World’s Greatest Hamburger

My brother will be surprised to know this post is about him—especially since it’s not a tribute to his death.

How did this come about, you ask? I was reading a book and, about halfway through, the author described yet another character with superlatives. I thought about it and realized that the book was rife with superlatives. Everyone was the prettiest, or strongest, or best at something. You can only read about “the best” once or twice before it loses its impact. Before long you’ll be glossing over the best and it will have no meaning. If you have four female characters who are all the most beautiful women in the world you begin to wonder about the person rating them.

So I decided to write about superlatives, but then I realized that to make my point I had to talk about my brother. Needless to say it ruined my night, week, month.

Enthusiastic

My brother is one of the most (superlative) enthusiastic people I know. He gets excited about movies, books, coffee, dogs, even people. But he reserves a special spot in his heart for hamburgers. I have heard him complain about a movie—once. I once noticed him making a sour face after sipping from a foul cup of coffee, and I have even witnessed him scowl at a nasty looking burrito, but…

He Has Never Met A Burger He Didn’t Like Love

I tried explaining to Chris that there had to be degrees to liking a burger. Not every one can be a five-star meal.

• Some burgers you might like because you’re starving—so hungry that grass soup would taste good.
• Other burgers might fall into the “good” category. I’d go back there and eat again, but it’s not my first choice.
• Only a few should be categorized as the great ones. The burgers you would drive across town to get. The real five-star burgers.

This logic doesn’t sink in with Chris. He nods his head when I tell him, but with the next breath he’s telling me about yet another phenomenal burger. I’ve come to conclude that the hamburger joints should join forces and pay my brother for his services because, if you didn’t know him, he is so convincing that you’d probably go out right then and buy a burger.

And yes, he will talk to strangers about it. Chris is not shy. If you were standing in line with him and someone mentioned burger or even if he caught a whiff of a burger wafting over from a restaurant across the street—that would be enough to get him started. And trust me, once he’s started, there is no stopping him. He can describe a hamburger in such detail that even if you just ate, you’d find yourself hungry again. Even when you know it’s a lie, or at least an exaggeration, you’d still be tempted.

What Does This Have To Do With Writing?

The next time you’re writing a scene, or describing a character, think hard before you name them the best, or prettiest, or strongest, or fastest, or describe them or something they do with any superlative. Instead, let their actions or other characters’ reactions do the job for you.

Bottom Line

For those of you who tuned in to get a list of the world’s greatest hamburger joints—I didn’t have time to attach a link because there are 362 places on Chris’ list. Besides, I have to hurry up. He just told me about a new place that has the absolute best burger in the whole damn world!!!!

Ciao,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of:
No Mistakes Resumes
Murder Takes Time
Murder Has Consequences
A Bullet For Carlos
Finding Family

He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Family, Food, Writing by Giacomo
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Giacomo & Slick

Living In The Shadows—The Fate of Secondary Characters

I was watching a movie the other night that looked like it had promise. The first ten minutes got me interested and the main character was intriguing. And then I met the rest of the cast. With only one exception, they were dull, flat, cliched, and otherwise boring. It reminded me that I’ve read far too many books that fell victim to the same problem, and that got me thinking about the whole process of character development and how it affects the story.

Characters Are The Story

A good plot and good storytelling can carry a book or movie for a while, but it takes a cast of great characters to make it memorable. Too often writers spend all of their energy developing the primary characters and then they toss in the others without much thought. It’s always been my opinion that while a great villain or protagonist can make for an interesting story, it’s the supporting cast that makes it unforgettable.

Think of movies like Casablanca, The Usual Suspects, The Godfather, or Lonesome Dove. The characters played by Bogart, Spacey, Brando, and Duvall and Jones, were all great characters, but without the supporting cast those movies would not have had the impact they did. The supporting cast for Lonesome Dove was so great that I can’t imagine the movie with anyone else—in any of the roles. Who else could have played Blue Duck, Jake, Pea, Laurie, or Sheriff July Johnson. The list can go all the way down to the men on the whiskey boat. There were no fill ins, no cardboard characters. And how about Game of Thrones? An argument could be made that the entire cast is comprised of secondary characters. Or stars, depending on how you look at it.

