Judith Tarr blog post series

There's an ongoing series of blog posts by Judith Tarr, who wrote the e-book on Writing Horses: the Fine Art of Getting It Right, over on the TOR books website. This time the main thrust is what an alien society based on horses might look like. Makes for some fascinating reading, as she's been going on the topic for a few months now. What's more, the comment threads are just as interesting as the originating posts, which makes for a really nice treat in this day and age.

There are also some posts on other horse-related topics more geared towards fantasy writing and movies as well. I highly recommend any of her writings on the subject of horses, as well as her numerous novels.

Indexing Names - Edited by Noeline Bridge

Indexing Names
Ed. Noeline Bridge
Information Today Publishing
Copyright: April 2012
978-1573874502

The amazon.com product description:

Don't be deceived into thinking names are easy to index! They can present a challenge that consumes a disproportionate amount of an indexer's time. Now at last we have a book wholly devoted to the subject. Coverage includes names from classical and medieval times and those belonging to particular ethnicities and nationalities, along with those peculiar to specific genres, especially biography, religion, and the performance and fine arts. Fictional, corporate, and geographical names as well as those of royalty and nobility are discussed. You'll find advice on when and how to index names mentioned in peripheral ways and guidance in avoiding the pitfalls of automated name indexing.

With Indexing Names, Noeline Bridge and her contributing experts from around the globe have created an essential reference for all indexers working in the English language and an instant classic within the field.

Names are a key element in indexing any book and it's absolutely integral to make sure that they are indexed correctly. This may seem to be the easiest part of any index, but as Indexing Names soon proves, the job is far more involved than it seems at first glance. The table of contents alone quickly proves that:

1. The Seven Problem Approach to Indexing Names by Noeline Bridge
2. Classical and Medieval Names by Kate Mertes
3. Arabic Names by Heather Hedden
4. Dutch Names by Jacqueline Pitchford
5. French Names by Noeline Bridge
6. German Names by Jacqueline Pitchford
7. Spanish and Portuguese Names by Francine Cronshaw
8. Chinese Place Names by Liquan Dai
9. Hawaiian Names by Ruth Horie
10. Hmong Names by Madeline Davis
11. Indonesian Names by Madeline Davis and Noeline Bridge
12. Te Reo Maori Names by Elaine N. Hall
13. Thai Names by Sue Lightfoot
14. Names in Biographies by Martin L. White
15. Religious Names by Kate Mertes
16. Titles of Royalty and Nobility in the United Kingdom by Auriol Griffith-Jones
17. Names in Art Books by Enid L. Zafran
18. Names in the Performing Arts by Linda Dunn
19. Name Problems: Dispelling the Simplicity Myth by Sherry L. Smith
20. The Hurdles of Automated Name Indexing by Seth A. Maislin
21. Names in Fiction by Enid L. Zafran
22. Corporate Names by Noeline Bridge
23. Geographic Names by Noeline Bridge
24. Using the Library of Congress Authority File by Janet Russell
25. Resources for Personal Names by Noeline Bridge

Indexing Names is a very substantial reference work covering naming conventions through history as well as in different countries and languages. Definitely worth the price (this is not the least expensive reference work I've bought, but I believe it's well worth it).

Each of the essays in the book is well written and interesting - some of them from more than an indexers point of view, I have to admit. I found the chapter on Classical and Medieval names to be a particular favorite and a fascinating addition to my historical reading too.

Another bonus is that each essay has its' own bibliography and reference list if you need more information on a particular sub-topic. All of this is added to comprehensive examples and tables and clear writing.

This is a book that will be useful for more than the novice indexer - I've seen a couple of reviews from indexers who admit that the book spends more time on their desks than on their shelves, which is something I think I'll find too.

Well done everyone!

Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right - Judith Tarr

Writing Horses - The Fine Art Of Getting It Right
Judith Tarr
Book View Cafe
Copyright: November 2010

The amazon.com product description:

How far can a horse travel in a day? What does a horse eat? When is a brown horse really a sorrel (or a bay, or a dun)? What do tack and withers and canter mean?

