tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post9057506373906732909..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Is Your Novel Too Much Work to Read? Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-8280139827268808772013-09-21T07:12:23.964-04:002013-09-21T07:12:23.964-04:00Taurean, I'd guess everyone has topics they wo...Taurean, I'd guess everyone has topics they won't read about. I try not to read scary novels right before bed, too :) Made that mistake with World War Z (one of my favorite books ever) and kept thinking every thump and creak was a zombie. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-62420156542388959562013-09-20T14:28:53.270-04:002013-09-20T14:28:53.270-04:00Mood effects what I read to a great extent, Janice...Mood effects what I read to a great extent, Janice. I can't read certain books or authors in my genre because I know envy will taint the experience for me. <br /><br />But I know when I can set that envy aside (In terms of the actual writing and execution) I will LOVE that book.<br /><br />I also made a rule for myself not to read stories heavily involving war at night or it will keep me up at night in NOT FUN ways...<br /><br />Taurean Watkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604609379930060667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-73308737775851763792013-09-18T09:49:55.972-04:002013-09-18T09:49:55.972-04:00Cindy, life is too short to spend on bad books :) ...Cindy, life is too short to spend on bad books :) I'm with you. I give a novel three chapters or so to hook me, and if not, I move on. Sometimes I'll set it aside and try later, if I suspect I'm just not in the right mood for that type of book. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-89903676689534815712013-09-17T20:28:16.189-04:002013-09-17T20:28:16.189-04:00I was about two years out of college before it eve...I was about two years out of college before it even occurred to me that I didn't need to finish a book I wasn't enjoying. Now with two kids, a full-time job and writing on the side I ditch books very quickly if they aren't "worthy" of my limited free time.<br /><br />Too many characters is a big no-no for me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05515397829167775263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-54223092168838502372013-09-12T06:19:32.777-04:002013-09-12T06:19:32.777-04:00Sarah, on the bright side, at least these books ar...Sarah, on the bright side, at least these books are good examples for us on what not to do.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-2032230482179207832013-09-11T17:05:52.483-04:002013-09-11T17:05:52.483-04:00I really enjoyed this post.
I once purchased a bo...I really enjoyed this post.<br /><br />I once purchased a book based on a compelling premise, a cross generation mystery, only to face the immediate introduction of 20 'characters' without personality. <br /><br />I spend the next 200 pages asking myself, "Who was that again?"<br /><br />Sarah<br />www.sarahmblood.comSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16295862618216867798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-22369026034977961532013-09-11T15:28:43.186-04:002013-09-11T15:28:43.186-04:00Pat, that's always fun. There's nothing wr...Pat, that's always fun. There's nothing wrong with many POVs if it's done well and works for the book. You'll have to see what your betas say. Sometimes it's hard to tell when we're so close to the material. <br /><br />Paul, you have a point there. Tastes and expectations have changed a lot even in the last five years. <br /><br />Girl in the Jitterbug Dress, writing is so subjective and for everything that someone loves, another reader hates. It's good to have the variety, but it can make you shake your head sometimes. <br /><br />Christine, yikes, that's annoying. I had that happen with a sci fi series I enjoyed. Still liked the book, but it threw me for a while. <br /><br />Carol, she always does. I come from a big book family. Lots of readers.<br /><br />GSMarlene, at least with GoT there's the TV show, so you can still get the story. <br /><br />Angela, hehe, good analogy! Sometimes it's great and you get that epic scale, but sometimes it's too much.<br /><br />Handy Man Crafty Woman, same here. When I start to lose track of them I tend to lose track of the book.<br /><br />Myka, egads! That sounds like bad POV use to me. <br /><br />Sarthak, I haven't read the books, but I enjoy the series. I think I'd take all the deaths harder in a book. <br /><br />Harry, aw, thanks so much! I think POV is the silver bullet of writing. Nail that and 90% of writing problems go away. <br /><br />Southpaw, once you give up, it's even too much effort to try and figure out why :)<br /><br />Julie, at least the voices were different! <br /><br />Writerreese, ooo that's rough. I'm surprised that made it through editing. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-85188590767625607992013-09-10T23:34:35.644-04:002013-09-10T23:34:35.644-04:00I stopped reading The Vampire's Apprentice bef...I stopped reading The Vampire's Apprentice before I got halfway through. It was sad really, because I like vampires, YA, and was interested as to what happens next after seeing the movie. (I knew there would be no sequels.) Why did I stop. Every freaking sentence ended in an exclamation point. It got to the point on one page, I counted. Literally, every sentence. That's when I decided nothing is worth that kind of distraction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-37031049142577136322013-09-10T21:56:04.364-04:002013-09-10T21:56:04.364-04:00Oy, the similar names. I've read a popular boo...Oy, the similar names. I've read a popular book that had this problem. Took me a few lines of each point of view before I realized which character I was reading about.<br /><br />Excellent advice, as always!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-67321141385924039502013-09-10T15:08:52.516-04:002013-09-10T15:08:52.516-04:00I have stopped reading books that are too hard to ...I have stopped reading books that are too hard to read but couldn't remember why until I read your points! Yup, I've run across the first four.H. R. Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06715450637785127208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-65160617335366966822013-09-10T09:10:12.953-04:002013-09-10T09:10:12.953-04:00I felt fortunate that my editor gave me kudos for ...I felt fortunate that my editor gave me kudos for taking many characters and making them work. Keep the theme and point of view strong flitting off all else and a lot of trouble, especially with your mother will be avoided. BTW Janice Hardy I learn more off this blog in ten minutes then I have ever in weeks of classes et.Harry Sarkisianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734703704447800714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-37448435361847720342013-09-10T06:26:54.786-04:002013-09-10T06:26:54.786-04:00Yeah, I think I'm going to put down GoT after ...Yeah, I think I'm going to put down GoT after A Feast for the Crows and just watch the HBO series!