Before you say, yes, it was great acting or great casting, remember that the characters were developed by the writers—writers who spent a lot of time on each and every one of those characters. It’s not easy to create strong secondary characters, especially ones who might only get a few pages of time in the book. To make them memorable they have to stand out, but not in a fake or outlandish way.

Share The Love

When you’re writing a story, don’t be afraid to let the secondary characters shine. Give them the same love and attention you put into the hero or villain. Make them irreplaceable. Let them steal the show a few times. The worst that can happen is readers might say, “Damn she makes a great supporting cast!”

When you can do that with your writing—come up with a cast of characters that are irreplaceable—then you’ve got the makings of a great story.

Ciao, and thanks for stopping by,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of:
No Mistakes Resumes
Murder Takes Time
Murder Has Consequences
A Bullet For Carlos
Finding Family
He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Who are your favorite secondary characters?

Filed under: character development, Storytelling, Writing by Giacomo
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Giacomo & Slick

Decisions About Independent Publishing

The best part about being an independent author is you get to make all the decisions yourself. Nobody tells you what to do. You decide on the story, the characters, pick your own book cover, hire your own editor, choose fonts, all of it. It’s a great, wonderful feeling.

But there’s a flip side to that. In addition to all the fun stuff, you also have to make the tough decisions. What kind of decisions, you ask? The kind where you have to decide…

When Do You Quit On A Book?

I promised everyone that my book, Old Wounds, would be released in August or September. It was to be the first in a new series starring Detective Gino Cataldi. I got it ready and sent it out for beta reading earlier this year. As I waited for the feedback I realized I was more apprehensive than I’d ever been on a book.

The first few readers got back to me and said they’d liked it. They had a lot of good things to say, but not much on the critical side. That’s always a red flag to me because at this stage of the writing process there should be plenty to criticize. Then a few more responses came in and I noticed that while the good feedback was still there, it was sprinkled with a heavy dose of critical. I evaluated each one, nodded as I read the comments and said to myself, “Okay, it’s going to be work, but nothing I can’t fix.”

And then the last few comments came in. One of them said something that stuck with me. “It wasn’t up to par with my other books.”

That hit me like a brick in the head. Why should it? I had a few readers tell me they thought it was the best book I’ve done. Others said it was fantastic, a great read. So why should one comment from one person bother me so much? I’ll tell you why, because when you hear the truth you know it. Let me state that again.

When You Hear The Truth, You Know It

That statement cuts through both sides of the coin. When someone says A Bullet For Carlos was a fast read, or that the characters in Murder Takes Time seemed so real, it makes me feel great. I agree with those statements, and hearing it from others makes me feel great and so thankful. But when I heard that about Old Wounds, the book I sent out for beta readers, I didn’t feel that way and I knew why. It was because I didn’t believe it.

A Writer Knows What’s Good And What Isn’t

I think that’s why some writers get so upset about bad reviews. It’s not because they feel the reviewers are wrong—it’s because they fear the reviewers are right.

That’s what happened with this book. When I read that comment about the book not being up to par with my other books, I knew she was right. And I knew there was no way in hell I was going to release this book because I knew it wasn’t as good as the other books. So I’ve trunked this book. I think that’s the word for it—trunked— which basically means I put it on a virtual shelf somewhere, buried, waiting to either be fixed or more likely serve as a reminder of what not to do in future books. And that’s okay. I’m comfortable with that, especially if it saves me from making those dreadful mistakes again.

A New Promise

I’m adding this to my Promise to Readers. Along with my guarantee of each book, I am making a promise that I won’t release a book that I personally don’t think is a five-star book. That doesn’t mean every one of you will think the same, but it does mean that if I don’t think it’s as good as my other books, it won’t be for sale.

Thanks so much for being the greatest readers in the world,

Ciao,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of:
No Mistakes Resumes
Murder Takes Time
Murder Has Consequences
A Bullet For Carlos
Finding Family
He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Editing, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing by Giacomo
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The Fear of Writing Real Characters

Writing strong, interesting characters is not easy. Many writers use real people, or combinations of real people, as the basis for their characters. Because they are, in essence, real people, readers relate to them. It’s no surprise then, that quite a few authors base their protagonists or at least some important character on themselves.

