How Important is a Title? # 10/23/16 Round Rhobin

Topic: How important is a title? What attracts you to a certain title, and how do you determine what to title your book? 

Thank you Rhobin for another excellent topic!

I believe the  title of your book is–by far–the most important book marketing decision you’ll make.

 There’s little good guidance out there on the right way to think about titling your book. The few blogs that address this decision offer advice that is:

Trite – “Go with your gut!”
Superficial – “Browse bookstores for ideas!”
Actively harmful information – “Don’t spend too much time on it.”
They’re all wrong.

Just like companies spend millions on naming new products, and blogs spend hours testing different titles for their posts, you should spend serious time and energy finding the right book title.

This is a very important decision, one you need to think about and get right to ensure your book has the best possible chance of success.

Debbie Macomber, New York Times Bestselling Author, has spoken a number of times at The Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers meetings (I am a long time member).  When Debbie was writing serial romances for Harlequin/Silhouette she came up with her book titles by reading the names of race horses in the Sunday Newspaper.

Janet Daily, 1944 - 2013, began her writing career also writing for Harlequin Romance.  She set each one of her novels in an U.S.A. state.  Each title was often the state's motto.


Why Do Book Titles Matter?

The title is the first piece of information someone gets about your book, and it often forms the reader’s judgment about your book.

Let’s be clear about this: A good title won’t make your book do well. But a bad title will almost certainly prevent it from doing well.

Based on loads of empirical research and our decades of experience in the book business, we have a pretty clear picture of what happens in the mind of a potential reader when evaluating a book. They consider these pieces of information about a book, in this order (assuming they come across it randomly in a bookstore or browsing on the internet):

The title of the book
The cover of the book
The back cover copy (the book description copy, if it’s online)
The flap copy (or the reviews, if it’s online)
The author bio (depending on where it is)
The book text itself (or they use the “see inside” function to read a few paragraphs)
The price

The title is the first thing the reader sees or hears about your book–even before the cover in most cases–and getting your title right is possibly the most important single book marketing decision you’ll make (even though most people don’t think about it as marketing).

The 5 Attributes Of Good Book Titles

A good title should have all of these attributes:

Attention Grabbing
Memorable
Informative (gives idea of what book is about)
Easy to say
Not embarrassing or problematic for someone to say aloud to their friends
Attention Grabbing

This should be pretty obvious. There are a million things pulling on people’s attention, and you need a title that stands out. A bad title is one that’s boring, or seems boring.

There are many ways to grab attention; you can be provocative, controversial, exciting, you can make a promise, etc. The point is your title should make people stop and pay attention to it.

Remember, a book title is not only the first thing a reader hears about your book, it’s the one piece of information that a reader has that leads them back to the book itself. If your book is recommended to them by a friend, and they can’t remember the title, then they can’t go find it in a bookstore or on Amazon.

A good test is to ask yourself this question:

If you were to tell someone the title of your book at a party, would they have to ask what it’s about?
If so, that’s probably a bad title.

Also, don’t out-think yourself on your title.

By using a word or phrase that is either not immediately understandable by your desired audience, or doesn’t convey the point of the book, you are putting a huge obstacle in front of your success.

Easy To Say

 Tongue twisters and hard to say phrases reduce the likelihood that people will engage the book or say it out loud to other people.

This is a concept called cognitive fluency–to make it simple, it means that people are more likely to remember and respond favorably to words and phrases they can immediately understand and pronounce. We don’t want to go too far into the psychological explanations here, but the point is this: Don’t try to be too sophisticated at the risk of becoming obscure. It will only hurt your book.

Step 2: Brainstorm

This step is simple.

Spend at least a few days writing down every single title idea you can think of.

Telling someone to brainstorm is like telling someone to “be creative,” meaning that it’s not an easy thing to describe. That being said, we will will list every possible way we know of to find a good book title, complete with examples (remember, these techniques are not just for your main title, they will be the basis for your subtitles as well).

Use clever or noteworthy phrases from the book: This is very common in fiction, and can work well with novels. It also works well with non-fiction books, where the concept of the book can be summed up quickly or with one phrase.

Examples

The Black Swan
Lecturing Birds On Flying
I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell
Use both short and long phrases: We usually start with a really long title and work our way down to much shorter phrases. The goal is to have the main title be as short as possible–no more than 5 words (genre fiction varies)–and have the subtitle offer the context and put in important keywords.

