Skill, substance, and style
Despite being a slow reader, I gobbled up JR Ward's latest in her Black Dagger Brotherhood, Lover Unleashed, in less than two days. Partly, it was because there are some sections that I skim. Mostly, it is because I am so excited to see how certain relationships develop. However, the read was not as enjoyable as I wanted it to be. In the end, I had more quibbles than kudos for the book. Then came time to post my review on Goodreads and pick those silly little stars.
Five stars just don't allow for enough of a range when reviewing a book.
JR Ward is a skilled story teller. Many of her characters are likeable and engaging. Her vampire myth is my favorite so far. And while it is one of my quibbles, she evolves some exceedingly complicated and intersecting plots. I can't complain about her writing skill or a lack of story. However, I do grumble about her plot choices and over-abundance of characters.
I think one reader on the goodreads BDB board said it best. Low reviews of particular BDB books have more to do with the featured couple than the quality of the book. I'll second that and add that JR Ward's unique style (the product name dropping, clunky slang, and many-words-strung-together-to-replace-a-few-words nouns) does as much for her writing as it takes away from it.
A rating of 2 out of 5 stars felt as if I were cheating potential readers out of a good read. Some people love couples I hate and vice versa. In the end, I bumped the rating up to 3/5. This book was quite mediocre for me because of all the extras I honestly didn't care about. I'm eagerly awaiting Qhuinn and Blay's novella - it's been promised within the next year by the Warden herself. I'm curious about the next installment in the series, even though I know it will probably be mediocre in my eyes.
It all served to remind me just why it is so hard to be a successful author.
First, you need skill. That's what I am currently working on. At this stage, I need to write, get critiques, develop my skills, and repeat. JR Ward has mad skills, even if I disagree with how she uses them.
Second, you need substance. All the skills in the world are meaningless without sympathetic or compelling characters and an engaging plot. I struggle to determine if the characters and stories I develop are strong enough and entertaining enough to capture readers attention. I'm particularly worried that Dark Heritage doesn't have the necessary HEA ending to qualify as a romance. I worry readers won't find Leif a sympathetic character. I might argue that some of JR Ward's characters are a little weak and their personalities change depending on the needs of the plot.
Third, you need to develop your own style. No one wants to read a second-rate author. By consequence of being individuals, authors have unique voices that can either add to or detract from their work. While I found JR Ward's product name dropping quaint in the first book, it got old quick. I am also in the anti-slang group, and despise the too-long-for-their-own-good words. But this is her style. I would recognize it anywhere, under any name. It is unique and different. By the ninth book, you either love it or hate it. I lean towards the later.
Yet I keep reading. Her books are like sexy alpha vampire crack. So here's an author with skill, substance, and style. If by some shift in the universe I was her editor (and knew what I was doing) I'd be getting her to carry a story line to a conclusion; I'd firm up her female characters; I'd cut out a lot of the Lessers; I'd be tempted to nix the Virgin Scribe/Omega storyline except that it accounts for Vishous; I'd tone down the slang and mutli-word nouns; etc. Would that produce a better book? Maybe, maybe not. It would be the book I wanted, but would readers at large fall in love with a toned-down JR Ward? I think not - yes I'm back to reading the Godspeaker trilogy.
As I prepare for the numerous rejection letters I will need to face, I'll remind myself to ask 'What's missing'? Skill? Substance? Style? Market? Great books never get published. Mediocre books become bestsellers with sparkly vampires.
Writing a mediocre review for a bestselling author because she doesn't write the way I want her to reminds me of how hard it is to be a successful author.