In theory there’s nothing wrong with that, but…(yes, there’s always a butt.) …quite often the writers don’t go far enough. What do I mean? I mean that fear and embarrassment get in the way. The writers become hesitant to show weaknesses. Afraid to show the bad side of themselves.

When that happens the writers cheat their readers out of a good story because the characters aren’t fully developed. It’s like getting a hamburger without the meat. (Remember that old Wendy’s commercial about “Where’s the beef?”)

Who Was More Interesting?

Batman or Superman?

Batman was a far more interesting character than Superman, and not just because Batman had a dark side. Everything about Batman was more interesting, more developed.
Think about disguises. Superman hid his identity by wearing a pair of glasses, and I’m not talking 1980s shades that wrapped around his head and covered half his face. I’m talking plain black-rimmed glasses. And the readers were supposed to believe no one recognized him?
Batman at least had a mask, a pretty nice cowl, that covered his face. Oh, and he had that cape. Damn sweet cape!

Secret places. Superman changed clothes in a phone booth—a phone booth!
Batman had the Bat Cave, tucked away…somewhere…and he had to whisk through a forest kicking up leaves and such to get to it. Nobody could find the Bat Cave, not even Google Maps.

Alter-egos. Superman was mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, a bumbling idiot who was cowed by his boss, acted like a buffoon around Lois Lane, and was a pal to Jimmy Olsen.
Batman was billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, head of one of the world’s largest corporations, and he had a fling with Catwoman.

You Want More?

Hans Solo or Luke Skywalker?

Hans Solo stole the show from Luke Skywalker, mostly because Hans was flawed. He was a smuggler, a scalawag (whatever the hell that is), and he hung around with a Wookie.
Luke Skywalker was…well…he was Luke Skywalker.

Viscount Raoul de Chagny or The Phantom of the Opera?

Sure, I know what you’re thinking. Raoul was handsome, charming, sweet, rich, dedicated, and he loved Christine Daaè.
The Phantom was disfigured, possessive, a criminal, and he loved Christine Daaè. Despite all that, who didn’t want The Phantom to win Christine’s heart? Even if you didn’t root for him, you surely felt pity.

In the examples above, Superman, Luke, and Raoul were almost flawless, while Batman, Hans, and The Phantom had more than enough troubles to go around. We felt for them, empathized with them. It’s tough to empathize with a guy whose only weakness is kryptonite.

What Does This Mean?

If you base your heroes on yourself—or only the good traits of yourself—without the flaws and warts that we all have, you are cheating your readers out of the enjoyment of reading. Even worse, you’re cheating yourself, because the readers will know. You can’t fool them. Readers will spot a one-dimensional character a hundred miles away, and that’s how far they’ll stay from your next book if that’s what you give them.

How To Fix It?

Be afraid.
And by that, I mean don’t be afraid to show your fear. Yes, we’ll know that the hero who felt fear, or was afraid to approach the girl, or cheated to get ahead, was really you. But your secret will be safe because we all have our faults, and the ones that make us cringe the most…perhaps they hit too close to home.

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of:
No Mistakes Resumes
Murder Takes Time
Murder Has Consequences
A Bullet For Carlos
Finding Family
He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Leave a comment below. What’s important to you when reading?

photo credit: jonathanpercy via photopin cc

photo credit: On Location in Los Angeles via photopin cc

Filed under: character development, Writing by Giacomo
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Animal Intelligence

Depending on which list you look at, the order of intelligence for the different species usually looks something like this:
1. human
2. ape
3. dolphin
4. pig
5. elephant
6. octopus
7. dog
8. crow

Most scientists agree on the first two, though I personally have doubts about the number one ranking at times. Disparity on the lists doesn’t normally show up until number three. This list ranks pigs third, right after chimpanzees and ahead of dolphins. I’ve seen a lot of lists and regardless of where pigs rank, the one constant is that pigs are always in the top ten. “How smart is a pig” is not a question I needed to ask…

This Is Old News To Us

My wife started rescuing pigs 20 years ago, and while at first I was appalled, I have grown to love the pigs, and even admire them for their spirit and intelligence. One of the first things I learned is that pigs will do damn near anything for food, and they seem to be particularly fond of grapes. Before we got our land for the sanctuary, we house-trained our first pig, Shinobi, in three days using grapes, but it took several weeks to train the dogs, and I think some of them are still learning.