Use relevant keywords: For non-fiction especially, searchability matters. You want to make sure that when someone searches for the subject or topic of your book, it will come up on Google and Amazon.

If you are unsure of this, go look on Amazon and see how often subtitles and titles are use additional keywords to attract more search engine traffic.

Examples

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Use Amazon/Goodreads/Wikipedia for inspiration:

Wikipedia’s list of the best-selling books of all time
Goodreads list of best book titles
Amazon’s current best-selling books

Try Random Title Generators: I’m not going to tell you these are great ways to find book titles. But sometimes people get desperate, and this is something you could try if you ran out of other options:

http://www.kitt.net/php/title.php
http://www.fictionalley.org/primer/title.html


Finally: Make Sure The Title Is Not Already Popular

No, you cannot copyright titles. Technically, you can call your book “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Lord Of The Rings” or even “The Lion,The Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

That being said, copying a popular book’s makes it VERY hard for your book to stand out, and pretty much guarantees a lot of negative reviews from people who are not getting the book they expected to get.

Happy Reading & Writing,
Please visit the writers who are participating in this month's Round Rhobin!

Connie


Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
A.J. Maguire  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/ 
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com
Heather Haven http://heatherhavenstories.com/blog/
Dr. Bob Rich  http://wp.me/p3Xihq-MI 
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com

Sunday Snippet November 29, 2015

For today's Sunday Snippet I'd  like to share the transcripts from a podcast interview I gave when "Lynx" Rodeo Romance debuted at my publisher,  BWL, Ltd..

Connie: Today’s rodeos feature the most skilled cowboys and cowgirls.  They show off their roping, riding, and many other talents to the world.  Being a rodeo cowboy, especially a bull rider, is a dangerous occupation where the only the strongest and smartest will take home the victory. I’d like to welcome, Lynx Maddox, one of rodeo’s top bull riders, to today.

Lynx:  “I’d like to thank all of the romance readers and Rodeo fans for  logging on for my interview.”

Connie:  “For the readers who aren’t familiar  with PRO rodeo cowboys who support community projects  for worthy causes.  Lynx, you were at the Fairgrounds this weekend to support and build awareness for projects to prevent domestic violence, isn’t this correct?”

 Lynx:  “Yes.  Dan and  were at the Snake River Stampede last week where a local band helped collect donations to support a newly built women’s shelter.”

Connie:  “I know you are reluctant to brag. . .but virtually all former and current  world champions have competed at the Stampede at one time or another. However, few are as generous with donating their purse winning as readily as you are.”

Lynx:  “Now, I wouldn’t say that.  Everyone does what he or she can to help contribute to these worthy causes. . .be it in dollars or in time. . .Weren't we gonna discuss the sport of bull riding?”

Connie: “Yes, Wildcat, we are.  According to the ABBI guidelines for judging bull riding, based on five categories:  buck, kick, spin, intensity, and degree of difficulty.  All of which sound extremely uncomfortable for the rider.  Would you mind explaining what this all means?”

 Lynx: Dry chuckle.  “‘Buck’ refers to the height achieved with the front feet and shoulders as a bull begins each jump of a trip. Technically correct bulls will complete this action by kicking their hind legs, however not all will kick, and that is a separate category from buck. Bulls that “get in the air” and get their front feet a foot or two off the ground as they peak and break over get the most credit in the buck category. Another consideration is the number of jumps they complete during the course of the trip. Still another factor can be how much ground they cover.”

Connie: “I know the ‘Kick’ refers to the extension and snap of the hind legs at the peak of each jump. But I don’t know the determining factors for scoring.”

Lynx: “Again, the score is determined by how high and how hard the bull kicks, how much vertical body angle he achieves as he kicks, and whether or not he kicks each and every jump. Additionally, bulls that kick at the peak of each jump instead of waiting until their front feet reach the ground deserve more credit in this important category.”

Connie: “So at any time, a bull rider can find himself falling under one of the massive animals?”

Lynx: “Well, I reckon so, but that is not the aim of the rider. . .”

Connie:  “Sorry, but. . .”

Lynx: “Heard about what happened–”

Connie:  “In Cheyenne, Wyoming?  Yeah.”

