I have a confession to make: This post is not about being dedicated to the writing process. I'm so sorry I didn't realize how misleading this post would sound until after I wrote it out. What I'm going to talk about today is something near and dear to my heart, though. I love dedications. I admit, freely, that I feel shortchanged if I read a book without a dedication page.I don’t know why I love the dedications so much. Maybe it’s the thought that one day I could be dedicating a book to someone. Maybe it’s because I’m searching for ideas of what to say in my own dedication. Or maybe it’s the fruitless dream that someone will dedicate a book to me(Say if George Clooney wrote a book and I flipped open the dedication page to find: ‘Kelly, marry me or I shall perish’ XD).
I never before realized my love for dedications until just three days ago. I opened Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson to find this:
This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever played a dead body on stage or screen. It takes a big actor to lie on the ground and keep quiet. Droop on, my lifeless friends.
But all of this rumination made me wonder who I would dedicate my first book to. Or who I’d dedicate the subsequent books to. Or what if I ran out of people to thank? It’s not like I have loads of friends close enough to dedicate books to. I could wind up with an empty dedication page someday...But I doubt it.
So, who are you dedicating your book to? Your Mom? Your Sister? Me? Afraid you’ll ever run out of people to thank?
PS: Mary and Steph, which one of your books are you guys dedicating to me?lol.
9 comments:
Morning Kel! That lifeless body one is awesome! And I love Julia Quinn's dedications too.
I have no idea who I'll dedicate my books too. My husband, probably, and my family somehow. We'll see
Oddly enough, I rarely read the dedications.
I know who I'll dedicate my books to (yes, you're on the list Kelly!) but then I get stuck on who I'd dedicate the first book to, the second, etc. Note my positive thinking...multiple books!
But really, do you dedicate to several people at one (to Mum and Dad) or do you separate them out... Knowing me I'd just skip the dedication and go to acknowledgements.
Oh, Kelly! You have got to start reading Maureen Johnson's blog, if you liked her dedication. I swear, she is the funniest woman alive. And definitely one of the reasons I decided to write YA in the first place...I hope you like(d) Suite Scarlett!
I have absolutely no clue who I will dedicate my first book to. There is a long list of people who I want to dedicate one to...but who knows if I'll get the chance? Here's hoping that if I ever get lucky enough to see my name in print, that a big long section for acknowledgments will be part of the package!
Though, after reading this fun post, I can't stop thinking about dedications, so ItW may never get finished in the first place. Oh, procrastination...;)
Hey Marn! Isn't Maureen Johnson a hoot? I can't wait till I get to read who you dedicate your books to.
Steph! YAY! I'm on the list. I think, and this is just my opinion, you're supposed to dedicate the first book to your parents...or not. I'm really not 100% on order.
Mary! Ack! I can't be responsible for ItW not getting finished. I'll never forgive myself.lol. I need to read more about Eza and Oliver. Also, I'll have to check out Maureen's blog! Thanks for the tip. She makes me want to write YA, also. Which is weird since I've ALWAYS been strictly historical romance.
While I will acknowledge and thank a great many people for support and assistance in my books, I'll always dedicate my books to the same person.
Lovely blog topic, Kelly. I love reading the dedications. They are usually so heartfelt and sweet.
I sort of have a book dedicated to me. Eloisa James dedicated Pleasure for Pleasure to the Bon Bons. LOL! So, I'm sort of collectively dedicated to.
I'm sure my daughter will be in there if I ever get something sold. But the list of people who have helped me over the last year to 18 months is so long, I wouldn't know where to begin to get them all in. And since I'm sure it will take years yet before I ever sell, the list will be an entire chapter to itself!
Hardee hardee. The Cloon is single again. So, the "marry me" dedication is in the realm of possibilities. Improbable, but possible ?! :)
My first dedication would be a longish one...friends who've led by example (theirs) and a kick in the backside (mine).
J.K.! That's cool that there's one person that you'll always keep thanking. What an awesome tribute!
Terri, how cool that Eloisa thanked you! That definitely counts!!
Keira! Thanks for helping me to keep my delusions of clooney alive!lol. I can't wait to read your dedication.
In fact, I can't wait to real ALL of your dedications. Even if they're not to me.lol. Seriously, it will be way cool to know so many published authors!
I had to write my dedication and acknowledgments about a month or so ago and it was surprisingly easy. It takes good friends and family who support this crazy endeavor to end up in the acknowledgments. :)
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