My wife is pretty good at dealing with animals…okay, she’s great at dealing with animals, and all of them look to her as their best friend. All except our wild boar, Dennis (sometimes called The Magnificent). I saved Dennis when he was a baby and he has been mine ever since. My wife often teases me about how the animals listen to her and not me, so to get even with my wife for her many talents I decided to teach Dennis a trick, just to show her I could do it.

The Secret Is Using Grapes

I knew Dennis would do almost anything for grapes, so I decided to teach him something difficult, something to impress my wife. There is a gate between the back section of our property where several of the wild pigs live, and the section where we keep Dennis. Every day, after feeding the wild bunch as we call the back ones, I have to undo the latch on the gate and then pull it open to get in to feed Dennis. It’s a pain in the ass because I’m carrying a large pail of food and it takes two hands to unlatch and open the gate. I decided to teach Dennis to open the gate.

Pigs Can Learn Anything

I knew that Dennis was smart, and I set out to teach him to earn his food. For five days, I would walk up, pull the latch open and tell Dennis, “Open the gate.”

Being impatient, he would push on the gate, and, because the latch was up, it would open. I rewarded him with a few grapes. By day five, he was ready for me and pushed open the gate as soon as I flipped the latch. Here’s the video:

I was ecstatic, and boasted about it to my wife that night, and for several nights after that. About a week later, while I was working, she came to get me.
“Dennis is in the back,” she said, “and he’s terrifying the other pigs.”

“How the hell did he get out?” I asked. “Did you leave the gate open?”

“I haven’t even been back there,” she said, but I looked at her with a suspicious glance.
By the time I got back there, Dennis had the wild bunch scattered and he was busy rooting in his new territory. I coaxed him into his pen—using a few grapes—and secured the gate. I couldn’t figure out how Dennis got out, and secretly suspected my wife might have had something to do with it.

The next day was a repeat, but this time Dennis had chased the other pigs all the way across the property. Once again, I lured him back with grapes, and locked the gate. I wanted to blame my wife, but she had been with me, so I knew she didn’t do it.

For three more days, we had the same thing happen, and each time, Dennis was lured back. Finally, I had to take extreme measures and use rope and a second latch to secure the gate.

Grapes Of Wrath

That night, as we ate dinner, I said to my wife, “Isn’t this a bitch? I teach that damn pig to open the gate by giving him grapes, and then I have to give him grapes to come back in.” I sipped my coffee, looked at her and said, “The thing I can’t figure out is how the hell he’s getting the gate open by himself.”

My smart-ass wife said, “Maybe if you give him some grapes he’ll tell you.”

Bottom Line

Don’t teach a pig something you don’t want them to do.

Ciao, and thanks for stopping by,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of:
No Mistakes Resumes
Murder Takes Time
Murder Has Consequences
A Bullet For Carlos
Finding Family
He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Animal Sanctuary, Pigs Who Write, Uncategorized by Giacomo
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Clarifying What We Mean—When is Midnight?

I was doing a book promotion this week and communicating by email—always a dangerous thing. The people running the ad sent me this message:

Hi Giacomo,
I will be posting your book, Murder Has Consequences, as a bargain book on Wednesday, 7/17. Please leave you book on sale until midnight 7/18.

Thanks,
Administrator

I thought to myself, but when is midnight? I was confused as to whether they meant leave it on sale for 24 hours, or 48 hours, so I wrote back.

Do you mean leave it on sale until 12:01 AM (meaning the start of the day on 7/18?) or do you mean 24 hours after that, or 11:59 PM on the 18th, plus one minute, making it the start of the day on the 19th? Please clarify.