Lynx:  “The ‘Spin’.”  Takes a sip of coffee.  “Also referred to as the speed category, spin is the most difficult to assess if a bull is only ridden for a jump or two. In this situation, a judge must assume that the amount a bull was spinning (or the number of rounds) would have continued at the same rate for eight seconds. For this reason, it is important, in order to achieve high marks in the spin department, to “turn back” or begin to spin as early as possible so that more time is spent spinning than covering ground.”

Connie: “The ‘Spin’ is assessed the same way?”

 Lynx:  “Basically yes.”

Connie:  “The final category is ‘Degree of Difficulty’.  Difficulty equals painful, I take it?”

 Lynx:  “Naw.  By the end of the ride most bull rider’s bodies are numb.”

Connie: Smothering a laugh.  “Please continue.”

Lynx: “There are a number of factors that can occur in a bull’s trip that elevate the degree of difficulty, and it is important to note that the bull that does everything else right automatically has a high degree of difficulty for that simple reason. Therefore, just because a bull is honest and doesn’t use tricks to get a rider off, he shouldn’t be penalized in this category for doing things right. Having said that, there are those elements of a trip that some bulls employ that make them harder to ride than bulls that don’t. These things don’t necessarily make a bull better, and again it should be mentioned that the most desirable methods of increasing degree of difficulty are by doing the core elements (buck, kick, and spin) well. Furthermore, the bull that is using time and energy performing some of the trickier elements generally associated with degree of difficulty is usually losing ground in some other area. The most generally defined elements of this category are: drift or fade, accomplished by a bull covering ground as he spins; moving forward in the spin; belly roll; drop; direction change; and lack of timing.”

Connie:  “Lynx, thank you so much for taking time from your packed schedule to explain the element of rodeo to us .  You make bull riding sound like everyone’s nine-to-five job.  But we all know that isn’t true.  Rodeo is a very dangerous sport.”

 Lynx: “I can’t deny that fact.”

Connie: “Where are you off to tomorrow?”

 Lynx:  “Tonight.  After I wrap things up at the Fairgrounds, I’m driving up to Running Springs, Montana.”  Rising to his feet, he tips his hand and exits the booth.

Connie: speaking over the canned music, ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas,”Thank you, Wildcat.  Let’s all thank Lynx Maddox for stopping by today.”


Now hop on over and visit my other Sunday Snippet Pals:

http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)


Don't forget to come back next week for more Sunday Snippets.

Remember to stuff those eReaders with BWL Holiday Bargains!  

bookswelove.net

Or Shop Here

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Sunday Snippets by Connie Vines #Sunday Snips #09/6/2015

Today, rather than add a snippet from one of my novels, I thought I’d discuss in influence of Oscar winning movies, award winning novels, Fashion Icons, and decades as an influence on defining the craft of writing.

I have always been a fan of theater (especially the small local variety), as well as classic movies.  Those who have followed my guest blog interviews are aware of my love of the Universal Monster Movies (especially “The Mummy” and “Dracula”).  However, I am also a long-standing fan of “Bell, Book, and Candle”, and now, after seeing a late night (uncut) version of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” a fan of this 1960’s movie as well.

For those of you unversed on the movie based on Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same title, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) is the story of a woman on her own making her way in the big city.  As stories go, it is short on plot but rich in characterization, which may explain why its protagonist, Holly Golightly, has become Audrey Hepburn's most memorable screen persona.  In the hands of director Blake Edwards, the film neglects much of the book's foreboding edge, but gains an unforgettable comedic touch, which actually helps accentuate the darker moments.  In addition, Henry Mancini's musical score and Hubert de Givenchy's gowns for Ms. Hepburn successfully uphold Capote's style when the story itself is forced to leave his writing behind. Like the protagonist at its heart, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S is quirky, funny, bewildering, serious, sophisticated and bittersweet -- and as movies go, great entertainment.

“The opening to the novella, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S: I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East Seventies where, during the early years of the war, I had my first New York apartment. It was one room crowded with attic furniture, a sofa and fat chairs upholstered in that itchy, particular red velvet that one associates with hot days on a train. The walls were stucco, and the color rather like tobacco-spit.”

And again on page one: “It never occurred to me in those days to write about Holly Golightly, and probably it would not now except for a conversation I had with Joe Bell that set the whole memory of her in motion again.

Holly Golightly had been a tenant in the old brownstone; she occupied the apartment below mine.”

Such a rich, visual beginning.  I tumbled right into the story. 

The early 1960s.  Not Downton Abbey, however, much more formal than today.

