"Becoming" by Michelle Obama Is Very Moving

This book kept me on the edge of my seat starting at page 1. And my first thought as I was reading Becoming is that even if I didn't know who wrote it, it still would have had me on the edge of my seat from page 1. A word that kept coming to my mind as I was reading it was gripping.

It starts out talking about Michelle's childhood on the south side of Chicago. She very eloquently describes the neighborhood, her family, her school, her friends, her talents and hobbies, and her likes and dislikes. After just a few chapters it's very easy to get a sense that you actually know Michelle Obama because the detail is so easy to visualize. You feel like an insider in both her life and in the neighborhood in which she lived.

About a third of the way into the book, she tells us how she met Barack, which I was very excited to read and was looking forward to. Interestingly, though, it's not all roses from the first meeting. In fact, she pulls no punches about noting that her first impression was not all that impressive.

From there until the end, it's a whirlwind. She let's us in on their relationship and how it developed, and how the former president of the United States' career began and developed. If you are one of those people who have always wondered how in the heck did he get from state senator to presidential candidate, Michelle's perspective makes sense of it and if you're like me, you will realize early on that he had a special gift.

She goes on to describe from her point of view the family's eight years in the White House, not only the initiatives she put together, but also how the family was affected, how being trailed by Secret Service everywhere and never being able to step out into the front yard without clearing the street first changed their lives.

You can clearly see through Michelle's words that with all that influence and power comes a lack of freedom.

This is a book that is both moving and educating. It will fill in gaps where you might have had questions throughout POTUS' tenure, but from a personal point of view, not a business or presidential point of view, which makes it more endearing.

I highly recommend this book to all.

If you like a good book that keeps you on your toes and surprises you at every turn, please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon. It has 11 5-star reviews!

Good Segues Are Key for Successful Stand-Up Comedy Writing

My husband and I are new members of Netflix, and the very first thing I viewed was a new stand-up comedy special by Ellen Degeneres, called Relatable.

As a professional writer, I tend to watch shows and read books from a writer's point-of-view, in addition to a consumer's point-of-view. So when I watched Relatable, there were things I noticed  from a writer's perspective that the typical person who is just sitting down to watch comedy might not notice, and these are the things that I think someone who wants to write comedy might want to pay attention to.

First of all, Ellen was very good at segues. One thing that drives me crazy about stand-up comedy iswhen a comedian just switches the conversation without easing into it with a good segue. A segue is a connection that takes you from one thought to the next. It's like a bridge that connects the two thoughts. A lot of comedians are not good at this. It's their weakest feature.

But Ellen did an excellent job of segueing from one piece of the conversation to the next, and I think that anyone who wants to be a stand-up comedian or wants to write comedy should watch Relatable to learn from her segue process. It is the best I've ever seen.

The other thing that Ellen is really good at that I also think most comedians lack is coming full circle. She started out explaining what she meant by Relatable. Then we meandered down her comedy routine, but in the end, she brought the conversation directly back to the subject of being Relatable. This was priceless and I was very impressed.

I think that these two traits -- strong segues and coming full circle -- really bring quality to the writing and to the entertainment. And I would encourage anyone who wants to or is writing comedy to check out Ellen's show Relatable on Netflix. There is much that can be learned from watching her.

Happy writing!

If you like a good book that keeps you on your toes and surprises you at every turn, please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon. It has 10 5-star reviews!