Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "read"
Writing Ruins Reading
How's that for alliteration?
It's also hyperbole, because I don't really think becoming a writer ruined reading for me. What it did do--and author friends and reviewers tell me they feel the same way--is make me more aware of what good writing is. That makes it hard to tolerate bad writing.
It's a little like knowing the rules of grammar. What doesn't bother some people in the slightest, like "Him and me went to the movies," makes others cringe.
My judgment of books has nothing to do with me as a writer, and I'm not putting myself above or below other authors. What I'm saying is that the practice of writing (a lot!) has made me aware of writing that's sloppy or lazy or not very good.
That ruins some of my attempts at reading. No matter how much the NY TIMES tells me I should like a book, I'll put it down after a few chapters if the characters haven't convinced me they're real or the plot is goofy or there hasn't been any real editing.
Being a writer doesn't ruin a book that's got all the elements right, and those books still delight me. Hard-boiled or cozy, literary or genre, if it's well done, I'll like it. And I'll appreciate it, too, which isn't quite the same thing.
It's also hyperbole, because I don't really think becoming a writer ruined reading for me. What it did do--and author friends and reviewers tell me they feel the same way--is make me more aware of what good writing is. That makes it hard to tolerate bad writing.
It's a little like knowing the rules of grammar. What doesn't bother some people in the slightest, like "Him and me went to the movies," makes others cringe.
My judgment of books has nothing to do with me as a writer, and I'm not putting myself above or below other authors. What I'm saying is that the practice of writing (a lot!) has made me aware of writing that's sloppy or lazy or not very good.
That ruins some of my attempts at reading. No matter how much the NY TIMES tells me I should like a book, I'll put it down after a few chapters if the characters haven't convinced me they're real or the plot is goofy or there hasn't been any real editing.
Being a writer doesn't ruin a book that's got all the elements right, and those books still delight me. Hard-boiled or cozy, literary or genre, if it's well done, I'll like it. And I'll appreciate it, too, which isn't quite the same thing.