Giacomo

They then responded and said they meant 12:01 AM, the start of the day on the 19th.
All of this was quite confusing and led me to write this post in an attempt to clarify—at least as far as I’m concerned—the question of when is midnight.

Confusion

While I was thinking about this, I realized there are also confusing issues related to time of day or upcoming events, whether they are in weeks, months, or years. But let’s tackle the confusion of midnight first.

If someone tells you they’ll meet you at midnight on the 10th of the month, does that mean one minute past 11:59 PM on the 9th? Or does it mean one minute past 11:59 PM on the 10th? This answer seems fairly easy, since most people think of midnight as night and not morning. But it gets trickier when dealing with formal schedules and people you don’t know. Even reference sources can’t seem to agree on when midnight is. The dictionary refers to midnight as the middle of the night. The Associated Press Stylebook says midnight is part of the day that is ending, not the day that is beginning. But Wikipedia refers to midnight as a time between one day and the next, shared by both.

While I was researching this project, I stumbled across this confused airline customer.

I placed a reservation on the UA website this afternoon, July 13. The confirming email says “Purchase by 12:00 am (midnight) Central Time on July 14 to avoid cancellation”.
I am confused. Do they mean midnight tonight (i.e. July 13 11:59PM plus 1 minute)? Or midnight tomorrow night – July 14 11:59PM plus 1 minute?

This is a confusing message. Technically, the term midnight refers to “0.00:00” hours, which is normally interpreted as the start of a new day, but most people don’t think of it that way. The airline, and any other entity dealing in schedules, should always refer to times as 12:01 AM to avoid that confusion.

Missing a flight would be an unpleasant consequence of a silly communication error. I’ve seen plenty of other incidents. How about the “Midnight Sneak Previews” that many of the new movies open with. Tons of people get confused if a “Friday Night Sneak Preview at Midnight,” means it starts at 12:01 AM Friday morning (meaning Thursday night), or whether it’s actually on Friday night.

Spell It Out

Here’s a fairly simple solution to avoiding problems. I understand this is an ancient form of communication, but if you’re actually speaking with someone, and the subject of midnight comes up, make sure it’s clear. Say something like, “Let’s meet Thursday night, five minutes before midnight.” That is almost impossible to get messed up.

And if you’re communicating via text, try spelling it out properly. Example:

Let’s meet Thursday night at 11:55 PM, five minutes before midnight.”

It might take a few extra keystrokes, but the clarity is worth it.

Thanks for dropping by,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of MURDER TAKES TIME, MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES, and A BULLET FOR CARLOS. He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: sayings, Uncategorized by Giacomo
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Giacomo & Slick

Book Reviews

I often talk with other authors about the glaring differences in reviews that some books get. And I’m amazed at how some authors are confused and dumbfounded. How can someone not love my book, they think?

I’m never confused. If I ever begin to wonder how a book can have so many five-star reviews and an equal number of one-star reviews, all I do is think about my brother Chris. A perfect example is how we rate movies so differently. I was reminded of this just the other night when he came up to watch a movie with me.

Background Needed

First I must lay some groundwork. My brother inherited a fine pair of rose-colored glasses that my mother had all of her life. I think it was a genetic transference, or perhaps they’re invisible. I have no doubt that he has them, or that he’s wearing them 24 hours a day. I, on the other hand, tend to be slightly picky. (I have removed the seven expletives adjectives my wife had inserted before the word picky.)

The differences are never more obvious than when we enjoy a movie together. It’s a rare occurrence but it does happen. And each time, I vow beforehand not to say anything. I swear that I won’t pick the movie apart and that I’ll shut-up no matter what ridiculous things happen or how bad the acting is. But then the movie starts…

Yes, It’s That Bad

The most recent disaster was when he talked me into watching the new Tom Cruise movie, A Wanted Man. It started out okay, but I knew better than to get my hopes up.

Before long I was suffering through yet another major-city car-chase scene with several cars going @100 mph through downtown, and, of course, they were going the wrong way. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, Tom Cruise chased the bad guys through a tunnel, again going the wrong way at high speeds. For one fraction of a millisecond, I thought, suppose there’s traffic in that tunnel?

