This post is part of the monthly blog
hop/therapy session known as the Insecure Writers Support Group,
founded by the one and only, Alex J.Cavanaugh. If you're a writer, insecure, or just supportive
of writers—insecure or not—please join us. It happens the first Wednesday of
each month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a
comment. Your words will be appreciated.
This month’s
challenging question is: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?
Being a writer is easy…
Blissfully crafting a story…
The premise, the plot...
The arc,
the black moment, and the resolution.
Creating memorable characters
with distinctive voices...
Fantastic settings and building worlds …
Weaving research invisibly into
the story…
Like stitching on a fine quilt …
To make it all believable no
matter the genre.
After countless hours, days, and
months…
Chapters accumulate until finally…
Your story is a manuscript…
But definitely not ready for
publication.
Oh, no…
Now comes the “work” part…
Editing…
Editing…
Editing…
Until your eyeballs are red and bleary…
Ready to fall out.
If you’re a writer…
You know what I’m talking about.
And that’s why being a writer has
RUINED me!!
Me, as a reader, that is.
Every book I read, I try turning
off my internal editor…
But when I find repetitive words…
That don't enhance the
story…
Dangling & squinting
participles…
Too many adverbs, especially those
Sloppy punctuation, lazy
grammar…
And one-dimensional characters…
My mind screams…
Who
didn’t catch these?
Because now I’ve lost my emotional
connection with the story.
*sigh*
And lately, I've been reading many like this.
What about you?
Has being a writer changed your
experience as a reader?
Read any clunkers lately?
Care to share?
Always,
Em-Musing
10 comments:
Definitely, I no longer read simply for the pleasure of it, but if the writer is good, then it's easier.
It tends to happen. I got good at eliminating those 'ly' words, so now I really notice them in other books.
I wish there weren't so many clunkers in my submission box. It does make the good ones stand out though.
Looks like we have this issue in common. I'm almost afraid to go back and read some of my favorite books from before I started writing because I don't want to see anything wrong with them.
Hey there, nice to see you around the blogosphere again. Of course, you may have been here all along and it's me who has been absent on and off. Either way, I saw your comment at another blog and thought I really need to stop by.
I'm with you on being ruined as a reader after becoming a writer and trying to study the craft and perfect my work. Unfortunately, a lot of sloppy work out there and some of it published by the 'big' houses. I too often wonder; 'who's paying attention, or are these people 'big' enough that they get away with anything'. It's kind of sad really.
I know how much hard work it takes, but I read a book that shall not be named that had strangely changing verb tenses throughout the whole novel - and it was published by a huge publisher presumably with a full house of editors. It was super frustrating. However, I do know how hard it is to catch everything so I try to read with grace.
I'm so with you. I edit for other authors and now reading for pleasure makes me cringe sometimes.
It's exactly the same with me. I struggle to turn the editor off when I'm writing. When I'm reading, there's pretty much no hope of getting it to keep it's mouth shut.
Love the "squinting participles"! :-)
Being a writer can be easy, but you're right that being a good writer is work. My editor tends to be either lazy or unobservant when it comes to reading. But if the mistakes are glaring then that internal editor gets put on alert--especially if I'm not particularly enthralled with what I'm reading.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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