• Basic Writing questions is not a crit forum. All crits belong in Share Your Work

OMG, I know I'm better than some of these published writers.

Status
Not open for further replies.

MaeZe

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 6, 2016
Messages
12,772
Reaction score
6,477
Location
Ralph's side of the island.
Ghost Moon by Heather Graham. OK it's decent, trying not trying to bash a fellow writer. I read the whole thing.

Great, she used "said", but there were so many tags it was tedious. There were a gazillion he said/she saids that weren't needed because it was clear without them who the speaker was. How did an editor let that slip through without deleting half of them?

Then there were dozens of unnecessary adverbs. Am I just being cynical because my writing teachers pointed out the problems with adverbs?

This book could have been so much better with a good editor or a good writing teacher. I'm sure of it.

It did read poorly. Is that because of what I'm learning or because a writing teacher pointed things out to me?


I'm sure my book is better than this. I haven't sent those queries out yet. I need to get moving. I do hope this means my book is publishable.
 
Last edited:

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,975
Reaction score
4,507
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
I know the feeling of wanting to take a red pen to published work... It does have something to do with learning how to put a story together yourself, I think, that makes one a little more critical of reading material.

Still, somehow that person crafted a story and a query letter that spoke to an agent, and somehow they proved marketable enough to land on the shelves, so there's always something to learn. (And there's something to be said for being sure enough of your own craft to know what you don't like and why, even if that got published; I know myself and my writing well enough to know I'd rather pull my own teeth than do some things I've seen in published, popular stories, so I must be writing for a different audience.)
 

mccardey

Self-Ban
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
19,212
Reaction score
15,820
Location
Australia.
I love you Maeze, but threads like this really bother me. What if Heather's mum is reading it? She's going to be so sad - and what's she ever done to us?

(I'm sure your book is better, though.)

ETA: Hi Heather's mum :welcome:
 

Antipode91

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 6, 2017
Messages
309
Reaction score
56
It's a studious eye. It's kinda sad (although it doesn't bother me), but as a writer, you can't really read for fun anymore. You gotta read to study. Each line, each story plot device, each comma.

I remember in Twilight seeing her use a ?! together at the end of a quotation... Excuse me?

The first rule of writing, is that there aren't any rules. Just guidelines.
 

MaeZe

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 6, 2016
Messages
12,772
Reaction score
6,477
Location
Ralph's side of the island.
I love you Maeze, but threads like this really bother me. What if Heather's mum is reading it? She's going to be so sad - and what's she ever done to us?

(I'm sure your book is better, though.)

ETA: Hi Heather's mum :welcome:

I know. It's this forum that has made me more conscious of what I say about published works. I tried to balance my thoughts while still posting my honest reaction to the book. But it's frustrating to think getting published is the luck of the draw vs writing skill. If I broached the subject without an actual example it might be vague assertions.

I'm still learning.
 

Helix

socially distancing
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Messages
11,695
Reaction score
12,079
Location
Atherton Tablelands
Website
snailseyeview.medium.com
It's a studious eye. It's kinda sad (although it doesn't bother me), but as a writer, you can't really read for fun anymore. You gotta read to study. Each line, each story plot device, each comma.

I remember in Twilight seeing her use a ?! together at the end of a quotation... Excuse me?

The first rule of writing, is that there aren't any rules. Just guidelines.

Of course writers can read for fun. That's like saying that biologists can't enjoy nature or artists can't enjoy paintings.
 

Ari Meermans

MacAllister's Official Minion & Greeter
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
12,853
Reaction score
3,051
Location
Not where you last saw me.
Ghost Moon by Heather Graham. OK it's decent, trying not trying to bash a fellow writer. I read the whole thing.

Great, she used "said", but there were so many tags it was tedious. There were a gazillion he said/she saids that weren't needed because it was clear without them who the speaker was. How did an editor let that slip through without deleting half of them?

Then there were dozens of unnecessary adverbs. Am I just being cynical because my writing teachers pointed out the problems with adverbs?

This book could have been so much better with a good editor or a good writing teacher. I'm sure of it.

It did read poorly. Is that because of what I'm learning or because a writing teacher pointed things out to me?


I'm sure my book is better than this. I haven't sent those queries out yet. I need to get moving. I do hope this means my book is publishable.

I haven't read Ghost Moon, so I can't comment on how well-written the book is. I will say I'm impressed enough just knowing it can read.
 

AW Admin

Administrator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
18,772
Reaction score
6,285
Yeah, we're not having this discussion. In the abstract, it's fine; in the specific, it's not.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.