On the sliding scale of cynicism/idealism...

Not cynical at all.
I like books to reflect, somewhere within the story, the best and highest humans can aim for.
Because that's what I have faith in.

My current one is kind of a tough call, though I'd say it's probably moderately cynical. It's funny (maybe a little bit cynical humor, but mostly not, I'd say), it's rather light, there's definitely an idealistic character. Said idealistic character is essentially right in his beliefs...but so is everyone else's opinion that it's going to get him screwed over royally in the end.

I think it's kind of that idea that the right/idealistic thing isn't always the easy way, and sometimes even doing the right thing means people get hurt. The ending is definitely...well, it's not happy, I'll say that. And considering two of my characters are tragic characters, I'm pretty sure that tips me toward the cynical scale lol.

I've come to dislike postmodern cynicism showing up everywhere you look, especially in historical epochs where it does not belong. My WIP is heavily tilted to the idealistic side, for better or worse, with plenty of opportunities for a little old-fashioned heroism. I get enough cynicism in real life.

Mine is a mix.

Mine's not cynical at all, but then it's a knitting techniques book. Generally it's most efficient to make it sound like the knitter will enjoy the process, even if it's challenging, which rather requires one to drop both cynicism and sarcasm from the authorial voice.

But it would be an interesting challenge to write a knitting book with a cynical voice. Maybe I'll try it with what I'm drafting today. I can edit it out later.

I'm laughing at the idea of a cynical knitting book, Maggie! You could call it "How to waste your life by knitting until you die." Or not.

I usually write romance. I'd run out of readers really fast if gave them cynical on a cracker. I write light, even my Urban Fantasy. Everyone writes dark UF now. I prefer to keep it in the fun zone. For a long time I felt guilty about that, odd as it may seem. We've been conditioned to think that cynical and heavy is somehow better and optimism is for fools. But I've decided that there is enough gloom and doom out there without me adding to it. Now I write what makes me happy.

I'm always cynical. Cynicism is the new reality.

That would really depend on the reader, I think.

To the author, my current WIP is extremely idealistic. I can see a person with a different outlook on the world finding my book almost painfully cynical, though.

I love TV Tropes. I spend way too much time on there.

I have to agree with Libbie. It'll depend on each reader. But with my WIP, in my opinion, it's in the middle with a slight lean toward cynical. A slight lean.

Terrible things happen to the MC. There are some real bastards in his world. However, he pulls through. With most cynical being 0 and most optimistic 10, I'd say this one is an 8.5.

A cynical knitting book would be hysterical. As your sequel to "How to Waste Your Life Knitting," you could do, "Who the Hell's Gonna Wear this Crap, Anyway?" Maybe the second would make a nice off-Broadway play.

Libbie said:

That would really depend on the reader, I think.

To the author, my current WIP is extremely idealistic. I can see a person with a different outlook on the world finding my book almost painfully cynical, though.

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Because. said:

I love TV Tropes. I spend way too much time on there.

I have to agree with Libbie. It'll depend on each reader. But with my WIP, in my opinion, it's in the middle with a slight lean toward cynical. A slight lean.

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Thirded.

After all, what I think is one of the most uplifting movies ever most other people find slit-your-wrists depressing, so it'll probably be the same for my writing.

ETA: I, too, would like to see that cynical knitting book.

Mine's satirical, so yeah it's cynical! But it'll make you laugh about it all, and old ladies kill people giddily and stuff. So it's fun, too

Damn it, just spent three hours looking around TV Tropes.

My current screenplay has a cynical view of our species' self-destructive tendencies, but characters act for idealistic reasons (some of them, anyway).

I don't think about cynicism or optimism. I just tell a story. If there's a message in either direction, it's up to the reader to find it.

Even my kids books have a degree of cynicism, but I can't not end whatever I've written on anything other than hopeful note. Even my adult book which just gets darker and darker . . . I like hope. I can't imagine leaving a reader thinking there was none to be had.

i was pretty cynical, but I sent out a couple of queries yesterday evening, and I got a really nice email back asking for a partial overnight. so I don't know, a bit more optimistic, but who knows.


EDIT - whoops. I thought you were asking how optimistic I felt about the project. Lol.

In terms of the book itself, I think it starts out idealistic, turns very cynical in the middle, and ends somewhere in between.