book reviews |
book reviews |
Lifelong educator and new author, Scott Douthit introduces us to his debut book, “My Dyslexic Life”: “But Mr. D, you’ve graduated from college, written plays— you’re a great teacher with all these awards. You wouldn’t know what it’s like to have people make you feel stupid for being dyslexic!” “Actually, believe it or not...” Today, researchers estimate that between five and twenty percent of the population is affected by dyslexia. This growing awareness and understanding of different learning styles has changed the lives of tens of millions of people. When Scott Douthit was growing up in the 1960s, though, no one could explain why it was so difficult for him to succeed in the one-size-fits-all schools he attended. My Deslex Dyslexic Life: A Journey Out of the Shadows, a deeply moving account of Scott’s struggles and triumphs, invites the reader to consider new ways of overcoming barriers to accomplishment and understanding, both for themselves and others. At once entertaining and touching, it offers an intimate glance into the life, mind, and heart of a courageous individual. Scott’s story serves as a reminder that the norms, standards, and expectations of society are a work in progress, and that it is within our power to make them more humane and compassionate. A staggering 5 to 15 percent of Americans—14.5 to 43.5 million children and adults—have dyslexia, a learning disability that makes it difficult to read, write, and spell, no matter how hard the person tries or how intelligent he or she is. •It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have dyslexia •Over 40 million American Adults are dyslexic - and only 2 million know it •Dyslexia is not tied to IQ - Einstein was dyslexic and had an estimated IQ of 160 •Dyslexia in not just about getting letters or numbers mixed up or out of order •80% of people associate dyslexia with some form of retardation - this is not true •Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability or disorder that includes poor word reading, word decoding, oral reading fluency and spelling •Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels •Dyslexia has nothing to do with not working hard enough •20% of school-aged children in the US are dyslexic •With appropriate teaching methods, dyslexia can learn successfully •Over 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic •Dyslexia runs in families; parents with dyslexia are very likely to have children with dyslexia •Dyslexics may struggle with organizational skills, planning and prioritizing, keeping time, concentrating with background noise. •Dyslexics may excel at connecting ideas, thinking out of the box, 3D thinking, seeing the big picture •People with dyslexia excel or even gifted in areas of art, computer science, design, drama, electronics, math, mechanics, music, physics, sales and sports •Many famous people are dyslexic including: Orlando Bloom, Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Spielberg, Kiera Knightley. Albert Einstein and Patrick Dempsey This book was an eye-opener for me! While I have never struggled with reading, quite the opposite, actually. The stories of struggling in social situations and flunking a skills test in a physical education class resonated to the core of my soul. Having a serious stammering problem caused my school years to be full of social difficulties beyond the normal teen angst. I loved the writing, it was so meaningful and using the vehicle of vignettes from the author’s life provided perfect illustrations of the struggles faced by so many. Scott brings hope and humor into difficult situations. I greatly appreciate his passion for educating everybody about different styles of learning and how to appreciate those differences. I award 5 stars to “My Dyslexic Life” by Scott Douthit! You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/my-dyslexic-life-a-journey-out-of-the-shadows-by-scott-douthit https://smile.amazon.com/My-Dyslexic-Life-Journey-Shadows-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-my-dyslexic-life You can connect with the author: https://www.mydyslexiclife.com https://www.facebook.com/scott.douthit.1 Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
85 Comments
9/20/2020 03:01:32 pm
I’m very proud of this book that I have written. It took me seven years to complete this personal Memoir.
Reply
Mark
9/20/2020 05:01:04 pm
You should be proud of this book, it is amazing.
Reply
9/20/2020 07:49:16 pm
As a kid one thing I wanted to do more than anything was to make a difference. I know this sounds strange but my mother was an activist and a writer and was able to reach a lot of people through her words. I saw this and wanted desperately to follow in her footsteps. But no matter how hard I tried I was unable to do it. Not as an athlete ,not as a actor and as far as I was concerned not as a person. Even when I became a teacher I was just trying to be competent. Not until I arrived at Charles Armstrong school did I find a population of kids that I could truly reach. Being a dyslexic and working with dyslexics is a dream I never thought I could achieve. But Armstrong Is a small school and the reason I wrote this book is for all other kids who think they are alone, and their parents who don’t understand them.
Mark
9/20/2020 08:14:51 pm
As kids and adults, we all want the same thing. Just like you, we want to be loved and accepted for who we are or who we think we are.
