Tags
authortoolboxbloghop, bad books, good books, Inheritance Trilogy, N. K. Jemisin, Sharon Green, The Blending, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, tips, tricks, Twilight, writing
Another Wednesday, another #AuthorToolboxBlogHop! Even though I’m actually posting on Tuesday for once – take that, procrastination! Check out the main link for lots of other fantastic authors with lots of other fantastic advice.
I don’t have anything particularly mindblowing this month, just a truism that I apparently have a lot of trouble holding on to: it’s really hard to be a good writer if you’re not a good reader.
There’s a difference between being a reader and being a good reader, and it’s a distinction I often lose track of when it comes to my own life. It’s important for an aspiring author to have books nearby. Reading helps you keep up-to-date with the things that are happening in your genre so that you don’t accidentally invest hundreds of hours writing a book that’s already sitting on top of the NYT Best Sellers list. (I discovered three days ago that N. K. Jemisin has already written the book I was planning on starting after I finish my current project, so … back to the drawing board there.) It helps you understand what’s selling, what other people like, what’s been done poorly or done to death.
Not to mention, reading is fun! It challenges your sense of the norm, opens you up to new ideas, teaches you while it entertains.
And that’s great, for someone who just wants to understand the market and meet their Goodreads goal for the year.
For writers, though, other people’s books are pretty much the best resource we’re going to find. Each of the rules we’re trying to understand has been executed perfectly by hundreds and hundreds of authors – and broken by thousands upon thousands more. All we have to do is figure out which books can teach us what lessons and open ourselves up to the experience.
Which is a lot easier said than done. So to help simplify things for myself, I break it down into two categories.
Bad Books
These are the easiest to learn from if you’re willing to give them a chance. By “bad”, I mean books that have been panned by critics or books that you’d rather have dental surgery than reread. Books you abandoned midway, books that anger you, bore you, bother you. Books that feel like they’re bad fanfiction for something that doesn’t actually exist.
These books are a writer’s gift! Everything that bothers you as a reader is something that you want to make sure you don’t do as a writer. So rather than throwing them at the wall, settle down with the books you hate and start taking notes. Literal ones, if you can bear it. I find it incredibly cathartic to take violent notes in the book itself, circling offending passages and littering pages with exclamation points and red ink, although nowadays I mostly have to content myself with enthusiastic Kindle highlights.
Questions you need to ask yourself as you’re reading: Why don’t you like a particular chapter/scene/line? What, specifically, has the author done wrong? What could the author have done to make it better? How would you write it, if you had to convey the same basic ideas?
Hint: if your answer to any of these questions is “Augh, I don’t know! It’s just horrible!” then it’s time for you to put the book down for a while, clear your head, and then read the chapter/scene/line again. “It’s just bad because it is” isn’t the kind of answer a writer can afford.
In the best bad books, you can see what the author was trying to do and where and how they failed to execute the plan. I feel like everyone who wants to write young adult fiction or fantasy needs to read The Blending series by Sharon Green; the series is dull and difficult to get through, exposition-heavy and a classic example of telling (and telling, and telling) rather than showing. It’s also as close to a textbook example as you’re ever going to see of an author who knows what she’s trying to accomplish and has no idea how to actually get there. The characters are one-dimensional, which means that their every motivation and arc is set out clear as day from page one. And yet, I’m not the only person who’s found the series oddly compelling. There’s a nugget of a good book amid the rubble, it just gets buried in the execution.
More challenging are the books that are madly popular, in spite of seeming terrible. I’ve grown to love these books because reading them forces me to really work as I try to understand why they appeal to so many people. Again, “people like them because people are horrible” is not an acceptable answer. The average reader might not be a literary critic, but that doesn’t make them stupid. There’s a reason that Harlequin romances are popular. There’s a reason behind the Twilight series’s mass appeal. If you can’t figure that reason out, how can you hope to compete against it?
I have to add a caveat here: trying to understand unpopular books can be dangerous because if you do it right, you’ll come out with a certain understanding or respect for the material. I avoided reading the Twilight books for years because I was afraid of the inevitable backlash when I realized that I appreciated some of what Meyer did. (My fear was warranted; I consider the books to be solidly two star, and I think Meyer did quite a few things very well. Admitting this does not endear me to other bibliophiles, because it’s much more fun to just hate something than it is to accept that maybe we’re too quick to judge.)
Good Books
These are much easier to read – and are consequently much harder to learn from unless you’re really trying. A good book should be able to draw you in, lose you. Some people suggest that the best books make themselves invisible so that you as a reader connect directly with the story itself.
