It's the information that was posted. I didn't see the MS so I can't say if it's true or not. I'm assuming it is though.
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Yeah, I think that's close enough. I should read The Postman Always Rings Twice anyway. Thanks.
Well, she should have said so.
All that aside, Meyer is clearly doing SOMETHING right, because millions of people buy her books. The thing is, that probably has nothing to do with the quality of the prose.
WIsh I could figure it out...
An ability to tell a story in an engaging way? We all have friends who can tell a story about how they did their laundry on thursday night in such a way that the listeners will be rolling on the ground laughing and gasping for breath.
And then on the other hand we all have friends who, even if they were taken hostage by militant renaissance fair reenactors and flown to the heart of the Schwarzwald in a hot air balloon full of pumas, only to be rescued by a team of US Navy Seals and the shenanigans of a friendly Swiss kabuki theater troupe, would tell a story as boring as page 75 of the phone book as read by Ben Stein.
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Can't speak for everybody, but when I hear someone say "in the USA," I think the upper-48. Hawaii and Alaska just don't come to mind unless they specifically mention them. Besides, can you say you always word everything 100% correctly?
This book has often been complemented for being read very quickly even by non readers. I really think while it annoys some, it reads very smoothly. It's not just marketing. Meyer did do something right.
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Meyers taps into some very powerful archetypes. You can never attribute a bestseller wholly to marketing. They're always doing something right, and usually something very big. Much as it pains me to say it, the quality of the prose is not an overwhelming consideration for most readers. It is for me, and for many writers, but we are not the majority of the reading public. So instead of snarking about the success of Stephenie Meyer or Dan Brown (and trust me, I can snark about the latter at great length with very little provocation), it makes a lot more sense to look at what they're doing right. If we can harness that and add to it the things we can do right...
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Don't worry--Delhomeboy's only been here one month longer than youSorry! I'm a newb!
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Don't worry--Delhomeboy's only been here one month longer than you
SHHHHHHH! Dag-nab-it, why'd you have to go off and say that for!
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Sorry... not good at keeping secrets!lol
So, what has everyone read recently, and what have you learned from the writer?
So, what has everyone read recently, and what have you learned from the writer?
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I've been reading strictly non-fiction recently which is why I've made so much progress on my wip. Previously, all my writing hours were spent reading.
I've just finished "Storyteller" by Kate Wilhem. It's a fascinating look at her 27 years of experience teaching the Clarion workshop from its inception. Her insight on how short stories should and should not be written, interspersed with anecdotes from the workshops themselves, makes for captivating reading.
So what did I learn? That all serious work and no play results in a stressed writer!
I've just finished "Storyteller" by Kate Wilhem. It's a fascinating look at her 27 years of experience teaching the Clarion workshop from its inception. Her insight on how short stories should and should not be written, interspersed with anecdotes from the workshops themselves, makes for captivating reading.
So what did I learn? That all serious work and no play results in a stressed writer!
I've been reading A World of Change by JM Dragon. What did I learn? That I was able to pick out the places that could be improved now that I learned a little.
I won't say I'm better because this particular writer has done something that I don't know if I will ever find the courage to do. Publish. We have different styles is all.
I won't say I'm better because this particular writer has done something that I don't know if I will ever find the courage to do. Publish. We have different styles is all.
It's a coming of age story. Almost always hot.
It's MC is a girl. More young women read than young men.
It's got vampires. It's been a while since a good vampire book came out. Vampires are always great for a romance.
It's a fantasy. Fantasy is still hot on the tails of Potter, but it's not wizards and ogres.
It's a romance. Always hot.
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Most recently I finished a beta read of a friend's YA novel. In looking over her work it gave me a better idea how to write my second (& 3rd, & 4th, ...) draft(s) of my own work.
Before that I read Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz. I love his dialogue. Most of his characters are clever, funny, and smart-assed; just like me, and, subsequently, my characters. I've learned alot about giving my characters depth from reading Koontz.
Before that I read Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz. I love his dialogue. Most of his characters are clever, funny, and smart-assed; just like me, and, subsequently, my characters. I've learned alot about giving my characters depth from reading Koontz.
From that page I would shelf it. Even though I've lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, I didn't feel like anything was happening. I would probably do a page 147 test, but unless that yielded pretty good results, I'd pass.
To answer the other question: I've been reading Circle of Magic by Uncle Jim, and trying to make each chapter a lesson.
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To me, technically that first page hits all the right stuff (character, setting, an event, some intrigue, some back stories, some forward movements, etc.) so it's at least craftsmanlike. The rest is just a matter of taste. I simply didn't find it all that interesting or appealing, and I found the writing pedestrian. I suppose it will depend on a few more "random page" tests and reading the backcover blurb to see if it's something I would enjoy.
BTW, I didn't know it was Meyer's book (obviously, I didn't read the series) and this is not a discussion on her or her books. But I think it's really interesting when we do the "first page" analysis, especially when we don't know who the author or what the book is.
BTW, I didn't know it was Meyer's book (obviously, I didn't read the series) and this is not a discussion on her or her books. But I think it's really interesting when we do the "first page" analysis, especially when we don't know who the author or what the book is.
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Thought I missed out, but still some talk about the First Page. I always seem to be playing in the woods and getting back too late.
I would keep reading. What intrigued me was the large rift between the two paragraphs. At first read they could almost be from different books. It feels like anything could happen, a rather daring and bold way to create tension at the beginning.
The town of fork made me think of a fork in the river, with all the rain and shade. Lots of subtle clues and foreshadowing.
I would not have picked up a vampire novel to read, but given that knowledge and looking deeply, the two paragraphs are like a pair of fangs. This author knows what she is doing. The title rhymes with first bite. Nice opening--opening in order to bite. Ha!
I would keep reading. What intrigued me was the large rift between the two paragraphs. At first read they could almost be from different books. It feels like anything could happen, a rather daring and bold way to create tension at the beginning.
The town of fork made me think of a fork in the river, with all the rain and shade. Lots of subtle clues and foreshadowing.
I would not have picked up a vampire novel to read, but given that knowledge and looking deeply, the two paragraphs are like a pair of fangs. This author knows what she is doing. The title rhymes with first bite. Nice opening--opening in order to bite. Ha!
God, why all the bite puns? They're painful as, as...as fangs ripping into me!
No really, I'm okay. Stephanie Meyer's first chapter, at least, struck me as a very good example of its genre--teen fiction. Part of the reason I've never read Twilight is because I generally don't like teen fiction, but sometimes I look at that first chapter and feel the urge to...no. NO I WON'T I WON'T...
No really, I'm okay. Stephanie Meyer's first chapter, at least, struck me as a very good example of its genre--teen fiction. Part of the reason I've never read Twilight is because I generally don't like teen fiction, but sometimes I look at that first chapter and feel the urge to...no. NO I WON'T I WON'T...- Status