In this long-awaited and much-requested book based on her "Horseblog" at Book View Café, author and horse breeder Judith Tarr answers these questions and many more. She looks at horses from the perspective of the writer whose book or story needs them as anything from basic transport to major plot device, and provides definitions, explanations, and links and references for further research--leavened with insight into the world of the horse and the humans who both use and serve him.

How fast can a horse run? What happens when a foal is born? How have humans and horses evolved together over the millennia? And above all, what mistakes do writers most often make when writing about horses, and how can the educated writer avoid them?

Here is a guide to the fine art of getting it right. 

I first read and reviewed Judith Tarr's guide to writing about horses back in February. Back then, I enjoyed the read on my e-ink Kobo E-reader. This time I was reading on the Kobo Vox, the new tablet style colour e-reader. Partly because of the surprise I had when I opened the book out of curiosity, I have to admit. This wasn't on my planned reading list at all. I'd just thought "I wonder", and decided to see if the images were in colour or not. They were, and at the same time, I found that the humour in the writing was even more apparent.

Not only that, but the little tidbits of information I didn't have, but would find useful as a writer were also more numerous than I remembered. Maybe it was the addition of the ability to highlight passages that made me keep an eye out for them more. All sorts of things that aren't always there in the riding manuals - genetics of which colours certain breeds don't have, for example and what kinds of personality traits are more suited for certain kinds of tasks - war horses etc.

And, there's several sections on how certain kinds of stables are run - breeders etc. That kind of thing is just not there if I'm remembering rightly the books I have. All of that, plus suggestions of how to write certain kinds of things - possible plot ideas to interwork, how things would be done in a lower technology society etc, are all very useful.

As I noted in my last review, the fact that my e-reader doesn't cope with links is rather frustrating with this book - it's littered with links to sites for specific breed registries, podcasts on various horse-related subjects etc, and I can't even mark down the url to go look from my computer because it's not listed anywhere. That, honestly, is my biggest gripe with Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right.

It's certainly an enjoyable and thought-provoking read though.

Here's a book You Might Like, Anassa

Writing The Paranormal Novel: Techniques And Exercises For Weaving Supernatural Elements Into Your Story
Steven Harper
Writer's Digest Books
March, 2011
978-1599631349

The amazon.com product description:

Paranormal novels (those with ghosts, telepaths, vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and more) for adult and young-adult readers continue to top bestseller lists, but, until now, no resource exists to help writers craft these stories. This book shows how to successfully introduce supernatural and paranormal elements into your stories, create engaging and relatable characters and craft plots where even the most unusual twists are not only possible, they are believable. 

 I don't know if you've seen this book already, Anassa, or are even beyond what it discusses (very possible), but I thought of you right away when I saw it the other day. It certainly looks intriguing to me.

Writing Horses - The Fine Art of Getting It Right - Judith Tarr

Writing Horses - The Fine Art Of Getting It Right
Judith Tarr
Book View Cafe
Copyright: November 2010

The amazon.com product description:

How far can a horse travel in a day? What does a horse eat? When is a brown horse really a sorrel (or a bay, or a dun)? What do tack and withers and canter mean?

In this long-awaited and much-requested book based on her "Horseblog" at Book View Café, author and horse breeder Judith Tarr answers these questions and many more. She looks at horses from the perspective of the writer whose book or story needs them as anything from basic transport to major plot device, and provides definitions, explanations, and links and references for further research--leavened with insight into the world of the horse and the humans who both use and serve him.

How fast can a horse run? What happens when a foal is born? How have humans and horses evolved together over the millennia? And above all, what mistakes do writers most often make when writing about horses, and how can the educated writer avoid them?

Here is a guide to the fine art of getting it right. 

 I got given a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program, and it wasn't for the Kindle, so if some of the things I mention in here do work better there, please correct me.