Fortunately the cars were conveniently separated by exactly the distance needed for the bad guy—and the good guy—to bob and weave their way to the other side, where they exited onto another all-but-deserted street and continued their chase for another hour, or at least it seemed like it was that long.

Phew! I’ll have to tell you, that tunnel chase had me worried for a minute. I thought it might have been like every other tunnel in the world. Jammed with cars, bumper to bumper, no room to switch lanes, even if you’re going the right way.

And then there was a scene that the director took straight from an old Three Stooges show. Where suddenly, the bad guys morph into Larry, Moe, and Shemp. I held my breath, waiting for one of them to poke Tom Cruise in the eye, and anticipated he would cleverly foil them by holding his hand sideways on the bridge of his nose. Although the poke in the eye didn’t happen, what did take place might have been worse.

I don’t like giving away spoilers, so I won’t list the other 300+ things that were wrong with the movie, but I think you get the point. (Yes, it really was that bad.)

My brother, on the other hand, loved the movie. I think he even watched it again a few nights later.

Getting Back To Book Reviews

Now you know why I say I’m never confused by the disparity in book reviews—how a book can have hundreds of five-star ratings but an equal number of one-star rantings. Different people view things differently. He genuinely liked that movie, and I have wiped it from my memory, never to be thought about again.

BTW: It’s not that I can’t enjoy a movie. If I remember correctly, The Usual Suspects (1995) was an outstanding movie, and that gives me hope. If I can make it until 2031, there might be another good one come along.

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of MURDER TAKES TIME, MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES, and A BULLET FOR CARLOS. He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: book reviews, books by Giacomo
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Mikki and Joe

July 4^th is our anniversary, so I’m dedicating this post to my lovely wife.

How To Stay Married For 44 Years

This is my wife (she’s the one holding the brush). Her name is Michele, but I have known her as Mikki since I was 13 years old.

We got married a few months after I turned 17. No one thought it would last. No one except us. Somehow, we knew it would.

The road wasn’t easy. It’s always tough when you start out in a deep hole—like having to quit high school in order to support the baby due in a few months. And growing up, growing apart, and then back together again over many years of trials and tribulations.

When people learn we were married so young, the inevitable question always comes up. “How did you make it work?”

Someone asked me that a few months ago. I give a quick, canned response: hard work. Or something to that effect.

Later that night I thought about what I said, and I was disappointed. It was a young person who had asked the question, and he seemed to be sincere. He might have been looking for an answer, and I should have taken more time to respond. After pondering the question, I arrived at the answer.

It’s All About Forgetting…

…is what I should have said.

“Forgetting?” he might have asked.

“Forgetting,” I’d have said.

• It’s about forgetting I see the wrinkles around her eyes, or the deep, tired furrows in her brow.
• It’s about forgetting I hear the worry in her voice with each new ache and pain either one of us have.
• It’s about forgetting her skin is rough and weathered from tending to the animals and working the farm in the Texas heat.
• It’s about forgetting I hear the raspy voice when she sings to our grandkids.
• It’s about forgetting I see the hurt in her eyes, put there by too much life.
• It’s about forgetting why she gets afraid if I fall, instead of laughing like she used to.

It isn’t all about forgetting, though. It’s also about…

Remembering

• It’s about remembering how her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and that those wrinkles used to be laugh lines.
• It’s about remembering that worry in her voice grew out of 44 years of love.
• It’s remembering how excited I got touching her silky skin for the very first time.
• It’s remembering how thrilling it was to hear her voice on the phone.
• It’s remembering the innocence in her eyes that only years of life can take away.
• It’s remembering all the laughter, all the fun, and all the love that 44 years can bring.

So when I look at my wife, after 44 years…

This Is What I See

It’s Official

Legal Kiss

Leaving Church

Having Fun

PS: If this gets enough shares and likes, I’ll probably get something special tonight. So, come on, help an old guy out. 

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of MURDER TAKES TIME, MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES, and A BULLET FOR CARLOS and No Mistakes Resumes. He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Family, Life Lessons, marriage by Giacomo
12 Comments »

Giacomo & Slick

The Secret to a Good Book

Here’s the scenario—you finished your manuscript; your favorite friends read it; you ran it through two, maybe three, rounds of self editing; and now it’s ready. Whoa! Ready for what?