20th Century Glove Etiquette

Definite Don’ts

Don’t ever appear in public without gloves.
Don’t eat, drink, or smoke with gloves on.
Don’t play cards with gloves on.
Don’t apply makeup with gloves on.
Don’t wear jewelry over gloves, with the exception of bracelets.
Don’t make a habit of carrying your gloves ~ they should be considered an integral part of your costume.
Don’t wear short gloves to a very gala ball, court presentation or ‘White Tie’ affair at the White House or in honor of a celebrity.

Meet Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn).  Here she is on New York's 5th Avenue in the early morning hours, dressed to the nines, sipping coffee, nibbling a Danish and window shopping at Tiffany's under the opening credits.

• "I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together.  I'm not sure where that is, but I know what it's like.  It's like Tiffany's." --Holly.
• "Listen...you know those days when you get the mean reds?" --Holly.
  "The mean reds? You mean like the blues?" --Fred (Paul).
  "No... the blues are because you're getting fat or because it's been raining too long. You're just sad, that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?" --Holly.
  "Sure." --Fred (Paul).
  "When I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump into a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away." --Holly.
• "You don't have to worry.  I've taken care of myself for a long time." --Holly.

I do love the ‘little black dress’ and pearls.  The slower pace of life that was so desperately and excitingly real. 

This is what the early 1960s brings to my writing.  Less intrusion, more of a sheltered, yet very intense world.

We all know, of course, that all was not perfect during that time.  The television series, “Mad Men” does focus on a high-powered firm in the mid-1960s.  The sexual harassment and excessive drinking really were that bad.

Do you like the influences of the past to touch the stories you read?

 Will current Fashion Icons be as classic as ‘Audrey Hepburn’ in fifty years?

I do not think so.  CoCo Chanel, Chanel #5, Audrey Hepburn, Tiffany’s, and as 007 says, “a Martini, shaken not stirred”.  These are the definition of a ‘classic’.

Happy Reading,

Connie

Please visit the the other author's participating in this week's Sunday Blog Hop!

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/

http://mizging.blogspot.com/

http://triciamg.blogspot.com/

http://romancingscifi.blogspot.com/

What Hooks a Reader on a Story? # rndrobin0415

Topic: What glues you to a story start to finish? What hooks do you use to capture your readers?

How to hook my readers?

Workshops, how-to-books, and instructors will say it’s the first two paragraphs, the first one hundred words, the blurb, the cover. . .etc. that will hook your readers.

As a rule, I agree these statements are true. 

The key statement is “as a rule”.

I write what I like to read.  I like a strong opening hook, witty dialogue, or a detailed description of a setting, all have their place and all appeal to me.  If I have had a stressful day, I may prefer a book with more narrative.  A humdrum day, a fast-paced book with a strong action hook is perfect.  I assume my readers preferences are the same. 

The story dictates the hook and the tone of my story.  Always.

When I chose print books, I look at the cover, read the blurb, and scan the first three pages.  Ebooks, offer the additional benefit of reviews (though I am careful not to find spoilers) and speedy download. As a writer, I am very aware that I’m not the only entertainment venue.  I compete with movies, television, and in the case of my Teen/Tween and YA novels—video games,

I strive to forge an emotional connection between my readers and my characters.  I hope that my readers will remember my characters and think of them as friends. Friends that make an afternoon enjoyable, an evening filled with adventure, hope, love, or good old-fashioned or just plain sassy fun!

Looking for a hook?

Here are a few of mine:

•  Charlene hadn’t told Rachel that she’d fixed her up with a cowboy, much less Lynx Maddox, the “Wild Cat” of the rodeo circuit.  Rachel signed. She should have known.  After all, Charlene only dated men who wore boots and Stetson.  “Lynx” Rodeo Romance, Book 1.  BWL release.

 ·         Audralynn Maddox heard her own soft cry, but the pain exploding inside her head made everything else surreal, distanced somehow by the realization that some had made a mistake. A terrible mistake.  “Brede” Rodeo Romance, Book 2. BWL release.

 ·         “You and Elvis have done a great job on this house,” Meredith said as her older sister led the way downstairs toward the kitchen here the tour began. “Sorry I couldn’t get over, until now, but I’ve been sort of. . .well, busy.” Slipping her Juicy Couture tortoise-shell framed sunglasses into a bright pink case, Meredith crammed them into her black Coach handbag. She hoped her sister didn’t ask her to define busy. Becoming a zombie, and dealing with the entire raised from the dead issue over the past six months, was not a topic easily plunked into casual conversation.  “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow” BWL release.

