Hay Festival Experience

My Personal Experience of The Hay Festival

I have been avidly attending The Hay Festival, in the famous book town of Hay-on-Wye, for fourteen years.  I am, like a moth to light, so drawn to it.

There have been years when it has rained so much that cars have had to be pulled from fields that were used as car parks but, even this did not detract from the enjoyment. Before I put you off, a successful park and ride service is now provided for wet weather where you leave the car on tarmac and take the shuttle bus the short distance.   Other years, the sun has shone and everyone sits around on the grass, reading, eating and talking while waiting for their booked event.  There is simply nothing like this atmosphere that I can liken it to.

I recommend booking your tickets in advance by looking online as they sell out quickly: https://www.hayfestival.com/wales/index.aspx?skinid=2&currencysetting=GBP&localesetting=en-GB&resetfilters=true

A view of the town of Hay from one of the many walks around it

The marquees used for the events are huge with plenty of seating.
The stage is lit and, to ensure everyone has a good experience, there are large screens to project the authors and the interviewers. In between events there are stalls to visit and it is only a short walk into the old town to see the castle, street entertainers and, of course, the bookshops.  If you fancy a day off from the festival site, then take a walk alongside the beautiful river Wye, where you may catch a glimpse of trout in the clear water, as canoeists paddle on by.

I have seen numerous authors but those who especially stood out for me were, David Baddiel, David Lodge, Will Self, Howard Jacobson, David Nicholls and A. C. Grayling.  There is also often the opportunity to book tickets for comedians and musicians. I am lucky enough to have been to, and thoroughly enjoyed, the concerts of both Bob Geldof and jazz musician Kyle Eastwood.

An early morning at the festival site

Around the main arena you will find many types of eating and drinking places catering for all tastes. It is excellent sharing a bottle of wine/cup of coffee with people purely to discuss the speakers you have just seen.  The authors or lecturers never fail to stimulate lively conversation.

Over the years I have enjoyed staying at a local hotel where you can camp in the grounds.  Here, I reunite with people who, like me, are Hay-o-holics.  They have all become friends who I look forward to seeing each year for that same week or so.  During the time we stay, it is as though we haven't been apart.  In the late evenings we have a camp fire and just sit talking about the events and our own perspectives on what we have heard.

If you have a moment you might to look at my rites of passage comedy novel which has a few chapters set at, and around, the Hay Festival: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MAZ-AND-ME-Young-Cannabis-ebook/dp/B00CHNLR6E?ie=UTF8&keywords=Maz%20and%20Me&qid=1460733098&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2&sr=8-1

One Star Reviews

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MAZ-AND-ME-Sharon-Loveday-ebook/dp/B00CHNLR6E

How Concerned Should An Author be by a One-Star Review?

How often do you notice that a one-star reviewer has never reviewed any other book?

After reading book descriptions, I now study one-star reviews avidly. Then I go into 'See All my Reviews'.  It becomes quite an amusing exercise when you see the type of book the one-star reviewer usually reads is far-removed from the book they have tried to condemn with their 'stunning' one-star review. Of course, that is if they have ever reviewed a book before.

Often a reviewer might say something like, 'so bad I left it on holiday' and you will see that they have only ever reviewed items such as clothing and never any other book.  The reviewed author may have received sixty, or more, five star recommendations, numerous four star and then in will wade the person, who has only ever bought shin pads, to knock the book as hard as their bones would have been knocked if they had not bought the shin pads.

A one-star review I saw recently, complained that 'there is no plot' about a book which was published posthumously giving the story of a famous author's time spent in Paris. Whilst another reviewer gave it five stars for the 'descriptive language' and 'imagery' of the time in which it was set (an apt review for the description of Paris after the First World War).

Then there are people, who have never reviewed before who, apparently randomly, choose your book to endow with a one-star review. You will notice that they quickly review another book on the same day (of an entirely different genre) and give it five stars. A reader who only enjoys tragedy, misery or thrillers is not likely to haphazardly choose a humorous book, which is written only to show subtle changes in a character. So why did they choose it and then choose to denigrate it?

Of course there are badly-written books, with no attention paid to editing and these might deserve the subsequent low ratings they get and provide the potential reader with a guidance. But I am talking, here, about the seemingly determined effort some reviewers put into trying to sabotage the success of a novel.

