Today, I wish to ask two questions. One, how do you personally feel about words in a novel? You know, like ‘was’ and ‘that’, ‘just’, and ‘then’. How about too many adverbs and too many dangling participles? Improper tags? Do you feel if we get caught up in what’s right according to the status quo, will it distract you from being creative?
Some authors feel that yes it will ruin the moment of their creative bursts. Mostly the Indies. Since the world of publishing has new options for the self-published we’re seeing the rules broken. ***air quotes here*** Indies are the non-conformists of the publishing world.
Last year, I promised only to read Indie authors’ works and there is some GREAT stuff out there. And yes, there is some mediocre stuff, and some really bad stuff. But I’ve read some really boring and awful famous author stuff, too. They also break the rules. Or, is it their editors screwed up, passing crap through the key hole, thinking no one will notice because they can market the author’s name anyway? ***shrugs***
And I ‘ve read posts and comments about the Indies. Mostly negative.You know, how self-publishing doesn’t filter out the crap. What is crap to you? I believe its something personal.
Personally, I don’t care about the word game-even though when I beta read for someone, I’ll mark up their MS, pointing out the no-no’s. Really though, for me, its all about the plot and character development. If someone can tell a story, who cares about the words? If you can’t tell or write a story coherently, you’ve got a problem. That’s my thought.
Indie author, Elizabeth J. Kolodizier rants exactly about this issue on her blog. Please check it out. Just click on her name below.
My second question is this, do you ever ask yourself why am I writing? Why do I torment myself? Whether its one rejection letter after the other or you’ve got a small following. What’s the point? That’s what Aaron Sawyer asked a couple days ago on his blog. Just click on his name below.
So what are your feelings on both topics?
LOL, I definitely asked myself why am I doing the A to Z Blog...it was about midway through and I just lost my focus. Then I found you and a few others and feel the camaraderie and say, hey, now I remember why!
ReplyDeletehttp://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
Yes. It is easy to lose your focus when you have life going on around you.
DeleteI think you need a good story and the right words and punctuation to convey it. I get distracted when the punctuation is off. I don't mind adverbs or creative dialogue tags - maybe because I read a lot of children's stories with my kids - they are kind of full of them on purpose. I think we just need to do our thing and hope people like it.
ReplyDeleteYes. Certian things can be distracting to a reader. Too many elispsees drive me batty.
DeleteI read lots of indie stuff and a lot of it hasn't been good but not all of it. A good story with good characters is essential and if a book has that, I might be willing to overlook some of the other stuff but books that missue their/they're/there or you're/your for example just really get under my skin. It's okay for indie writers to break the rules but it's also okay for them to edit their work.
ReplyDeleteAs for your other question, I absolutely ask myself why I write. There are some days when I don't have a lot of confidence and then there are the days when the little bit of confidence I do have disappears entirely. But the important part is I keep working at it and I don't quit.
Yeah. I usually let the words slide but not the plot or the characters. And yes, everyone needs an editor.
DeleteI personally like reading books and stories that grips from the very beginning giving little hints of the plot. Some stories are slow at getting there and I notice those are the ones I keep putting down and going back to.
ReplyDeleteYes. Stories need to hook you and need to continue through the pages.
DeleteCompleting this challenge has certainly fraught with questions. I'm not a writer, but I love to read. Anything that keeps me guessing will usually keep my attention.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting 'my' Question post.
Kathy at Oak Lawn Images
Yes. Like why am I doing this to myself again. It's not like I don't have enough to do.
DeleteThere's as much crap on both sides. I do notice misused grammar, but if the story is compelling, I can get past it. I think it helps a writer to know the rules. Then, with practice and experience, he or she will know when to break them.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when the grammar doesn't matter, when the story takes over and the inner voice can break whatever rules it wants to break. This only applies to some writing, not all. As for why I write, why I suffer all the rejections... I don't know. Possibly because it only takes one acceptance to wipe out all that depression and negativity.
ReplyDeleteA to Z of Nostalgia
Shelly,
ReplyDeleteI don't think writers should worry about all the "rules" of writing when they write their first draft. This should be the creative time.
During revision, though, I think writers should look at rules and make conscious decisions that will make their writing stronger.
We write first for ourselves, but we publish for the reader. It should be as good as you can make it.
The Write Soil
1st Writes
Some of the best books I've read break writing rules non-stop.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dawn. The time to pay attention to rules is in revision. That is when the real writing takes place.
ReplyDeleteI write because it makes me feel good.
Indie writers do have to have a good editor backstopping them, of course, but the story and characterization are the keys.
ReplyDeleteAnd mainstream writers I've followed for a long time *coughTomClancycough* have steeply declined in quality as it is in recent years....
Answering the last question first--because I'm a non-conformist! (^;
ReplyDeleteAt least a hundred times a day... now only 50 times, but still...
I want to write without having someone say "hey, you've got a bunch of was's on this one page..."
I once counted 20+ was's on one page of Peter Straus' book "Ghost Story".
I don't know why it is that someone out there (we call them "they") tell us the rules for writing and yet big-name authors break at least one, or many in their writing. So, I could never get this idea what they tell us not to do and yet traditionally published authors get away with it. Makes one wonder "wull, did the agent not see these glairing errors?" and "What the hell was wrong with MINE?"
The one rule I try to go by when I can is "Don't make myself crazy" over this stuff. Do your best, and don't over exert yourself. Screw the "experts"... figuratively, of course.
Personal opinion rules here. Thanks for the comments everyone.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I make lots of grammatical errors in my writing, and would love to have a live-in editor. I also think that content is more important, though I do try to avoid spelling mistakes. Oh and I do tend to overdose on "then!" Julie
ReplyDeleteA live-in editor that accepts room and board would be great.
DeleteShelly, you raise some great issues, and yes, Elizabeth does a great job ranting and Aaron's post is also very thought provoking. I, like you, have also discovered among famous authors' books some boring content and even grammar/spelling mistakes. I do get upset that Indies are put under a negative light. There are some great Indie books out there. I can ignore a spelling mistake or two, and the essence of the story is really what a reader is after. There does have to be some standard, though, that someone proofread adn cared enough to edit. The reader will after a period of time, no matter who she/he is, get frustrated if there are too many mistakes that hinder clear reading and especially if there are unclear statements that hinder understanding (recently I did edit a manuscript for someone and had to clarify a couple of sentences for this reason). And yes, I've sometimes wonder if I shouldn't just 'give up', but I can't because I know that I have potential and because I love writing so much that it is like breathing air and I just have to do it. I do wish, however, that we could find a way to support each other even more. I think that what makes many writers, especially Indies and new ones, so frustrated is the fact they sometimes feel they get no word of encouragement or support and they self-doubt. That is why sometimes an agent or a publisher can help because they can give words of encouragement or some means of support and validation. So, we have to support each other as much as possible and we really should make it a point to review each other and raise each other up. We do that to some extent now; and this is what keeps most of us hanging on because we understand each other. Thanks and take care!
ReplyDeleteLast year, I read one Indie that had sentence structure issues, poor plot and charactr development issues. Very annoying read.
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