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I once knew someone who thought they could write books ( & paid to have them published).I am always amazed at the number of people whose impression of their 'talents' is way beyond reality.Where most of us would shy away they forge in without any question or doubts as to their ability.Not saying this is BF's situation but there is some rubbish published out there.
 
I'm glad I'm not a friend of any writer of dubious quality. It's not as easy as some seem to think to write well. I dare say that there are those among the early (beta) readers who have to choose between lying through their teeth or seeing decades-long friendships in tatters when asked to read someone's literary efforts. The only time anyone asked me, I made my excuses (polite refusal). Going on a writing course doesn't make you a writer. Following the advice of mentors or course tutors doesn't make you a writer. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, you have to engage your reader, and each page has to leave them sufficiently interested and/or invested to turn another page. I read a lot, and a lot of it is epublishing... and a lot of the epublishing is frankly dire quality. But when you find someone who grabs you by the heart and mind and drags you into the world they have created - wow!

I've read some of Debbie's writing, and she's by no means the worst I've read, but her characters are not engaging or relevant to me, nor are her plots to my taste. Good for her for going out and getting things going. She's clearly put a lot of effort and energy into it, and been extremely persistent.

With the books, as with the tv presence, though... once you put something out there in the public domain, you have to be prepared for the critics as well as the fans. She should take a little leaf out of Rudyard Kipling's If :
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
Click to expand...
If you don't like to read the bad reviews, and the harshest critics, it's foolish to instead turn to the good reviews and adulation. One doesn't cancel out the other: both can be valid points of view.
 
may, I went on a one-day introductory creative writing course once, to keep a friend company not because I have any writing talents myself, I hasten to add! It was good, but one of things the lecturer said was never, ever, ask a family member or friend to read your manuscript...unless you want a family feud or the end of a friendship! You probably made the right decision, therefore. She was firmly of the view that you will never get an unbiased opinion from family or friends. You are right about people who just want sycophants telling them they are wonderful all the time - I find it really sad, because another thing our lecturer stressed was the ability to cope with criticism ("all part and parcel of being a writer - get used to it" were her words, or something very similar).

maymorganlondon said:
I'm glad I'm not a friend of any writer of dubious quality. It's not as easy as some seem to think to write well. I dare say that there are those among the early (beta) readers who have to choose between lying through their teeth or seeing decades-long friendships in tatters when asked to read someone's literary efforts. The only time anyone asked me, I made my excuses (polite refusal). Going on a writing course doesn't make you a writer. Following the advice of mentors or course tutors doesn't make you a writer. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, you have to engage your reader, and each page has to leave them sufficiently interested and/or invested to turn another page. I read a lot, and a lot of it is epublishing... and a lot of the epublishing is frankly dire quality. But when you find someone who grabs you by the heart and mind and drags you into the world they have created - wow!

I've read some of Debbie's writing, and she's by no means the worst I've read, but her characters are not engaging or relevant to me, nor are her plots to my taste. Good for her for going out and getting things going. She's clearly put a lot of effort and energy into it, and been extremely persistent.

With the books, as with the tv presence, though... once you put something out there in the public domain, you have to be prepared for the critics as well as the fans. She should take a little leaf out of Rudyard Kipling's If :

If you don't like to read the bad reviews, and the harshest critics, it's foolish to instead turn to the good reviews and adulation. One doesn't cancel out the other: both can be valid points of view.
Click to expand...
 
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One of the reviews on Amazon
1.0 out of 5 stars
Stick to Q.V.C
Nothing more than a checklist for items sold on Q.V.C......amateurish plot predictable lead characters a complete waste of time.Save your money
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And under this review Debbie was rude to the reviewer and then deleted her two rude messages.
 
This is appalling that the book author speaks to the readers like this. Shame on Debbie but she is shameless.
 
historymystery said:
may, I went on a one-day introductory creative writing course once, to keep a friend company not because I have any writing talents myself, I hasten to add! It was good, but one of things the lecturer said was never, ever, ask a family member or friend to read your manuscript...unless you want a family feud or the end of a friendship! You probably made the right decision, therefore. She was firmly of the view that you will never get an unbiased opinion from family or friends. You are right about people who just want sycophants telling them they are wonderful all the time - I find it really sad, because another thing our lecturer stressed was the ability to cope with criticism ("all part and parcel of being a writer - get used to it" were her words, or something very similar).
Click to expand...

I'm kinda surprised by that. I majored in creative writing and my lecturers always said you should get anyone and everyone to read your work, especially friends and family as you'd be likely to trust their opinions and the more perspectives you got on it the better. Obviously not everyone is the same and different people work differently but I very much got the impression that was the prevailing attitude in creative writing circles. I personally believe you can absolutely get an unbiased opinion if you ask for one. At the end of the day it's cruel to let someone think their work is great if it's awful, you're just setting them up for potential upset, disappointment and humiliation. Of course criticism should be given gently and constructively, but I think if you really care about someone you've got to be honest about these things.
I definitely agree with what your lecturer said about taking criticism, though. It can be terrifying letting other people see your work, but to get anywhere you really need to be ready to accept opinions about it whatever they are.
 
Toril said:
When I clicked on Julius' link it said that the server could not be found, so I went to kobobooks.com to have a look. There are no reviews showing for the book, so I've either broken the internet :thinking: or they've been removed? Or am I looking at the wrong thing?

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/take-a-chance-on-me-choc-lit
Click to expand...


I had the same problem so I looked on Amazon & it's there. I've linked to the one star reviews, the second one is brilliant! Her comments show under some of the others but not that one......yet!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0
 
I thought this was a new book but apparently not as some of those reviews on Amazon were from 2013.

(Obviously I dont put any of her books on advance orders or I would have known)
 
I returned from India at midnight, and, having barred myself from watching QVC until Christmas is over, looked to amuse myself before bedtime by reading comments on this forum.

I had to look up a DF book listing on Amazon, just out of curiosity. Found 5 star reviews. Put on Sherlock Holmes hat and researched some of the reviewers. You will not believe this, fellow posters, but some of the 5 star reviewers are not people who review many different products on Amazon, but confine themselves to writing only DF book reviews, and staggeringly, give them all five stars.

As the start of this thread mentioned Kipling bags, and I have come from the land of Rudyard, here are a couple of observations that might be of interest to you all. I was there for Diwali, the equivalent of Christmas. The roads and shops were packed because of the pre-Diwali gift giving hype.... it lasts about one week. No Diwali in June.

Secondly, I spent a lot of time with very elegant Indian ladies. Not one of them would be seen dead carrying a soft nylon shoulder bag with a chuffing monkey hanging from it.
 
I started this thread because DF interrupted a Kipling show to self promote but Miss Julia has just interrupted the Centregade show to tell us her book is out tomorrow and if we missed the first one there are signed copies available.

STOP IT NOW - IF YOU WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR OWN BOOKS PAY FOR IT LIKE OTHER AUTHORS (and I'm using that term in the loosest possible sense)
 

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