Reply
9/20/2020 08:35:05 pm
I wrote this book to get the message out there. Being dyslexic it’s not a death sentence and that you can make it. Writing this book was a one time thing that took me seven years and a lot of help and support buy a lot of wonderful people. It is absolutely not meant to be a money maker And even though both my parents were writers and I wrote three musicals I did not love writing this book for two reasons. One I’m a very bad speller hand it took me a long time to write and rewrite each story. Any other reason was that these memories from my childhood and we’re very painful but I also believe that it was important to show what I went through and where I wound up.
Reply
Mark
9/20/2020 08:51:55 pm
I had a hunch that writing this book was difficult for you. Spell check will take you only so far. It makes lots of mistakes. Even a program like Grammarly has its limitations. 9/20/2020 09:13:25 pm
I design the cover. One of the reasons I went with the publisher I did was that they gave me the freedom to do that. The picture represents a very frustrated child trying to do what everyone else can do but failing miserably. The reflection represents me today. My editor Rodrigo A Munoz took the concept and made it a reality.
Reply
Mark
9/20/2020 09:23:28 pm
Very nice. The cover is well made. The frustration of the boy is plain. I like the chalkboard also, it is effective to isolate and highlight the titles.
Reply
9/20/2020 10:46:28 pm
The title of my book was originally out of the shadows which I got from the feeling that I got whenever I try to hide from everybody and going into the shadows. The shadows referred to the periphery or corners of an area or society. When I Hired my publisher they told me that it was too common of a title and that dyslexia and life should be in the title so when you Google those words my book will come up. I’m about as low-tech as they come so once I figure it out or Google meant I had to come up with a new title. As a group we came up with that title “ My dyslexic life“ The two students that were named in my book I came up with offhand. The rest of the names were actually the real ones. These Stories were from my memories so the names and places were actually real.
Mark
9/20/2020 11:08:06 pm
That was a good idea for the title. I hadn't thought about Google search results for that. There are so many little things that come together for a book.
Reply
9/21/2020 04:02:04 pm
This is my first and only book that I have written. I do have a audiobook that I am very proud of under the same title “ My dyslexic life a journey out of the shadows“. A former student has done the narration for the audio. JM Applebee Is a former student as well as a professional actor. He just finished a six-year run as a lead character in Beach blanket Babylon. I was very lucky and honored to have him record the audio book .
Reply
Mark
9/21/2020 05:16:53 pm
You have some good connections!
Reply
9/21/2020 05:49:40 pm
This is James’s first audiobook recording. I auditioned over 100 voice actors , James connected with the material and brought a sense of humor and gravitas to his performance. I really enjoyed having him on this project because he feels like I’m keeping this whole thing in the family. My son recorded and mixed the audiobook, James is a former student of mine, my agent is a former student of mine and my wife was by my side helping me with this book for seven years.
Mark
9/21/2020 06:19:13 pm
That is a lot of keeping it in the family. I love it. I hope that he continues with this kind of work, but I recognize that it is labor intensive for a narrator. Hours of recording and rerecording are required to produce one clean hour of an audio book.
Reply
9/21/2020 06:29:40 pm
To be honest with you this was the only book I thought about writing. As I said before I have written three musicals but working with dialogue then transitioning to song and lyrics seem a lot easier and more natural for me than writing a long story. I love reading novels especially fantasy. Lord of the rings, Harry Potter etc. but I couldn’t imagine doing that myself.
Reply
Mark
9/21/2020 07:16:02 pm
I think I know what you mean, in some fashion. I love to read, science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres. I certainly don't have a story struggling to get out of my head, nor do I have a desire to write a book. I have learned a great deal about writing, I might even be able to write a short story or two. But that would take away from my reading and proofreading which is such a pleasure for me. 9/21/2020 08:07:56 pm
Interesting question. I don’t know why we’re not on Kindle unlimited, my publisher is in charge of all that. And speaking of publishers I did send my book around to all the major publishers but I found Robert Reed publishing through contact with a former student who knew him. He talk with me before I was fully ready to publish and he stayed interested and willing to talk for the next three years. I wanted creative control of the cover and Audiobook.
Reply
Mark
9/21/2020 09:22:15 pm
Being a publisher, especially a traditional publisher has to be one of the worst jobs at this time. Since Amazon knocked over and busted up the proverbial apple cart over a decade ago. The traditional publishing industry has been shrinking drastically. So many players of all sizes have disappeared. Not only that the profit margins for the remaining publishers have shrunk to almost nothing. This has resulted in very small advances, if any being offered to a new author, and once the book is published the publisher is reluctant to spend any money on marketing the book. So the newly published author is faced with the shocking revelation of having to lay the creative hat down and pick up the business hat to handle their own promotion and marketing. It's not easy.