Before you do anything with that manuscript, you better run it through a few more steps. You can’t give it to your customers yet, not until you fix it. You have several options at this point. Most authors use content editors, but my favorite process is to use beta readers.

How to Get Beta Readers

Beta readers are not easy to find. They don’t hang out on street corners with signs asking for books to read. And I haven’t yet found a directory of readily available beta readers. But there are things you can do. Here are a few suggestions:

• Readers who write you—ask if they’re interested.
• Critique groups—find a good one and trade beta reads.
• Readers who have left critical reviews—write to them, tell them how much you appreciate their comments, and ask if they’d consider being a beta reader.

Most experts advise you to get readers from your genre. I agree that you need some of those, but I also like readers from other genres. They bring a completely different perspective and lots of good suggestions. I had several fantasy readers and a few romance readers go through my first novel, Murder Takes Time. These people gave excellent advice that no one from the mystery or thriller groups mentioned.

What to Ask Beta Readers

This depends on what you feel you need help with. If you have technical issues you need to verify, make sure you have qualified readers to provide input. If you’re writing in the mystery genre, you might need someone familiar with law enforcement or the legal profession. A SciFi writer might need a physicist.

You might also need location-specific help. If you do, obviously your beta readers should be familiar with the area. Whatever the case, the basics of writing should always be part of what you ask readers to look for:

• Plot inconsistencies
• Character development
• Storytelling
• Dialogue
• Ending
• Slow parts
• Typos/grammar
• Confusing parts

All of these are important but, to me, the more important questions are:

• How did the book make you feel?
• Were you happy with the ending?
• Would you recommend it to a friend?

Ask the questions in the back of the book/manuscript, after they’re done reading. Prod them with thought provoking questions.

• Did you feel that character “X”…
• Did you agree with the decision to do…
• If not, what would you have done differently?
• Was the plot right?
• Did you get lost/confused?
• Know what was happening too soon?
• Was it believable?

There are a thousand questions you could ask. The important thing is to know what you want, and prepare the questions beforehand.

What to Expect From Beta Readers?

Beta readers are all different. Here are a few you traits might recognize:

• Ones who you have to drag a suggestion out of.
• Ones who meekly make a suggestion.
• Ones who voice an opinion, but if challenged will back off.
• Ones who voice strong opinions and back it up.
• Ones who fight you tooth and nail, telling you how wrong you are.

The “generally accepted” wisdom is to never use your family or friends for feedback because they won’t tell you the truth. Ha! Maybe these people didn’t grow up in an Italian family.

My daughter is the latter—the “tooth and nail” type. If anyone were to hear us going at each other’s throats, they would think we hated each other. Five minutes later, we’ll be drinking wine or sharing espresso and laughing at how stupid the other one was. It’s always her fault.

The great thing about this relationship is that sometimes— even after bitterly disagreeing with her—I’ll realize she had a point. When that happens, I go back to my work and look at it with a new set of eyes, searching for the points she presented in her rant debate.

I’m lucky to have her for that. But it works both ways. She writes for several Italian-American newspapers, so when I edit her work I get revenge I mean, I get to help her.

Beta Readers Versus Content Editors

Let the fights begin.

There are some great content editors out there. I know that because I’ve read some of the books they edited. If you can find a good one, and you’ve got the money, it might be an excellent option for you. Unfortunately, my own experience wasn’t so pleasant.

The editor I hired tried to make my book what she wanted it to be—a police procedural. The problem with that is I don’t write police procedurals. I didn’t give up though, and I tried another editor, but I only did a sample, so I could see what she was like. This one didn’t work for me either. After those experiences I decided to stick with beta readers and my own gut instincts.

Bottom Line

Beta readers are, or can be, your bread and butter. They can be gold. In my opinion, the right group of beta readers is far more valuable than a content editor.

Some authors have had great experiences with content editors, and I’m happy for them. But I’m through looking for content editors. I like my beta readers. They’re sharp, insightful, avid readers, who give me honest opinions on what works and what doesn’t. I can’t ask for more than that.