That makes it particularly difficult to stop and highlight exactly what the author of such a book did that works so well. It’s hard to step out of a perfect moment to start analyzing the perfection. I find that most good books take two or three read-throughs before I’m able to be even remotely objective, and stepping that far away does take some of the shine away from the novel.
It’s always been my experience that being a writer means giving up the ability to just read for the sheer joy of it. It’s too bad, but just because you analyze doesn’t mean that you can’t also enjoy – in fact, that’s sort of the point.
The questions for good books are similar to the ones for bad books: What is it, specifically, that resonated so well for you in a given chapter/scene/line? What skills did the author employ? Have you seen another author attempt to do the same thing and fail? How does the success differ from the failure? Would anything you’re trying to write benefit from the skills you’re admiring in the chapter/scene/line? How much of the chapter/scene/line is dependent upon the specific context of the book in question, and how much of it could be adapted or transplanted to a different book?
“Good books”, of course, refers to both critically acclaimed books and books that just make you feel good, regardless of other people’s assessment. Many books that are good for some people are bad for others … that’s just how it goes.
Lessons Learned
I was struggling with one of the books I’m working on. I think about narratives as colors, and the color of this particular novel was just wrong somehow – it was gray, which it was supposed to be, but the hue just wasn’t lining up properly. Then I read N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and as I was reading I decided that that novel is a sort of pearlescent rose-gold color. It was only after I’d noticed that I realized what was wrong with my novel: the gray was correct, but it needed to be a pearlescent gray rather than a matte color.
As soon as I figured that out, everything else just sort of came together.
I’m not expecting my color analogy to make much sense to other people but hopefully, the general principle is still helpful: whatever problem you’re having in your writing, someone else has solved it in theirs. All you have to do is figure out what your problem is, and then go out and find the solution.
Simple as that! 😜
Do you have any books you’ve found particularly instructive (good or bad)? Any key lessons you’ve learned from reading other authors? Does anyone else see books in color, or am I just crazy on my own here? Let me know in the comments!
cherylsterling1955 said:
You think of books as colors? That is so cool! I should start doing that. Of course, in my current WIP, it would be red, as I’m doing a more adult version of Red Riding Hood.
I long ago gave up feeling obligated to finish a book if it was bad. (I think it was the cat that never talked until the last page that changed my mind about investing my time in something really, really bad). I feel no guilt about starting a book then casting it aside.
As writers, reading is a vital part of our profession. Not only to keep up with what’s happening in our genre, but to learn. Never stop learning and applying the lessons to your work. Every book started out as a crappy first draft. Only by seeking to be better can we learn how to polish it into something the world wants to read.
Cheryl
http://www.cherylsterlingbooks.com
LikeLiked by 2 people
Katherine Barclay said:
It’s my Little Red Riding Hood that’s pearly grey, actually! I find it really helpful as a way of understanding books quickly, although I’m not sure how useful a technique it would be for someone actually trying to do it intentionally. Let me know how it works out, if you try!
I also definitely have my books that I don’t finish – usually, if it reminds me of another book I’ve read then I don’t feel like it has anything new to teach me, and there’s no reason to force myself to sit through it. It sounds like you still put a lot of the same kind of thoughtwork into what you read as I’m trying to put into what I’m doing – there’s no point in wasting time grinding through something that’s not helping you when you could be reading something new and learning more that way.
As always, I love your thoughtful comments! And if you ever need a beta reader for your LRRH story, I’m definitely interested in reading it!
LikeLike
raimeygallant said:
Wow, I just got a glimpse into your soul, which, in case you’re interested, in like purple. Just kidding. 😉 I’ve never thought of reads as colours before. Whether I like a book or don’t like it, I am always trying to learn from it, often reading a line two or three times. Reading is definitely more time consuming and mentally taxing then it used to be. The good ol’ days…sigh. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
Well, purple was my school’s color in middle school and high school! 😜
LikeLike
miladyronel said:
I like making notes when I’m reading – sometimes it’s a sentence that grabbed me and other times it’s the theme or a nugget of something great. And that’s true even of bad books. Some books I’ve reread a couple of times to find what drew me in and kept me captive even when I wanted to run away (imagine doing that on purpose…) – it helped me as a writer even if it gave me nightmares as a reader.
Great post 🙂 Now about those colours you see… I have a character who does that, but she’s a druid. Anything you’d like to share? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I’ve definitely read the sequels to books I didn’t like but found oddly compelling, mostly just to try to figure out what it was that drew me in. (I have a friend I always live-comment at when I’m reading bad books, and it’s much easier knowing I have someone else to suffer with me.)
