Comments on: Why books start flying…

By: rachelgraves

rachelgraves — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:07:19 +0000

In reply to PW Creighton. Good one! Dramatically changing the story half-way through should be a crime. There's a running joke around here about a book that was supposed to be about werewolves, but halfway through a Greek goddess showed up and the action moved to an astral plane. I've never bothered to finish it. I don't think authors realize how important the title and cover copy are to a reader. If you've promised us a book on a topic, don't abandon it or fail to address it for pages at a time. Thanks for the comment. :)

By: PW Creighton

PW Creighton — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:09:36 +0000

I currently only have two Did Not Finish books that went flying across the room. Book 1 was supposed to be a new unique Urban Fantasy that dove into every cliche that I could think of at the moment. It was growing tired but the minute the antagonist and the protagonist hooked up for no reason what-so-ever. The book took flight and I refused to even move it for a week.
Book 2 was a very intriguing mystery with supernatural undertones. The story was fairly engrossing but the phrasing was just dense. Nothing wrong until the mid-point of the book. The minute the book took a sharp turn from the world it spent the first half of the book creating into a whole Fae/Fairie-thing the book hit a wall.
I’m all about plot twists and creative worlds but pointless hook-ups and changing story half-way through the book drive me nuts.

By: rachelgraves

rachelgraves — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:29:37 +0000

In reply to Nigel Blackwell.

Seven a week, in a good week. I think it helps that I spend my five hour a week commute with a book in my hands. Nothing like enforced reading time to help you get through a list.

I can’t stand contrived actions that are clearly inserted for the author’s benefit either! If no logical person would make the same choice your character does, there’s a problem. Characters shouldn’t behave like puppets on a string, regardless of how easy it makes things for the author. Writing isn’t about the author’s ego.

Thanks for stopping by!

By: Nigel Blackwell

Nigel Blackwell — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:36:47 +0000

Seven book a week?! I wish.
Things I don’t like are authors who’ve used technical sounding words because they’re popular or because they think it’ll make them sound cool. Characters who do things that are completely for the authors benefit are another thing that bug me. I mean, you know what’s going to happen when someone says, “Let’s stick together.” And first person sometimes switches me off.
I don’t throw books though. Not unless there’s a fly on the wall!
Cheers

By: rachelgraves

rachelgraves — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:20:57 +0000

In reply to Jami Gold. Ohh, starting characters over from scratch is a good one. I loathe the idea that we can't have the hero/heroine triumph if we don't send them back to square one first. If you end the first book a hero you shouldn't start the second, third, and fourth books as a loser. Thanks for the comment!

By: Jami Gold

Jami Gold — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:56:08 +0000

I can remember three Did Not Finish books. One was a sequel to a book I enjoyed. In book 1, the MC was married and it was a major part of the plot. In book 2, no wife, no mention of ever being married, etc. It was like the author completely threw all the character development out the window between books. (My guess is that the *author* got divorced during that time and saw himself in his character a little bit too much and just wanted his MC to be free to do wild hook-ups with whoever. 🙂 )

The second book was filled with “as you know, Bob”s. And by a best-selling author too. It was just plain lazy. The third book had no coherent plot. It was a man’s diary of his hook-ups, and yet it claimed to be a romance. Uh-huh. I think that one was written by a man using a female pen name. 🙂