It is nice to enjoy books of many genres and review widely, with consideration for the time it takes an author to compose the idea and invest, sometimes years, into the writing and finally the editing process. The review, in my opinion, warrants at least some degree of deliberation. If a book has been purchased and is not 'your kind of book' please think of the authors who have worked hard to produce their work and be as polite as you can. We need and appreciate your feedback.

If you get a minute you can click the link to my book at the top of the page.

Photo courtesy of Vectorole (FreeDigitalDownloads)

Print Books and Ebooks - Diminishing Bookshelves

Are our print books suffering from lack of visibility?

I clearly remember how happy I was, when first being able to afford to buy a book for myself and placing it proudly on a shelf.  From then on it became a hobby to choose, read, keep notes about, the latest book and then let it join the growing collection.

When friends came to the house they always made for the bookshelf to see what I'd been reading and we would take books from the shelves and discuss them.  The current book would be lounging on the coffee table or arm of the settee, its bookmark protruding.

I have welcomed the E-readers and my first novel is published both in print and electronic version. It is so useful to read using the electronic method but, thinking recently, I noticed, with a certain sadness, that because of my use of the E-reader, my friends are being denied the previous availability of being able take a book from my shelves to discuss the latest exciting find as the titles are now hidden away in my reader.

As Louis L'Amour used to do, for years, I have kept a notebook listing each year's reading and it is through this documenting that I often remember what was happening that particular year when reading a particular book and it was good to look up at a shelf and see the book standing there.

Although I make a point of reviewing every book bought via Amazon, it is not the same as having the physical book in your own living-room in order to give personal recommendations.  A collection of books on a bookshelf has always been aesthetically pleasing, sort of cosy.  The books become friends in themselves to take down, to re-read, and to quote from.

I wonder what you think?  Is it possible that authors are being denied this simple method of recommendation, as many readers no longer have the latest printed copy of a book displayed on a bookshelf or lounging on a coffee table?

Here is a snippet of a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894 called 'The Land of Story-Books'.
I think we perhaps also need to leave books lying around so that children see our own enjoyment of them.  It is clear, in this little excerpt from the poem, that books were Robert Louis Stevenson's childhood friends:

At evening when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl
All in the dark along the wall,
And follow round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter’s camp I lie,
And play at books that I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.

It would be good, if you have time, to take a look at my book here

UK: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maz-Me-Sharon-Loveday/dp/1494361582/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1494361582/sr=8-1/qid=1403778533/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1403778533&sr=8-1 

 

Why I published using Createspace

As I was approaching the completion of my novel 'Maz and Me' I began to explore my options regarding publication of the book.  My father is a published, award-winning author and, at first, I thought I should take the route of putting my book out to various agents in the hope of finding one who would consider it.

Then my circumstances changed.  My job was no longer in existence, both my elderly parents became ill at the same time and needed many months of assistance which made it difficult to contemplate taking another job at that time, with the possibility that I would need to take more leave very soon.  Also, my age was a consideration (59).  With all these factors presenting themselves I looked into the self-publishing arena.

I found Createspace and it looked like a very good option for someone with no income as you can publish without any cost at all.  Was I confident enough?  After consideration, I thought that it would give me an opportunity to use skills I'd gained during my working life. My diploma in editing and degree in creative writing and literature should stand me in good stead to take the challenge, be brave and be behind my own book in the marketing process. Here is the process, as I found it, for publishing my book via Createspace............. 
www.createspace.com 

• I created an account
• Uploaded carefully edited word document
• I chose the book size recommended to me by Createspace
• I  let the Createspace tools resize my manuscript
• Opened the Cover Creator tool. I then listened to advice from my French friend who advised me to choose a plain cover as, although my book is humorous, it is a philosophical story and he thought I should choose a cover which might appeal to readers who are used to books like 'Bonjour Tristesse' etc.
• Using Cover Creator was easy and fun. I even had a grand-daughter take the author photo, which was simple to upload.
• I chose the wider distribution options so that outlets such as Barnes and Noble have access to selling the book.
• Createspace gave me a free ISBN number
• I chose my price and royalty level and agreed my distribution rights
• I used the Interior Reviewer tool and when everything seemed satisfactory I only had to click to agree and Createspace sent me a message to say that the book was in the review process and I would hear within about 48 hours.
• The next day an email arrived to let me know that the book was approved.
• I was able to open it on my computer to preview it and then agree to publish.
• Within a few days it began to appear on Amazon channels and then within a few weeks all the wider distribution channels.
• I ordered copies and was delighted with the quality of the finished product.