 ·         1868  The Governor of New Mexico decreed that all Indian children over six be educated in the ways of the white man. Indian Commissioner: Thomas Morgan said:  It is cheaper to educate the Indians than to kill them.

1880, Apacheria, Season of Ripened Berries

Isolated bands of colored clay on white limestone remained where the sagebrush was stripped from Mother Earth by sudden storms and surface waters. Desolate. Bleak. A land made of barren rocks and twisted paths that reached out into the silence.  A world of hunger and hardship.  This is my world. I was born thirteen winters ago.  I am Tanayia. My people and I call ourselves “Nde” this means “The People”. The white men call us Apache.

“Whisper upon the Water” Hard Shell Word Factory/Mundania Press imprint.

Please join in the Blog Hop to see what other writers have to say!

Connie

 
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Ginger Simpson http://www.mizging@logspot.com/
Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Helena Fairfax  http://helenafairfax.com/
Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Rachael Kosnski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/

My Favorite Time and Place to Read? How About Writing Time? #Round Robin

Life keeps getting busier, and finding time to complete daily tasks is difficult, but I always, always find time to read.

This month’s question:

What is your favorite time and place to read? How about writing time? Do you have to make time?
Do you have a ritual or is your plan helter-skelter? What's your method?

As a child it was hiding beneath my covers with a flashlight long past my prescribed bedtime.  Today, it more of a snatch of time here and there.  While preparing dinner (e-reader/ iPad /paperback on the counter), 10:30 p.m. wrapped in a woven throw on the couch listening to Slacker Radio on my iPad (when I should be sleeping), or with a grand-baby snuggled in my lap.  Reading is a pleasure, an escape, a way to share stories with others.

I make time to read, I make time to go to the gym, and I make time for family and friends.  These day-to-day activities weave, in my opinion, the fabric of a well-balanced and enjoyable life.   

Writing Time—the second part of today’s blog topic.

My method of writing?

I make it a practice to study the master of successful fiction.  Hemingway never wrote a treatise of the art of writing fiction.  He did, however, leave behind letters, articles and books with opinions and advice on writing.  Some of the best of those were assembled in 1984 by Larry W. Phillips into a book Ernest Hemingway on Writing.   While I do not rigidly follow these steps, I always keep them in the back of my mind.

1: To get started, write one true sentence.  One simple declarative sentence. 

·       Charlene hadn’t told Rachel that she’d fixed her up with a cowboy, much less Lynx Maddox, the “Wild Cat” of the rodeo circuit.

(Lynx, Rodeo Romance)

·       “You and Elvis have done a great job on this house,” Meredith said as her older sister led the way downstairs toward the kitchen where the tour began. “Sorry I couldn’t get over, until now, but I’ve been sort of. . .well, busy.”

(Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow) Sassy & Fun Fantasy Series.

·       Audralynn Maddox heard her own soft cry, but the pain exploding inside her head made everything else surreal, distanced by the realization that someone had made a mistake.

(Brede, Rodeo Romance Book 2)

My exception:  my YA historical novel is told in the first person.  Since the novel focuses on the emotional and life altering events of a young girl, I used historical facts and events to form the plot of my award-winning novel,  Simple declarative sentences are applied to the Prologue and Introduction.  However, emotional impact was needed to make the story ‘real’.

·       Prologue: The Governor of New Mexico decreed that all Indian children over six be educated in the ways of the white man. 

Indian commissioner Thomas Morgan said: It was cheaper to educate the Indians than to kill them.

1880, Apacheria, Season of Ripened Berries

Isolated bands of colored clay on white limestone remained where the sagebrush was stripped from Mother Earth by sudden storms and surface waters. Desolate. Bleak. A land made of barren rocks and twisted paths that reached out into the silence.

A world of hunger and hardship.  This is my world. I am Tanayia.  I was born thirteen winters ago. My people and I call ourselves “Nde” this means “The People”.  The white men call us Apache.

(Whisper upon the Water, Native American Series). 

2: Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next.  I find this to be a key for me.  When I do not follow this step I find myself flirting with writer’s block the next day.

