A thought on easy reads
One remark people often make about my books is that they are an easy read. Discerning readers mark me up for this, realizing that there is no virtue in a book being difficult - that doesn't make it clever or deep, it's just a sign of bad writing.Who wants confusing paragraphs you have to reread to get the sense of, or dialogue where it's not clear who is speaking, or passages where you are not certain what is going on? Good prose becomes invisible, and never stands between the reader and the story.
I spend a lot of time going over my books as I write, tweaking and improving, adding bits and changing words, thinking about the characters. As well as clarity, this adds depth and detail that makes for a more rewarding read. I'm doing it now with Ice Diaries, the WIP. (I know some schools of thought maintain an author should plough straight through the first draft, never looking back until it is complete; but in my opinion the only rules worth abiding by are those for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Otherwise, I believe in doing whatever works for you.)
So I don't get irked when a reader races through one of my books and assumes it was as easy for me to write as for her to read. I take it as a huge compliment.
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Hi Michele! Thanks - I'm two thirds through the next novel, so I hope it won't be TOO long till it's ready to publish :o)
I like your style - it's direct and flows well.I can't imagine why anyone would read something that was difficult to understand. I suppose if I read for the intellectual challenge, it would be different. But I want to be entertained.
Some of the Epic Fantasy these days is very difficult to read. They have an army of characters, dozens of POV characters and plots that drag out for a dozen books. I find it boring to keep track of so many people and places. Which is why I don't buy it.
It's all a matter of taste, of course.
I was willing to put more effort in when I was younger. I have less patience now with books that aren't rewarding fairly quickly. If a book has humour, it really helps. Some fantasies are terribly straight-faced.
Humor helps a lot - I try to have a bit in my books. A wry touch here and there. Some people get it, some don't.I don't understand the lure of heavy literature.
I can think of a couple of writers on Authonomy who are adamant that genre fiction is crap. But I'm looking at their work and shaking my head. Not for me.
There is so much humour in real life, I don't see how some books manage without it. Shakespeare's tragedies have good jokes.I remember the odd person on YouWriteOn who despised genre fiction. Looking down on other people's work demonstrates insecurity about your own.
Insecurity - good point.It take a lot to be secure in your abilities. A lot of time and work. At my age, I know that I've got a certain skill level down pat.
The fun is in challenging that - seeing what I can do to improve. I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot.
It's more fun working just outside one's comfort zone. Not too far, though, which is why you will never read a Revellian erotic novel :o)
OMG! I was challenged by a writer friend to make my love scene in "Let's Do Lunch" "more adult."Talk about outside the comfort zone! I don't know how erotic writer's can look themselves in the mirror.
Or how EL James can look at her family without blushing. Surely they know what she wrote?
I've wondered that about EL James too. And a lovely Romance Reviews reviewer of Replica said her one criticism was she'd have liked more 'deets between the sheets'. I thought about it, and concluded I'd put as much as was needed for the reader to get the idea, and there's a lot to be said for three dots...
There is a HUGE push for erotic content. I once started a post about 'clean romance' and was literally made fun of for it. They wanted Red Hot or Go Home. I'm not interested in writing smut. It doesn't appeal to me - but a writing buddy is giving up her 'plain vanilla' Paranormal Romance series in favor of something she called 'Dark Erotic Fantasy'.
What I find scary is that she calls EL James a "poser" and a "tourist" in BDSM land while she's a 'lifestylist'.
I've resolved to stay away from her 2nd pen name.
Let's hope this bandwagon is just passing through. I think we should write what we think is great. Your writing buddy may be making a mistake in trying to gear her novels to a perceived market. There are so many stools to fall between. Another reviewer said Replica was "one of my favorite books out of those that I've read in the last few months. But. There is quite a lot of bad language sprinkled throughout the book. And there are some non-descriptive (unmarried) sex scenes as well."
There's a wide range of tastes out there.
It takes a heck of a lot of effort over a heck of a lot of time to make anything like music, writing, painting, or dancing, or singing seem effortless and at the same time make it a wonderful entertainment.
I'd say you definitely manage it. I've really enjoyed your books and I'm looking forward to the next ones.