If you would like to take a look here is the link

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maz-Me-Sharon-Loveday/dp/1494361582/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391168558&sr=1-1&keywords=maz+and+me

Writing Techniques I Found Useful

www.amazon.co.uk/MAZ-AND-ME-Sharon-Loveday-ebook/dp/B00CHNLR6E

A Few Simple Writing Tecniques I Found Useful

One of the first things I was taught, and found useful, in the creative writing process was simply, 'freewriting'.  Forget, at the initial stages, about grammar, spelling etc. and simply choose a memory and write about it.  Let your mind roam free, think about sights, smells, sounds associated with that memory and write them down.

Give yourself a time limit of twenty minutes and write, write, write.  At the end of that time, read out loud what you have written.  Put it aside for some time, possibly until the next day, and when you return you might find you want to develop it. You could edit, using a pencil so that you can keep the original vocabulary if, in the end, you decide you prefer it.

Listed below are a few other tips I found useful:

Analyse your characters (almost as though you are seeing them as people you are discussing with another person)

Decide on your genre

Setting is important, as is timeline

Research detail

Think about your reader and don't make assumptions that they know something you have not told them!

Take your reader on a journey

Start a story in the middle of some action

Listen to dialogue.  Use it in your story.

Let the reader 'see' your characters show emotion by describing their actions rather than 'telling' how they feel.

Chose a convincing narrative 'voice'

Finally edit and edit again

These are just a few tips I found useful perhaps you would be kind enough to post others on to this page...........

Louis L'Amour and Words of Wisdom

I have just finished reading Louis L'Amour's excellent autobiography based around the books he read from the age of sixteen.  He tells of the jobs he undertook, while all the time continuing his own education through these books.  The book is 'Education of a Wandering Man'.

Louis L'Amour was an American author of over 100 books, quite often 'Western' novels.  He wrote in 'Education of a Wandering Man' that, 'the more one learns, the more he understands his ignorance'.

Although my book 'Maz and Me' is a comic novel, it is intended that the reader should think about the
narrator, Tony Goodbody's continuing education through the situations he is placed in, and through his relationship with the older woman Maz. 

Louis L'Amour, in his book gives the reader so many insightful thoughts, for instance, 'a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think,' and 'no-one can 'get' an education for of necessity education is a continuing process.'

It is, in my opinion, important for us to reflect on what we are reading, not necessarily always go for the 'page turner' type of book.  Louis L'Amour's book is one that I would certainly hope my grandchildren will read and take time to ponder upon.

A Need for 'Excitement'

I have recently been discussing 'distractions' and how we no longer seem to live at a slow pace. We are bombarded with flashing images, and presenters finding it necessary to wave their hands about to make a point (it seems to be assumed that we will not 'get' the point unless they use extreme gesturing). Are these really necessary? 

I think it was Brian Sewell, in a recent article and, in his excellent autobiograpy, questioned something along the lines of, why it should be necessary for a documentary-maker to follow him driving along a road when he is going somewhere to be filmed talking about art.  Perhaps the viewers, would prefer to just hear the information as the piece of art is being discussed but of course the journey, or a presenter walking about being filmed, means a longer programme. We are not being given much opportunity to view at a leisurely pace. 
 

This leads me to ask whether the constant bombardment of unnecessary 'exciting' images from television programmes, including the news and factual programmes are leading to a problem where we will no longer know what it is to relax quietly, even to enjoy an educational programme in a more congenial fashion.  

My book was recently given its first one star review from a reader who found it 'boring' because she felt nothing 'exciting' happened.  Perhaps this is because it is not one of the popular genres of gangland crime, tragedy or childhood misery.  I deliberately decided to write, with gentle humour, a simple story told through the voice of a modern-day male and throughout the story we see his slow development and hear his philosophical thoughts via his witty observations. 

But it seems it is no longer enough.

Do we really need 'excitement' in every book to warrant a four or five star review?  I think not.  Some of the most enjoyable books I have read, and I include,  'The Catcher in the Rye', Brideshead Revisited, and 'The Remains of the Day', are simply stories of human life unravelling as you read.  These books allow you to use your own imagination and the reader is not waiting for something 'exciting' to happen.

I would like to see the television companies taking into account that some of their viewers do not always need to be distracted by exciting images - let us be given the time to listen and look at what is being discussed without the need for flashing imagery, hand-waving, or other distasteful distractions.

If you have a moment please take look at a free sample of my book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MAZ-AND-ME-Sharon-Loveday-ebook/dp/B00CHNLR6E