Reply
9/22/2020 01:34:42 pm
I can only speak for myself, it was important for me to develop trust with my publisher. To have a working relationship knowing that your partner, in this case my publisher was on the same wavelength. I need to know that my publisher believed that what I was writing was important. I found my publisher through a friend who know their background. When I interviewed with the big publishing companies I got the Opinion that it was more important to sell a certain number of units( books) then it was to get the message out there. If this book can show one person that they’re not alone then it’s all worthwhile to me and my publisher is coming from the same place, that is why I signed with them.
Reply
Mark
9/22/2020 03:06:00 pm
That is very important! What you sought and found is very important. You have a mission and selling books helps to spread your message of hope.
Reply
9/22/2020 04:02:00 pm
No,I have not entered or thought about entering a writing contest.I do not see myself as a writer but more as a storyteller who just so happen to have put those story’s in book from.
Reply
Mark
9/22/2020 04:12:39 pm
You are certainly a story teller. Musicals are another form of story. The forms that a story can take are many and varied. Including musicals, we also have movies, books, graphic novels, streaming shows, plays, audio books, large-print books and translations.
Reply
9/22/2020 04:31:55 pm
It is funny that you mentioned musicals and movies. Not only have I written three musicals but I am currently working on an adaptation of my book to be a musical. The best part is that I am collaborating with my son who is a musician and a former student James Applebee who is an actor. A former parent is a filmmaker and is working on a screenplay of my book.
Reply
Mark
9/22/2020 05:54:05 pm
It sounds like you have some great resources and talented people at your fingertips. How very wonderful. The idea of a musical is intriguing to me. I bet your publisher is excited also.
Reply
9/22/2020 06:37:36 pm
I picked the publisher I did because I trusted them. Big or small without trust I find it very difficult to put my faith in somebody else’s hands. The most unethical practice in publishing in my mind would be stealing or using without permission your intellectual property. Taking your story and changing it to reach commercial ends. Just like Billy Preston said in a song in the 60s “look what they did in my song“
Reply
Mark
9/23/2020 10:19:15 am
Trust is very important. It takes time to build and can be destroyed in a moment. Our entire social fabric is built on trust. As a freelance proofreader, I have to prove myself anew with every client, that I can be trusted to do what I say I will.
Reply
9/23/2020 01:10:37 pm
From the beginning I knew that getting the right voice actor was going to be very important in this whole process. As a dyslexic myself listening to an audiobook is much easier and I get much more out of it then reading a book. But Only if it’s done right, a droning voice can ruin the whole experience, or if the actor has no connection to the material. I had total control over the project and spent long time Interviewing and listening to audition recordings. James Applebee was always on the top of my list but he had no experience as a voice actor. What he did bring to the table though was a connection to the material and a actors perspective.After Interviewing over 100 professionals I decided that James was going to be the right fit. He studied the material and made it his own which in my opinion makes the book work even more effective than just reading it. Again it comes down to trust, And the trust paid off in the product.
Mark
9/23/2020 01:25:50 pm
That was a very thorough search. I am certain he did a wonderful job for you and the book. You have made many good decisions.
Reply
9/23/2020 05:17:53 pm
When I wrote musicals and develop characters it was a very emotionally exciting experience. As an actor I learned that you have to believe what your character was going through. I believe that’s the same thing you do as a writer. You have to make an emotional connection to the character to write it’s truth .
Reply
Mark
9/23/2020 07:20:29 pm
You build an excellent case for how important the emotional connection with characters is. The connection starts with the author connecting with the characters. The more intense the author's connection to the characters, the more the readers will feel that and connect with the characters and story as well. 9/23/2020 07:46:22 pm
Over, over, over. Just like I talk I write way more than needed. I saved all the journals that I’ve written in for this book over the last 8 to 10 years I have over 50 and when I finished the first draft I had more than 400 pages single space typed.I wants heard less is more but I’m still struggling with that. I promised myself that I would keep my book to under 200 pages and I did but I left a lot on the cutting room floor. The ironic part two this is when I write please I am not long-winded or an over writer ,I get right to the point. I guess it’s the difference between dialogue and description.