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00647285795673523869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-82970171505408618112013-09-09T19:59:20.293-04:002013-09-09T19:59:20.293-04:00So true. I would also add under the multi POV cate...So true. I would also add under the multi POV category where there is only two POVs but the head swapping happens multiple times in a scene. I recently finished a book where it switched every few paragraphs. Now that was exhausting! I loved the book characters and plot but I won't reread the book and probably not others from the author. <br /><br />I prefer the hero and heroine POV, especially in the romance genre, but I shouldn't have to back up and stop multiple times to figure whose head I'm in.Myka Reedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09283605230423461609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-1936857484172151392013-09-09T15:18:03.390-04:002013-09-09T15:18:03.390-04:00I can put up with multiple characters to a certain...I can put up with multiple characters to a certain point...but I dislike too many POVs.Handy Man, Crafty Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04304255281099070540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-38134609339050052662013-09-09T15:15:56.983-04:002013-09-09T15:15:56.983-04:00There is a fantasy series that I started, voraciou...There is a fantasy series that I started, voraciously, but by book 3 I was a bit exhausted by the multi POVs. I love the use of a bit of head hopping but it felt more like Dance, Dance Head Hop Revolution. lol!Angela Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324366495151363782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-28154977486462788232013-09-09T15:07:20.227-04:002013-09-09T15:07:20.227-04:00Would you mind checking if my Susan Pevensie fan f...Would you mind checking if my Susan Pevensie fan fiction falls into this category?<br /><br />Not printed, and permission for later asked but not granted.<br /><br />Chapters are still missing, which will be filled in later, but where chapters connect, that might give you an idea.<br /><br />Here is the link to chapter 1:<br /><br /><a href="http://ppt.li/1a" rel="nofollow">Susan Pevensie has a bad fright</a><br /><br />Chapters that connect are linked each linking to next in combox below so as to get you a good reading order. THose that are not yet connected to the next, where the next extant is not yet the next in final reading order at least links back to the list of extant chapters.Hans Georg Lundahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01055583255516264955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-84457543339248662312013-09-09T14:35:26.230-04:002013-09-09T14:35:26.230-04:00Yep, I gave up on the Robert Jordan fantasy series...Yep, I gave up on the Robert Jordan fantasy series Wheel of Time and honestly haven't been into high fantasy since. Couldn't hang on long enough for Game of Thrones (yeah, I'm sure I should be shot) and absolutely can't read All the Pretty Horses due to lack of punctuation. GSMarlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17558162486383585621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-72124828194275416032013-09-09T14:30:52.818-04:002013-09-09T14:30:52.818-04:00Leave it to your mother to tell you the truth. Kud...Leave it to your mother to tell you the truth. Kudos to her and you for listening. Great blog...off to my wiki it goes!Carol Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444182118975929045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-55390689052274071322013-09-09T11:34:12.905-04:002013-09-09T11:34:12.905-04:00Oh yes, I've been had to put down a book or tw...Oh yes, I've been had to put down a book or two or three in my lifetime because they were too much work to read. I won't name names, but let's just say these books were bestselling or written by bestselling authors. Well-written? Maybe. But, not enough for me to suffer through them. <br /><br />Pet peeve: I hate when I'm hooked on a series and can't wait for the next to come out and then when it does, the author changes the POV from a single MC to two or three POVs and they're all in first person. I've encountered a few times this year, mostly in YA.Chris Dessonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12923699574241563330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-18376374253977181662013-09-09T10:08:23.948-04:002013-09-09T10:08:23.948-04:00This is excellent to keep in mind. I take all comm...This is excellent to keep in mind. I take all comments to heart and check my ms (girlinthejitterbugdress.com) for any of these eras. I just read a blog about word count. I'm flabbergasted. It makes me wonder how some books EVER got published.Tam Francishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18288925164591030505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-66425427885266018042013-09-09T09:12:19.146-04:002013-09-09T09:12:19.146-04:00I think a lot of these problems arise from newer w...I think a lot of these problems arise from newer writers being unaware of changes in the market and in readers' tastes. It used to be, especially in SFF, that readers were expected to put that extra effort in to get through a book. They had to remember character names and look up appendices to figure out what was going on.<br /><br />Because so many older, successful, authors are regarded so highly, newer authors can get caught up trying to emulate their icons instead of coming up with their own voice and taking into account what modern readers want from a book.Paul Anthony Shortthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14393249001158230985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-22180210589440447732013-09-09T08:35:05.422-04:002013-09-09T08:35:05.422-04:00This hit home! On the one hand, I think my novels ...This hit home! On the one hand, I think my novels might be hard to read (many POVs). On the other hand, they're about Demonology professors ... so I think I can make a few assumptions about my audience.<br /><br />Back in the day when people used omniscient, wasn't half the fun in seeing what different characters thought?pathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532518675955579561noreply@blogger.com