, I might not like and vice versa.
The same kind of question can be asked about books. What is your favorite novel? What kind of fiction do you like to read? Do you prefer romance fiction, crime fiction, horror fiction, mystery fiction, fantasy books, or suspense fiction?
The answer might vary depending on how you or I feel at the moment. Yet, whatever genre of book that I might wish to read at any given moment, my preferences often have something in common. I like a novel or a story that stimulates my imagination and that draws me into the scene that the author is creating, while at the same time engaging my emotions and interest.
One author who has that effect on me is the late Georgette Heyer. Some of you might ask: “Georgette Who?” Georgette Heyer! Among other things she wrote romance fiction, crime fiction and historical novels often set in the 1700’s and early 1800’s in England and Europe. Though she may not be too well known to many modern-day lovers of fiction, one book-selling company said that she is one of their top 10 bestselling authors! Not bad for someone who died in 1974!
One reason why I like her books is her use of description. As mentioned, some, in fact, many of her books were set in the early 1800’s or to be more precise, what is known as the Regency period in England. Namely, the decade of 1811-1820 when then king of Great Britain, George III was deemed unfit to rule, and his son, later George IV, ruled as his proxy as the Prince Regent.
This period was about 100 years before Georgette Heyer lived and vastly different from her world and that of her readers; in language, in dress and customs. So to help her readers understand the setting and time period of her novels, she included a lot of detailed information in them. This information was also apparently very accurate as Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life.
Yet, despite the level of detail that she gave in her novels, it is the way she did it that makes me marvel at her as an author. As I read through such of her works as The Grand Sophy, Regency Buck, a collection of short stories Pistols For Two, I am not weighed down by an avalanche of detail, but I am fed just enough information at each moment to make me feel I am part of her scene, while being absorbed in her characters and her wit at storytelling.
If you have not read any of Georgette Heyer’s works, why not give them a try? You can find them well enough online. I may not be a literary expert, but she would be one of my recommendations!
The same kind of question can be asked about books. What is your favorite novel? What kind of fiction do you like to read? Do you prefer romance fiction, crime fiction, horror fiction, mystery fiction, fantasy books, or suspense fiction?
The answer might vary depending on how you or I feel at the moment. Yet, whatever genre of book that I might wish to read at any given moment, my preferences often have something in common. I like a novel or a story that stimulates my imagination and that draws me into the scene that the author is creating, while at the same time engaging my emotions and interest.
One author who has that effect on me is the late Georgette Heyer. Some of you might ask: “Georgette Who?” Georgette Heyer! Among other things she wrote romance fiction, crime fiction and historical novels often set in the 1700’s and early 1800’s in England and Europe. Though she may not be too well known to many modern-day lovers of fiction, one book-selling company said that she is one of their top 10 bestselling authors! Not bad for someone who died in 1974!
One reason why I like her books is her use of description. As mentioned, some, in fact, many of her books were set in the early 1800’s or to be more precise, what is known as the Regency period in England. Namely, the decade of 1811-1820 when then king of Great Britain, George III was deemed unfit to rule, and his son, later George IV, ruled as his proxy as the Prince Regent.
This period was about 100 years before Georgette Heyer lived and vastly different from her world and that of her readers; in language, in dress and customs. So to help her readers understand the setting and time period of her novels, she included a lot of detailed information in them. This information was also apparently very accurate as Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life.
Yet, despite the level of detail that she gave in her novels, it is the way she did it that makes me marvel at her as an author. As I read through such of her works as The Grand Sophy, Regency Buck, a collection of short stories Pistols For Two, I am not weighed down by an avalanche of detail, but I am fed just enough information at each moment to make me feel I am part of her scene, while being absorbed in her characters and her wit at storytelling.
If you have not read any of Georgette Heyer’s works, why not give them a try? You can find them well enough online. I may not be a literary expert, but she would be one of my recommendations!
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