Reply
Mark
9/23/2020 08:30:28 pm
Many new authors do the same thing. Some want to describe every detail of a person waking up and going to work, they might fill 8 pages or more. The very common stuff that everyone knows and does themselves will bore them to tears and get the book closed so fast.
Reply
Mark
9/24/2020 12:07:08 am
I am not very musically inclined. I have a hard time matching tones. I have recommended to authors that they take a screenwriting class, to gain a new perspective on planning and scene setting in a book. It never occurred to me that writing musicals could aid in learning how to write good dialogue. Good dialogue is different from the way most of us talk. When we have a conversation with a friend, it sounds very poor if recorded and played back, we have halts, gaps and we use verbal clues and take shortcuts. When a new author tries to write the way they talk it's a disaster, mostly.
Reply
9/24/2020 04:06:15 pm
When I write fictional characters I try to develop a backstory for them. When I was an actor we were always told to develop a backstory or a history of where you’re from even if it’s not in the script. That is what I do when I write a character. Not only where is this person from or what has happened to the person in your life to put them in the situation that they’re in now. It’s a lot of fun to do this as an actor and as a writer.
Reply
Mark
9/24/2020 05:14:19 pm
Back story is very important. As you said, it provides the motivation and framework for the present. Many authors do different things to help them understand the characters. Some authors create a character sheet for each of the important characters with many of the things you mentioned. They might add birthplace, family, likes and dislikes, religion, education, all things that provide texture. Some will draw a picture of the characters or find pictures on the internet of how the character looks to them. Others develop a playlist for each character. One of my guest bloggers, Rick Hall, has created what he calls the Character Generating tool, he introduced it on my website, here is the link: Rick Hall @Stellerex64 has created a tool for generating psychologically consistent characters for use in writing fiction! It is free and fabulous! https://www.wordrefiner.com/guest-blogs/character-creation or search for his blogs in the search box below.
Reply
9/24/2020 05:24:35 pm
I have your dragon speak it just doesn’t work as fast as my brain does and after a couple rewrites that’s when I dictated to a typist.
Reply
Mark
9/24/2020 06:24:47 pm
I understand when you say Dragon is too slow. I don't have it, myself. But I feel the same way about audio books. I read pretty fast, unless I speed the playback rate up to 1.5 times the normal rate, I lose focus and my ears shut down. I have to work at maintaining my focus on the book. At that point I have lost some of the pleasure of the story.
Reply
9/24/2020 07:04:06 pm
Being judged by something you have no control over is something that’s happening today but as always happened. I have no control over being dyslexic and I am judged on a daily basis. I am stupid dumb or lazy all because I learn different then others.Compassion is what I hope that readers on my book will take away. We all are different and being compassionate is the way of bridging that gap.
Mark
9/24/2020 08:41:47 pm
Very true, people are afraid of anyone different, unfortunately. I don't see that changing anytime soon, yet it is a worthy goal to strive for.
Reply
Scott Douthit
9/25/2020 12:21:54 am
That’s A wonderful question .Since my book has come out I have not written anything. I haven’t written for fun in a long time. I haven’t even thought about it but it’s a great idea just riding for fun. Thank you
Reply
Mark
9/25/2020 10:35:38 am
I thought you said you were writing another musical. I am curious about the premise and story.
First I’m sorry I miss spoke, I’m in the process of adapting my book to a musical, I will be working with a lyricist and a actor. Because of Covid we have not started. It’ll be my first collaboration as a team with that said I have not done any work on it because I want to come in with a blank slate.
Reply
Mark
9/25/2020 12:06:12 pm
You play percussion. I love it. I have the utmost respect for people who play percussion because sometimes a drummer is using all four limbs on the set. For a person who is rhythmically impaired, this is almost supernatural. I have trouble keeping a clapping rhythm in a group, unless I concentrate on following one person.
Reply
Mark
9/25/2020 04:37:47 pm
I remember reading London's Call of the Wild and being shocked by some of the brutality in the story. It felt so real to me at 10 years old. I am not familiar with the other writers. When I saw Token's name, JRR Tolkien came to mind. His LOTR series made me a fan of fantasy. I also loved his much shorter sci-fi trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet.
Reply
Wihen you ask about favorite authors I forgot HG Wells. I would ask him how these amazing ideas came to him. As a kid when my dad would read me the stories I would always wonder if he travel in time because some of these ideas were so far ahead of his time. I would love to see what makes that man’s mind tic.
Reply
Mark
9/25/2020 06:07:24 pm
I must agree. Wells is the best argument for time travelers from the future getting stuck in the past. I do enjoy reading stories about time travel, it's my favorite subset of science fiction.
