Coming soon: a new story collection from Mary M. Isaacs AND a previously unpublished story.
Check out her website here.
Visit our right-hand sidebar and click on the image of the old fashioned keyboard. Mary M. Isaacs has six volumes available at present, the seventh coming soon.
Mary, while I support what you are about, I have some critiques on your site.
The links only go to Amazon for buying your writings.
What I’m looking for is some depth regarding the stories.
If I comment without knowing more, then my posts are just shallow rantings that only reflect any ideas I have unrelated to your actual works.
The site, in my opinion, needs some comments from you about your works. Giving some insight to your inspirations and desires for what you want to communicate going forward. Sell us on your ideas.
Just a rube’s opinion and take on things. No offense intended.
I appreciate your comments, @dadof4. It’s a little tricky, though, because many of the stories are somewhat open-ended—so that each reader can ponder them. If I say what might have been in MY mind when I wrote them, that predisposes the reader to a specific meaning, and might limit interpretation. I have been both surprised and enlightened by unexpected insights that iOTWr readers have come up with about many of my stories in the past. Not even the author can know all the interpretations of his or her writings.
Some of the stories are based on Scripture, either overtly or covertly. I don’t want to completely give that away right off the bat, either; value sometimes increases with continued thought and analysis.
Of course, some of the stories are just what they appear to be. No further explanation is needed for them!
I didn’t want to include options for commenting on my site, but apparently didn’t have that choice (someone else set it up). I only wanted a place to post my stories and include links in case people were interested enough to purchase the books. I felt that I had imposed long enough on other people’s sites for posting my writings. It’s a lot of work for them. I appreciated that, deeply, but it was time to stop expecting them to do the work.
If there is any story or stories that you wished to talk or ask about, Claudia can give you my email address. I don’t mind discussing them privately—I just want them to stand or fall on their own, publicly, without any justifications, excuses, or explanations from me.
I hope that addresses your concerns.
While I understand your desire to leave the reader with his/her own interpretation, the slate is so blank beforehand, one has no idea of what they are reading beforehand. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea gives you an idea of what the story is about.
There is nothing wrong with not defining your own work beforehand, but that changes things considerably. A descriptive synopsis of your intention is substantially lacking, though. Why should one read it? You give no reason.
We all know what God wants us to learn before we read the Bible. If not, then the reader has been avoiding all previous considerations of the work. Or, maybe, listening to anti-God works beforehand.
I think it would benefit you to prepare people for what you are intending. Something for others to look forward to and enjoy and appreciate that you hit the mark. A general idea of what you mean to convey beforehand may help land your message in the moment.
At the bare minimum…
“This is a story about…”
A blank slate doesn’t draw me in. Probably doesn’t draw others in either. There’s no reason to even try to understand.
It would be nice AND helpful if discussions about your work were at hand on your website. But it’s all blank and void of such things. Why and HOW could anyone interact in a meaningful way with a void?
This is only about the site at the link. Not a comment on your works. I see no draw for checking out your works without taking the risk of buying in without knowing what I’m buying.
That’s always a no for me. I’m sure that’s a regular response. Not just me.
Just trying to be helpful.
There is a brief comment about each book, and a list of its contents, on each one’s Amazon page. I think that is enough information without giving everything away. If you want to know more, many of the reviews go into some detail.
If I was writing novels, I agree that a description would be necessary. But I am not a novelist.
Thank you again for your comments.
How are sales doing?
Sales mean next to nothing to me, @Dadof4, seriously–although it is exciting when a copy sells. My yearly royalty income would buy one medium-sized pizza at a second-rate pizzeria. Without a soda. But I am not in it for the money, obviously.
I write because I love it. If other people enjoy my stories, that is what pleases me the most. Every story I have ever written has run on iOTWr and been posted on social media; anyone who wanted to, has read them all, for free. I have put them in book form partly to give away, but largely so something of me will live beyond me. When I am gone, the stories will still be there. Creation matters. When I am dust, other people will still be able to read what I have created, and maybe enjoy them.
If that sounds stupid, so be it.
@Author: I have enjoyed and pondered a number of your stories, some bought, some read gratis here. Thanks for writing and sharing. And encouraging us to shut out the memes and the short-attention-span spam for a few moments.
Thank you so much, @LittleMorphin’Annie.