Tuesday, May 4, 2010

When A Writer Goes Bad...

Hooked you didn't I? That was the point. But you knew that.

The job of the writer is to hook the reader. No reader, then no need for the book. Right?

I've found though, that through reading extensively, writing, and reviewing, I'm becoming a book snob.

That sounds horrible, but it's not meant to. What I mean is that by reading and seeing an extensive amount of work, I'm getting more picky and irritated by little things that never would've bothered me before.

Like? Head hopping. I just finished a book that was made into a movie. Honestly, the movie was better and I don't normally say that. Honest. I'm more of the read the book and chuck the movie type. But I was talking about this book. So I read it thinking it was going to be a great story. Um, no. The perspective of the storyteller was (I think) third person, but there were times when it wasn't clear (I was in both characters relative perspective at the same time) and others where it was omnipotent. Talk about frustrating. By the end, I was so meh about it, that when the super emotional part came. I wasn't invested in it. And that's sad. I should've been on the edge of my seat. No.

Another story was really great, but very... telling. All the times when I wanted her to show me what was happening, no. X said this. Y did that. W did this then said that. Invest me in the story! Make me feel what the characters are feeling and see things through their eyes.

So back to being snobby. I love my romance stories, and the erotica, and I actually love MM stories. I'm a sucker for a good biography, especially if it's Old Hollywood. I like my vampire stories and ones that pull me in a direction I might not go. So I guess I'm not a snob. I won't just NOT read a story because, 'it's not a genre I like'.

Back to the movie that isn't living up to the hype and other things that need done. I should be writing. I'm not. I will later.

Toodles.

3 comments:

Kaye Manro said...

Hi Wendi! Great post, good insight today! I hear you. As a journalist (I know I say that lots!) I see all the little gram and structure mistakes all the time. It takes me out of the story too. I hate with a passion head-hopping. Because The Nora gets away with it doesn't mean it's right. I also can't stand passive voice.

We all need (me included) to develop our plot and characters to the point that the story just flows and the reader gets so caught up into the emotion of the show. Like you, I get upset when I read a book-made-movie and it just doesn't live up to its hype. But in our industry, it happens all the time. So, the best I can do is learn from all the mistakes and try to make my fiction better. Of course, I always find things I can fix, way too much!

Kaily Hart said...

Hi Wendi, great post and great hook BTW. I fell for it LOL! I know exactly what you're saying. I've even cooled on my 'go to authors' lately and my reading has really dropped off. I know some people can, but I just can't turn off that internal voice that keeps pointing out all the stuff that's wrong (IMO) with the story. I'm also more conscious about not wanting to waste time with a story that's just OK. I have always been really busy, but now I'm buy with writing so I guess it's because it's related in some way. I find these days I'm more agressive about just putting a book down if it hasn't grabbed me right away with either the story or the writing style. It's funny. Now that I've found my own voice (and can recognize it), there are now writing styles I just can't read. They don't have to be similar to mine, there's just some kind of conflict there now that wasn't before. All very interesting....

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Kaily,

Sorry wasn't trying to freak anyone out. :) But it's true, sometimes when you read (esp if you write) those little things drive you crazy.

Kaye,

heck yeah, those darned adapted to TV or film books get shafted. I loved the book Girl with a Pearl Earring. But yanno, the film didn't do it justice. It's an art topic, done in an artsy, dark style, but come on. The ending was so no satisfying. Or my favorite is when they take a movie and try to make it into a book. Granted, screenplays can be made into books. Essentially, they are bound material, but, you lose some of the intensity when you try to put something that's overly visual onto paper and put - He died the second the car struck him.
I could get all descriptive here, but that's an example and I don't want to get too depressing.

yanno?

Stepping down from my soapbox now...