Reply
Scott
9/25/2020 07:21:07 pm
That’s another really good question. I’m right in the car, I can put on headset and listen to music but I like riding in the car. Whenever a idea comes to me I pull over and park and write. It’s different when I’m dictating but I have to write full chapters if not the whole thing first. And I usually rewrite right after I finish writing a section.During the process of writing his book it was really fascinating because I would disconnect from the world and just be able to block everything out and just write page after page.It was almost like time is standing still, that’s the one part of writing in the book that I miss.
Reply
Mark
9/25/2020 07:42:34 pm
That sounds a lot like what other authors describe as being in the groove or the zone, that magical moment when the muse is sending exactly what is needed for a period of time. It is a wonderful and exhilarating experience.
Reply
Scott
9/25/2020 08:16:18 pm
I’m not sure I understand question fully. As a writer and a performer I would rely on I imagination and ability to put myself in this situation. Using backstory orEmotional memory. Wants the storyline was developed I would then fill out the framework, but I would constantly go back over the material putting myself in a situation that I had written to see if it would ring true or honest. No matter what I was writing about I needed to believe it. As an actor I learned many years ago that if I don’t believe what I’m doing neither will the audience. The same holds true as a writer if I don’t believe it neither will The reader.
Reply
Mark
9/26/2020 09:59:59 am
We won't worry about the five senses.
Reply
Scott
9/26/2020 04:57:06 pm
Being an actor and writing musicals taught me about story telling, And I think that’s what I am a storyteller. Writing musicals , You have to have a very strong story and characters for it to work. Hamilton is a great example of very refined stories and characters so that the music can be brought in around them and we still believe. I think that’s why has been easy for me to think about turning my book into a musical is because I’ve always looked at writing a storytelling no matter what form. It’s just so happens that the stories I tell in this book are real. Marketing the book Is the hard part for me right now because it’s up to me and my agent who has a full-time job as well. We knew this going into signing with a independent and small publisher but it was also very important that the publisher believed in our message. We are slowly reaching out to schools and library‘s Online as opposed to doing book tours Which is what we were planning to do before the pandemic. The responses I’m getting though especially from young adults have been amazing I just have to figure out best way to do this.
Reply
Mark
9/26/2020 05:15:13 pm
Stories can be told in so many different forms. A good story can be told in all of them. You are a story teller at heart.
Reply
Scott
9/26/2020 05:31:42 pm
Do not have A newsletter but that sounds like a great idea, could you send me more information about that. Thank you
Reply
Mark
9/26/2020 09:05:25 pm
I do not have any information laying at hand. I do know that many blogs have been written and podcasts recorded about the topic. Start with Joanna Penn's podcasts and branch out from there.
Reply
Scott
9/26/2020 09:58:36 pm
First draft took me about nine months, but every time I wrote a new draft I change stuff. It literally took me about seven years of writing to come up with what I got. About seven drafts
Reply
Mark
9/26/2020 11:11:30 pm
Considering how cathartic it was for you, that is not too bad.
Reply
Scott
9/26/2020 11:45:59 pm
I promised myself I would stay under 200 pages for this book. I have another 300 pages of stories but I’m not sure if I’m interested in going any farther with this Chandra . In general for this book or for musicals inspiration can strike me at any time that’s why I carry Pen and paper wherever I go and keep it next to my bed as well because you never know in the mood or strike.
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 09:57:56 am
I think you made a good choice on the length. You avoided any repetition and the material was fresh all the way through.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 12:15:20 pm
My wife Lynn read everything I wrote while I was dictating to her. We will talk about every chapter. My first Editor was also very instrumental in organizing and streamlining the material. That was always at least two sets of eyes On each chapter. For the last couple of years my wife and I worked hand-in-hand Smoothing out the wrinkles. My second editor was very instrumental as well but when I came down to it I want to make sure that the book still sounded Like a king for me.
Mark
9/27/2020 01:12:51 pm
Auto correct is our worst enemy. No doubt about that.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 03:26:02 pm
My mother was a feature writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and my dad was a beat writer for Oakland Tribune ,As kids we knew early on that words and stories Could be informational, inspirational or out right lies. As a kid who is bullied words cut like a knife. I personally was very sensitive to words either spoken or written that affected me emotionally, Especially as a child. I think that’s why I wrote this book in the first place is to use words as a positive and inspirational thing.