First off, I have to say I really liked reading Writing Horses. The chapters flowed together well and made sense - but then, Judith Tarr is a professional writer, and one who I've enjoyed reading many a time, most recently with her short story in Finding The Way and Other Tales of Valdemar.

One thing that's made very clear is that the author knows horses and has had a wide range of experiences with them, from riding to breeding and training. As I understand it, Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right is based on blog posts that Judith Tarr has written, which is where a lot of the informal style of the chapters seems to come from.

Although the book seems to be written mostly for those who've had little experience with horses, I found that it had plenty of tidbits for people with more experience as well (In my case several years of riding lessons years ago, and lots of reading). Much of it was basic, but, as I said, there were things in the book that a lot of the horse-care books I have didn't cover, such as some of the genetics and alternate terminology (eg, for Western riding, most of what I have is focused on English style). And then there's the bits such as on breeding and training too.

If you're interested in writing, the book is neat for another reason too - the way it's written serves to possibly spark ideas to work from as well. Possible problems to resolve - eg. horse health issues and the like.

Now, I was reading this book in e-pub format on my Kobo e-reader,and I found a couple of things that were slightly frustrating. Possibly they come from the book being formed from blog posts but perhaps it's also a limitation of the e-reader I'm using. Specifically I'm referring to the links scattered through the text. Some of them looked to be quite interesting potentially, but I couldn't get to them. There's no access to that kind of thing on the Kobo, and the urls weren't actually given anywhere for me to check them later on my computer. Same thing in the further references section. But, it's a minor thing really given the rest of the book, which is packed full of information and well illustrated with photos to boot.

Overall, I found Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right to be a very useful resource for anyone who likes horses and likes writing.

Writing In History - Jeffrey Alexander

Writing In History
Jeffrey W. Alexander and Joy Dixon
Thompson Nelson
Copyright: 2006
9780176251871

I wish I'd found out about this book back when it first came out as reading it has been most helpful for my understanding of what it takes to write a proper paper for an upper level university course in history (probably also for the Classical Studies department). Now that I'm almost done with my degree, it's not going to be all that helpful. Still, it should improve the final few papers I hand in.

Some of the material is obvious and basic, such as writing proper thesis statements, but other bits are really helpful. For example, the section on coming up with a proper title, or making a strong conclusion. Also, proper use of quotations, citations and the like. None of the style guides I've read went into that at all. There are sections on various types of sources, both original and secondary, and even some discussion of sources you might not normally think of using, such as novels.

The book also discusses various types of assignments that students might be assigned such as book reports and journal writing as well as the main subject of research papers (I'd say these are the majority of term papers we students are assigned).

Writing in History is a really short book at less than a hundred pages, but well worth the evening it takes to read. I've never seen a professionally published book bound with staples the way a magazine is, but I guess it doesn't really need anything more.

Frankly, I think this should be a required/optional book for all history classes, as once you've got it, you don't need to buy it again, but at least you will know about it and be able to take advantage of the advice the book gives.

Thinking about it, although the book is geared to university students, it might be helpful for the final years of high school as well.

Plot - Ansen Dibell

Plot
Ansen Dibell
Writer's Digest Books
Copyright: 1988
9780898799460

This is one of the books in the Elements Of Fiction Writing series put out by Writer's Digest. In it, the writer explains what sorts of things are needed in order to make a good novel or short story, and how to write them.

He talks about character viewpoints, how to chose them, and what not to do. About the different types of story or ending, for example the circular ending or the linear one. About the different patterns a story can take, and much more.

The author not only explains the different aspects of plot, he gives examples. Two of his favorite examples to use are the Star Wars movies and Lord of the Flies. The first I'm familiar with, the second I've never read, but the way he does it the examples still make sense.

I'd like to write a novel or two and I think reading this book has helped. It's certainly strengthened my ideas of what I'll need for a plotline! And, he's done it in a way that's easy to understand, inspiring and fun to read.