3: Never think about the story when you’re not working.  I carry this to an extreme, I do not talk about my work-in-progress.  The only exception being when I have research questions or trying to plot a continuing series.

4: When it’s time to work again, always start by reading what you’ve written so far.  The only problem, I am sooo tempted to make revisions.  For most part I beat back the urge (with a stick, if necessary ;-).  Otherwise, I’d never progress beyond chapter one.

5: Don’t describe an emotion–make it.  Watch and listen closely to external events, but to also notice any emotion stirred in you, or others, by the events and then trace back and identify precisely what it was that caused the emotion. If you can identify the concrete action or sensation that caused the emotion and present it accurately and fully rounded in your story, your readers should feel the same emotion.   When I am uncertain as to whether I’ve conveyed too little, or too much (insert: whiny), I ask my BF and fellow BWL writer, Geeta Kakade.  Geeta is the master of writing emotion (just ask Debbie Macomber).  

6: Use a pencil.  A mechanical pencil, please (multiple selection of refill sizes and colors available online).  I do not like to conduct an unproductive search for a pencil sharpener—or heaven forbid, be reduced to whittling a semi-acceptable point with my dull paring knife.

7: Be Brief. To quote Hemingway:  It wasn’t by accident that the Gettysburg address was so short. The laws of prose writing are as immutable as those of flight, of mathematics, of physics.  Therefore, I revise ruthlessly, use strong verbs, and avoid adverbs, and always, always step away from the keyboard when it is time to type: The End.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.  For upcoming releases, contests, and links to interviews, recipes and more! Visit my website: www.novelsbyconnievines.com

Please take a moment to visit, and comment, upon view other writers participating in this month’s Round Robin Blog.

Happy Reading,

Connie Vines

A.J. Maguire  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Geeta Kakade http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Rita Karnopp  http://www.mizging@blogspot.com
Rachael Kosnski http://the-doodling-booktease.tumblr.com/
Helena Fairfax  http://helenafairfax.com/
Heidi M. Thomas http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/
Ginger Simpson http://www.cowboykisses.blogspot.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/

Connie’s Adventures with (yet another set of) Contact Lenses

During the past week, friends, family and co-workers, seem to continually pose the question, “Why don’t you just wear contact lenses?”  The tone of the question ranges from sympathy, pity, non-comprehension, and blatant exasperation as each person watches me maneuver my heavy tri-focal eyeglass lenses to match-up with the computer screen, Excel print-out, or focus on a person face.

Why?  Ah, the question seems simple; the answer obvious-to innocent bystanders, and those blessed with 20/20 vision.  Little do they know my past history: the unexpected tumble down steps because I couldn’t distinguish the steps from the solid brick surface, a toddler playfully patting my face and sending a contact to the floor of supermarket, allergic reaction to the lenses (leaving a suction cup ring on the scalar, and then there was the time a dear friend said, “just try the blue contacts.”  That little episode with the blue contact lenses creeped me out for six months.  Why?  Since I have med-brown eyes with a lovely touch of hazel, I am used to seeing expression in my eyes.  Blue eyes are great—my husband has light blue eyes, so this isn’t an anti-blue eyes thing.  However, when I looked in the mirror to see blue eyes staring back at me. . ..but then I’d forget and jump when I walked past a mirror or spent time wondering if I looked like a little like a seal-point Siamese cat.

Okay, it’s almost a decade later, everyone says with the disposable type of lenses, I will be just fine.

Since I’ve been extremely myopic since birth, my biggest challenge seems to be dealing with using ‘readers’.  For those either nearing or over the age of forty, the terminology is familiar and an expected change.  While I, who has always removed my glasses and held the document, menu, etc. the distance of six-inches from my nose to read, this is decidedly odd and challenging.
Last week I carried a purse, inside were the usual items plus one set of prescription sunglasses and my eye glass case.  Tomorrow I will carry said purse with the above items, plus a tote with contact lens solution, eye drops, a small case, and two sets of ‘readers’ because Foster Grant, apparently doesn't manufacture, or Rite Aide doesn't stock -2.25 ‘readers’.

Whereas before when I took my glasses off, I would braille the furniture or squint until I located the needed item.  Now I wander around the house searching for my ‘readers’.  Oh, and my husband says I look younger, and I should have headaches from eyestrain.  He also says, “Do you know you that bite of pasta fell off your fork, again. Better check your lap.”  Apparently, I am required to wear ‘readers’ while dining too.