As far as the colours go … I think they’re mostly a combination of the colours I think I’d see the most if I were actually in the world of the book. Or else, the colours I think the main character would be the most comfortable surrounded by? Stories that have earthy components or characters who interact with nature usually end up brown or green, and superhero stories usually end up with bold colours like purple or red. My necromancy-ghost-story fantasy is a sort of luminescent blue-green, because I think that’s what colour I imagine raw souls to be and they just overpower any other colours in the book. My folklore urban fantasy series is grey in part because of all of the concrete and asphalt, but also because there are so many characters and perspective that exist in hiding, and shadows are grey-black for me.
Not sure if you actually wanted the explanation, but there you go! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
miladyronel said:
Awesome! Love the colour scheme of your necromancy story – and the reason for it 🙂
LikeLike
lupa08 said:
I think once we pick up writing as authors, it’s difficult to return to reading without being critical of the literary devices used or the characters and plots. And while it’s great I’m able to reap deeper value from the consumptions, I do miss reading just for fun. Professional hazard, I guess.
I have never thought of books as colors. You’re just weird, girl! I’m kidding, I think it’s unique that you do and quite a charming gift you have 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I really do miss just being able to throw myself in a book and not come out until I’m done. That’s actually why I like rereading books – I’ve found that after I’ve gone through and analyzed them, I can start reading them for pleasure again because I’ve already done the work.
You’re definitely right about the weird. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
lupa08 said:
Haha. I meant unique!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Erika Beebe said:
I really like your specific questions you pose as you read. My mind tends to take things apart too much and I do know why it’s a bad book. Reading is pivotal though. Scientists can’t stay on top of the constantly changing medical dilemas without constant research and questions. I believe writers are the same. We need to know what’s out there and take it apart. Thank you so much, Erika
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I’m definitely a lot better at it with bad books than I am with good ones. I’m also bad about reading new authors – I’m always afraid they’ll be so good that I’ll want to give up on my own dreams. Hasn’t happened yet, though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
M.L. Keller said:
I can’t just read a book anymore. I’m constantly analyzing stories for structure, characterization, etc. The worse the book is, the more i pick it apart. It’s a great learning resource. Thanks for the tips
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
It’s like the book equivalent of What Not To Wear: How Not To Write! 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kristina Stanley said:
I find it hard to read a book I don’t like, but it’s good advice to try and then to think bout why I don’t like it. I guess I’ll have to put a bit more effort into this. Great tip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I’ve found that it actually starts getting fun after a while – it’s a great way for me to build self-confidence as a newcomer, anyway. 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kristina Stanley said:
I’m going to make myself do this more. Maybe I’ll eventually find it fun…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Louise@DragonspireUK said:
I agree so much about bad books: There is so much to learn from them, although I can’t get past the first twenty pages of Twilight. I did try!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I never actually had problems with Meyer’s writing … I know lots of other people do. Maybe I just read a lot of really bad books when I was growing up?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Louise@DragonspireUK said:
I think it was mainly Bella that put me off. From what I remember those first pages didn’t give me much reason to like her. Usually I have no problem with a variety of writing styles: I’ve read some very bad fan fiction before purely because I liked where the writer was going with it!
LikeLike
Shah Wharton said:
I think stories like Twilight and 50 Shades do well in spite of bad writing because, like it or not, people are primal about character and they both draw in readers that way. I read the whole of Twilight (hard work to get through the overwriting and exposition) and the first two of 50 Shades (because I seriously couldn’t read any more) for the reasons you outline here. It was a valuable exercise in so many ways. All I saw of worth was their male leads; but why they became so famous is, however, beyond me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
It just goes to show the importance of characters, I guess! If you can tap into the right feelings and start resonating with readers, you can get away with a lot more mistakes.
LikeLike
E.M.A. Timar said:
I completely agree bad books are a writer’s gift (even your own bad books). I have learned so much from trudging through stories I didn’t like and even noticing flaws in ones I loved. I think the top lesson I have learned is to make sure you do your research before putting something in your book. One misstep early on can make your reader incapable of continuing her willing suspension of disbelief.
LikeLike
Katherine Barclay said:
I definitely think it’s really useful to learn how to see flaws in favourites without losing appreciation for them.
My high-school English teacher made us go back at the end of the year and evaluate a piece of creative fiction we wrote at the beginning of the year – it was probably the single most helpful thing I’ve ever been taught!
LikeLike
Louise Foerster said:
Love how you went from not thinking you had much to say this month to providing a lush, detailed view into reading. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I do rather seem to be incapable of writing short blog posts, don’t I? I’m glad you found it worthwhile this month!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Louise Foerster said:
Nothing wrong with a long, interesting post that gives me something to think about — keep them coming!
LikeLike
Iola Goulton (@IolaGoulton) said:
One thing which bugs me is authors who say they don’t read. Why not? How can you want to write without loving to read as well? I don’t get it.