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 05:05:05 pm
Words are very powerful! They can bring healing or hurt. We humans are so mercurial that we can do both at almost the same time.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 05:53:56 pm
I guess I wish I knew how long it would take, but if I knew that I probably wouldn’t of done it in the first place. Other than that it was a very long and hard process But I wouldn’t have changed anything because of all the mistakes I made I think you made the end product better.
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 06:34:27 pm
I think you are right. The mistakes we make doing something for the first time are plentiful and can be corrected if we take our time; which you did. If you choose to write another book, I am sure it will take you much less time because you have learned so much writing this first book.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 06:56:19 pm
I think having a strong ego is a good thing when it comes to rejection. As a writer and also as an actor rejection was a major part of my life and I do not have a strong ego or confidence. As I say in my book self-doubt is some thing I still deal with To this day. Believing in oneself Is critical in life but I also think that believing in oneself when it’s not warranted is completely different.
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 07:15:16 pm
Acting and writing books are two activities that do require a strong ego. People who pursue those activities will hear the word no many times in the course of a career, far more than the word yes.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 07:54:45 pm
I do not have a lucky charm but my kryptonite is my spelling. Sometimes when a idea comes to my head it flows out so fast I could barely keep up with a pencil to paper and even though I will re-read what I wrote as soon as I can there are times that I can’t read my own writing or Decipher the spelling.
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 08:39:31 pm
My handwriting is very poor also. There have been times when I could not read my handwriting. I learned to print when I was doing drafting for a firm of engineers in San Francisco, in the 70s.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 08:55:16 pm
I have dealt with writers block and it usually is when there is a deadline on my head. Writing musicals I always had an upcoming deadline, my solution to writers block was to step away for a while and then come back to it, and that usually worked. Writing under a pseudonym I guess would be a good idea if you were very famous or very controversial. I am neither
Reply
Mark
9/27/2020 09:29:09 pm
That is a tried and true solution for many authors. Another idea is to read through the section out loud, that can help, or have the computer read it to you. Some authors have multiple projects that they move between, when one is not flowing another usually will.
Reply
Scott
9/27/2020 11:29:34 pm
Eben Scott. That’s easy because that was my stage name when I was an actor because Scott so easy to spell then Douthit and Eben is my middle name
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 10:24:09 am
Sci-fi, fantasy and historical fiction are my three favorite genres, in that order. I have reviewed many in those categories.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 12:29:08 pm
I have listen to autobiographies in the past. Muhammad Ali‘s, Angela Davis, Einstein etc. I didn’t model my book after an autobiography but I do enjoy listening to them.
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 02:35:59 pm
Biographies are interesting to read. I enjoy them also.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 03:39:47 pm
I listen to music with headsets so I can turn off the world and everything around me. It doesn’t really matter what time is it it’s just white noise. But it seems to work really well and when I’m in the solo stage of writing , that is what I do.
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 04:05:17 pm
Music is definitely in the background for me, also. I do enjoy it, but I don't notice it until I hear something I don't like.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 04:17:48 pm
Who is in high school I read a book called Johnny get your gun, I had just been drafted for the Vietnam war and changed my perspective on fighting but also how somebody can change your outlook on life with just words. That’s the most influential book I think I have a read.Before that book I didn’t see reading as a form two have you look at the world through a different set of eyes.That book woke me up. I didn’t realize before that that writing could be so powerful. I wish I remembered the authors name but he did change my life.
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 04:56:40 pm
The Viet Nam war was a turning point for our society and so many individuals.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 06:42:54 pm
For me when I dig deep into my past or psyche that can be very painful but when I wrote musicals it was hard work but very joyous and fulfilling.
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 07:22:10 pm
I can understand that difference clearly. It makes a lot of sense to me.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 07:31:14 pm
I have not got a royalty check yet and when my book was published and came out it was right in the middle of the Covid so we celebrated on zoom with my family and friends.
Reply
Mark
9/28/2020 09:05:20 pm
The Covid has been a destroyer of dreams in more ways than one. Hopefully, the first royalty check isn't too far away. That will be a good excuse for another party, in real life, with any amount of luck.
Reply
Scott
9/28/2020 10:36:32 pm
Thank you very much I really enjoyed this process
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
October 2024
Categories |
|
"I'm very pleased with all your efforts. Twitter promotion and proofreading were beyond what I expected with a book review. Your suggestions throughout the process of refining both books helped me immensely. I look forward to working with you again." A.E.H Veenman “Dial QR for Murder” and “Prepped for the Kill”
|