The Girl in the Red Rubber Boots

I Need Your Ideas and Opinions

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by

Emily Sara Smucker
in

I suppose this is the time of year when you can expect the least from me, writing wise. In years past I’ve somehow managed to write blog posts during harvest, but I’m not sure how I did that. But this morning I suddenly felt like writing, so here I am.

I didn’t drive a truck into a ditch this year. The combine didn’t get plugged up. In fact, nothing went wrong, and now I can say that I’ve combined for seven summers and my biggest fear has never happened–I’ve never started a fire.

Some summers I do tractor work after combining is finished, and some summers I don’t. This summer I wasn’t going to. Because I don’t know, I still have three weeks before I leave. I might as well do something useful.

As far as writing goes, I’m kind-of having a hard time with it. Patreon is going well as usual, but I would really love to write another book. I’m just not sure what exactly that next book should be. I really, really want to write fiction, and I was sure I was finally becoming a fiction writer. I worked on one novel for an entire year, which is something I’ve never done before. But I think it’s a practice novel. It’s just so bad.

So now I’m thinking I should write another nonfiction book, and maybe then I’ll be talented enough for fiction.

But if I wrote nonfiction, what would I write about?

Or maybe I should ask, what do you want to read?

Let’s go with that. What sort of book would you love to read, written by me? Please tell me. Comment, email, DM, I want to know.

If I had more brain space right now I’d do a giveaway. It would be transactional–you tell me what sort of book I should write, and I enter you into the giveaway. But I don’t know what to give away besides another copy of my book, and those of you with the best ideas have probably already read my book by this point.

This blog post is so scattered and random it’s like I’m 19 again. Ha. Oh well. I need to go pack my lunch. Please tell me your ideas. I truly want to know.

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Comments

15 responses to “I Need Your Ideas and Opinions”

  1. Regina Avatar
    Regina

    Maybe you could write a devotional book for young ladies and women. I haven’t bought and read your book yet but finances are a little tight now. I should see if anyone I know has it and I could borrow theirs to read.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Emily Sara Smucker Avatar
      Emily Sara Smucker

      Good idea! Yes, I know how hard it is to buy things when finances are tight! That’s the great thing about books, you can always borrow them!

      Like

      Reply
  2. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    How about a fictional story from the perspective of a young girl who grew up during the early years of the Anabaptist movement?

    Like

    Reply
    1. Emily Sara Smucker Avatar
      Emily Sara Smucker

      Interesting idea, thank you!

      Like

      Reply
  3. Miriam F Hershberger Avatar
    Miriam F Hershberger

    I like to read medical stories

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Kat Sundquist Avatar
    Kat Sundquist

    I always want to read something cozy. Light romance in the countryside a la D.E. Stevenson. Or just low stakes countryside life. Normal people with normal problems. Nothing too dramatic. These are the types of things I love to read in the afternoons after I get off work while I look outside at my own slice of country (the desert southwest). I love to read about somewhere that’s green. I also like to read dramatic big issue books too, but I feel like cozy literature isn’t really common.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Emily Sara Smucker Avatar
      Emily Sara Smucker

      That’s a good point. I love reading cozy books, but I’ve never tried writing one.

      Like

      Reply
  5. PJ Avatar
    PJ

    One of the many reasons that I enjoy your writing is that it gives me a glimpse into a culture different than my own. I would be interested in the non-fiction, or fictionalized story of what it is like to grow up as a Mennonite ministers daughter, in a large family, in a farming community.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Brenda Miller Avatar
    Brenda Miller

    Write about your life with your siblings and also about harvest and what all goes on… ?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Courtney Avatar
    Courtney

    You could write a sequel to your latest book, about where God’s taken your life after you experienced the highway and the tea. 😉 Haven’t read your book yet, but I really want to sometime!