As a side note: If anyone has interest in being a beta reader, I am always looking for more. 

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of MURDER TAKES TIME, MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES, and A BULLET FOR CARLOS. He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Editing, Writing by Giacomo
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Giacomo & Slick

What I Learned From Coffee Dog

A few months ago I did a post about Gracie, the coffee dog. What I didn’t say in that post was that Gracie had been suffering from diabetes for a few years. Now the disease has progressed rapidly, bringing on complete blindness. She gets insulin shots twice a day, and she’s on a special diet, but the diabetes is affecting every part of her body, including her kidneys.

Decisions

It was heartbreaking to see coffee dog struggle with everyday life. She bumped into doors, fell going down the step leading outside, hit her head on tables, and continually walked into the gate separating the kitchen from the dog room. My wife and I discussed putting her down, but on the very morning that we were talking about that—as I made a second cup of coffee—Gracie started her “coffee dog routine.” She stood at the gate, prancing in place, and barked at me. That convinced us she wasn’t ready. She was telling us, “hey, I’ve got some life left.”

What To Do?

My wife started working with her, using clicks and finger snaps to teach her where to go. Before long Gracie could get from her bed to the door without bumping into things. She learned a lot of other tricks along the way:

• She finds her way out the door quite easily now, and even gets around outside without bumping into too many things.
• She has learned where the water bowl is on the side porch, and she navigates the maze of chairs and small tables as if she had 20/20 vision.
• She knows when one of the cats approaches her, and she jumps to full alert when she hears the UPS truck rumble down the gravel drive. (UPS is an arch enemy from way back.)
• Most important of all, she knows exactly where to go in the morning when we share our coffee.

What Did I Learn From This?

To answer this question I have to bare my soul a little, and that’s something I don’t like to do. I’m getting old. There, I’ve said it, and it only took me an hour to type those words. I can’t do the things I used to. Don’t get me wrong; I feel blessed. I can still work 14-hour days—at the desk—and I still require less sleep than most people. I have my memory and wits, (my wife would argue that point) and I laugh every day. But I can’t do the physical things I used to. I can’t lay stone anymore, or pour concrete, or dig footings, or build fences. Especially not in the Texas heat. And I have to admit, the inability to do these things sometimes got me down. And then, when I least expected it…

Here Comes Gracie

Gracie showed me that life isn’t over just because you’re getting old.

• She taught me that obstacles were things to overcome, not insurmountable objects.
• She taught me persistence. When she lost her sight, she must have walked into our end table a hundred times before she learned just where it sat in her new world. And it took months for her to realize that when we opened the door, she had to wait for it to fully open before she tried going out.
• She taught me to learn from my mistakes. We have a gate between the kitchen and the dog room which presented a problem for her going in and out of the kitchen. At first, she walked into the gate all the time; now she stops and waits for someone to let her in, or out. She’s also more careful when she reaches the step to go outside. She slows, then stops and sniffs, then she treads slowly and puts one foot down until it hits ground.
• She taught me to never give up. It took her two months to learn the layout of the back porch.
• She taught me to enjoy the simple things in life—like sitting in the grass and letting a breeze blow across her face; lying next to someone, enjoying their company; curling up on the porch on a rainy day…

Gracie & Freckles

Or Sharing A Cup Of Coffee With An Old Friend

After seeing how much progress Gracie made in a few short months, my wife and I were impressed, and we were convinced she had time left.

Gracie is still happy. She wags her tail when she hears us. She greets us every morning with a bark. And most important of all, she still goes crazy when I make my coffee, demanding to join me on the porch for our “coffee time.”

I don’t know how long she’ll last. Hell, I don’t know how long I’ll last. But I’ve decided that while we’re both here, we’ll enjoy our time together. At least in the morning—over coffee.

Ciao, and thanks for stopping by,

Giacomo

Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of MURDER TAKES TIME, MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES, and A BULLET FOR CARLOS. He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”

Filed under: Animal Sanctuary, Family, Life Lessons, Storytelling by Giacomo
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