Yes, I’m a reader. Good books, bad books, genre books (just not literary fiction or high fantasy. I’ve never learned to like either). And I totally agree that we can learn from both.
Twilight – I agree with pretty much everything negative ever written about the books, yet they were compelling. What made them compelling despite all the obvious issues? I’m still trying to work that out, but if I can …
I started Meyer’s next book three times, but couldn’t get past the first chapter. Whatever was so compelling about Twilight was missing from that next effort. Nice to know even she couldn’t replicate it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
I’m with you there. How do you know what being a writer is, if you haven’t read? If you’re only interested in your own stories … it feels wrong.
I never tried her other books – I’m glad to hear I’m not missing much! 😀
LikeLike
Hoda said:
Great post – and good points. Actually, I started writing after reading a “bad” book because I wanted to challenge myself to write a better one. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
“Write the book you want to read” is a great inspiration!
LikeLiked by 1 person
awshannonauthor said:
I never thought to read the books I hate so I could study what not to do. My mantra is “Life is too short to read a book I don’t love!” I guess I should reconsider that.
Thanks for the thought provoking post!
annw.shannonauthor.org
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
Life’s definitely too short to slog through miserable things for no reason. I usually keep bad books separate and read them as part of Work Mode, so I don’t end up subconsciously linking reading time to misery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
lyndleloo said:
“Books that feel like they’re bad fanfiction for something that doesn’t actually exist.”
You just put into words the exact feeling I have for some books, thank you so much! I’ve never been able to put my finger on what it is about certain books that doesn’t do it for me, and it’s exactly this sensation. Love the tip to try and learn from bad books and work out what’s not right and how to avoid it in our own writing 🙂
LikeLike
LHauser27 said:
Hi! This is a good reminder for me that I need to keep going with bad books. My problem is books that are “acclaimed” that have some of the very elements in them that agents/publishers have dinged me for. That is so frustrating 🙂 Great post. Love the colors idea!
Leslie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stephanie Faris said:
SO true! I get my best inspiration while I’m reading. I try to read five books a month, plus an audiobook from Audible. But I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t finish a bad book. I tried Paula Hawkins’ new book a couple of months ago and it was just a hot mess. Each chapter was in a different POV–some first person, some third. There were probably 20 characters? I just couldn’t figure out who was who, even halfway through. I returned it for a refund…my first Audible refund ever!
LikeLike
Katherine Barclay said:
That sounds amazingly terrible! I’m also impressed by your quota – I try to red with regularity, but whenever I try to hold myself to a number I either overshoot hilariously or come up very short. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 😊
LikeLike
JM Sullivan said:
Great post! I think you are right bad books are definitely a gift (even if a somewhat painful one). It’s also nice as a writer because then even if I didn’t really enjoy the book it isn’t a total waste of my time bc I still learned from it! Thank you for sharing this!! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katherine Barclay said:
“Painful gifts” sounds like the best way to describe them! Also sounds like the name of a garage band … 😜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lauricia Matuska said:
As you mentioned, slowing down to learn from good writing can be so hard. One thing that helps me is to write out a passage I love by hand, sometimes several times, until I gain an integral understanding of why I think it works. Sounds tedious, but I think best in pen-to-paper form, so it helps a lot.
LikeLike
Mandy said:
Ugh, Twilight. Captivating, easy to read, and yet so badly written.
The idea of seeing books in colors is really intriguing. I loved the concept of going from a matte color to one that is not. I may not see books in colors, but I’m into photography so I know that there can be a huge difference between printing on glossy vs. pearl vs. matte and that that slight difference can transform your work entirely. 🙂
With Love,
Mandy
LikeLike
lupa08 said:
What a thoughtful post and I agree with all the thoughts you shared. Especially where you said it’s easier to learn from bad books than good books. Good books just read too quickly and smoothly for us to register much more than the fact that we’re loving the experience. However, since I began righting book/movie reviews on my blog, I have taught myself to pace my reading habits so that I may take down notes on all that I like or dislike about a give book – all it need do is excite me to superlative proportion. I feel the exercise has definitely improved my craft.
Regarding the Twilight saga (as well as the Grey series), my take is that they filled a gap – there were too few materials in their respective sub genres at the time of their publications and one group of people just unwittingly got sucked into the vacuum. Then there’s just certain time in people’s lives, even for the most intellectual of our species, when one just needs mindless prattle to take the edge off. Finally, there are those who were passing by and noticed a whole lot of hullabaloo and paused to take a closer look at what was going on and bam! They couldn’t look away anymore just like people become mesmerized by road accidents (I belong to this final group; I was startled by Edward’s glittering complexion). I can, actually, feel my brain cringe remembering the passage where glittering skin was mentioned.
LikeLiked by 1 person