    Like

    Reply
  8. birdyandnerdy Avatar
    birdyandnerdy

    You could write a sequel to your latest book, telling us about your life after the highway and the tea. 😉 I haven’t read your book yet, but I want to sometime!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Becca Avatar
    Becca

    I like to read well written (interesting😉) biographies or even historical fiction, loosely based on someone’s life… so that is my opinion… Rebecca Shirk

    On Wed, Jul 14, 2021, 11:27 AM The Girl in the Red Rubber Boots wrote:

    > Emily Sara Smucker posted: ” I suppose this is the time of year when you > can expect the least from me, writing wise. In years past I’ve somehow > managed to write blog posts during harvest, but I’m not sure how I did > that. But this morning I suddenly felt like writing, so here I a” >

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. handmaidsdistaff Avatar
    handmaidsdistaff

    So, this is a writer’s group style response, I suppose. In one sense, it’s impossible to say what someone else ought to write, but I like reading your writing because:

    I love your humour: your lively, quirky way of making things almost paradoxically absurd (“bunnyslipper” can’t be taken for substitute blasphemy. LOL!).
    I really like your capacity to look at things and see a whole different aspect of them. (So, when you commented that you felt that “Negativity about Africa” is not racism, at least in the straightfoward sense, but the “them people” attitude and the failure to preserve the dignity of the poor in the context of charity).
    I really appreciate your type of Christian outlook: things like the whole, “Do, not say,” attitude, seem a lot sounder than most of what I’ve encountered. I love reading stories with truly Christian values: stories where the Christian values come across in what the approved of characters are regarded as good for doing.
    I enjoy the way you have a mixture of experiences I share (like ill health, and – excuse me if this is wrong – not really actually fitting in a lot of the time) and ones that are totally alien to me, like having grown up with a lot of siblings, being part of an Anabaptist church with a totally different type of community structure to what I’m used to, and the whole American experience of race. And driving a combine harvester.

    So, for example, I was disappointed that the novel which was the adaption of the twelve dancing princesses didn’t materialise, because of the way it was describing a large sibling group interacting, and that was really interesting. And I totally enjoyed your thing about the imaginary flood, “I don’t give change for textbooks,” and the lecturer who was going to fail people for not turning up to a test in a flood so bad that the houses were floating about… I think everyone who’s been to university has met that lecturer! ><

    If I was trying to make suggestions regarding building on these strengths in fiction, I would, I suppose, suggest something like a character-driven fairy story with quirky surrealism, a large sibling group, a plot based round a problem that allows you to explore some complex social issue, a setting that you understand but most people haven't experienced, and a really bizzare but satisfying twist to finish off with. Use your imaginative humour to get your serious points across. That mix really is one of your greatest strengths. (Excuse me if I sound like a schoolteacher. I don't mean to. Style is just, well, difficult).

    I have to add, that I haven't read either of your books, because it isn't realistically feasible to get hold of them outside America (shipping cost to UK) and having VI problems, I do better reading ebooks where I can raise the text size – hint, hint! 🙂 I do appreciate the difficulty of making publishing decisions in terms of things like the investment, but it does seem worth mentioning that there may be a potential (English speaking world outside America) readership that can be reached that way but not with print books.

    Anyway, hope this is at least more helpful than otherwise 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Emily Sara Smucker Avatar
      Emily Sara Smucker

      Thank you for your thoughts! I found your insight helpful and encouraging. If you’re interested in the ebook version of my book, you can buy it on Kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/Highway-Me-Earl-Grey-Tea-ebook/dp/B08WRMGLBS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KI2RHGNEWAAI&keywords=emily+by+emily+smucker+kindle&qid=1679587396&sprefix=emily+by+emily+smucker+kindle%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1

      I don’t know if the link in the UK is different, but if you search Amazon for “The Highway and Me and My Earl Grey Tea by Emily Smucker,” you’ll find it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. handmaidsdistaff Avatar
        handmaidsdistaff

        The amazon US version links straight to amazon UK 🙂 Thanks. I don’t know why I couldn’t find that before – I only picked up the links to your print publisher.

        Liked by 1 person

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