It is oft said, that to be a good writer, you must be a good reader. One look at my Kindle and you’d think I was on the New York Times Best Seller List. That is to say I read, I read a lot. I enjoy most of what I read, but not everything. The adage “Life’s too short to read bad books” often applies especially since I can download a healthy sample for review before I purchase. I dislike some books because I disagree with the author’s premise, others, are just not my cup of tea, but there is a third group. The sample shows promise so I go ahead and invest. As I get into the meat of the book, I want to like it, but for a variety of reasons, I can’t. Those are the books I force myself to finish. Those are the books I feel can teach me the most as a writer.
When I talk about not liking an aspect of a book, I’m not referring to hating a particular character. I once read a romance where the hero made me so frustrated I wanted to chuck my Kindle across the room every time he opened his mouth. By the time I got to happily ever after, he had progressively redeemed himself in a way that was believable. When I can get that wrapped up in a character, that’s good writing. It’s the things the separate me from the characters that I notice. Is the character a caricature? Is the dialogue stilted? Is the premise completely unrealistic? There’s stretching a point and then there is over the top. Over the top usually loses me. Has the story line been done before, but no attempt made to alter or interpret the story or the characters in a new way? That’s when I switch from reader to analyst, taking notes in an attempt to learn something.
Once I’ve made the commitment to buy a book, it is rare that I don’t finish it, but it does happen. I read a book recently, that was really good at building the story. I really cared about the characters, I was concerned for both the hero and the heroine. So much so, that I just HAD to jump ahead. I had to know how things turned out. I was glad I did because it turns out the author ended the book abruptly. Notice, I said the book, not the story. I was furious. I went out to Amazon to discover not only was there a sequel, but there was a third book in the same storyline due out in a few weeks. I stopped reading then and there. The Fifty Shades series, (talk about a series that provided a fertile learning ground), did the major cliff hanger between book two and book three, but not to the extent that this author did it. In this case it felt like a horrible breech of etiquette between writer and reader. Note to self, you must give the reader some satisfaction in each book and then leave a carrot for the next story.
Obviously, I don’t only take notes on the things I don’t like, I also make note of the things I do like but it that case, that usually means re-reading the book because I’m too wrapped up in the story the first time through. Thankfully, there are many more of examples of good books in my library than bad.
Do you finish a book like it or not?
Lee Laughlin is a writer, wife, and mom, frequently all of those things at once. She blogs at Livefearlesslee.com. Her words have appeared in a broad range of publications from community newspapers to the Boston Globe.
It depends how long the book is and how much I paid for it whether I will try and finish it. I have one on my kindle that is 47% of the way through and soooo slow moving. I’m tempted to skip to the end to find out what happens.
Purchasing a book is accepting the author’s invitation to take you into a world of their own making. The best make you forget what room you’re in. The worst make you regret ever learning how to read.
Typically I finish books unless they aggravate me to the point on shredding the book in the garbage disposal. I can’t stand authors who have a great story only to “Martha Stewart” the story in the last chapter. Lie to me, break my heart, scare me, make me laugh out loud in public, and rage against the unfairness of the situation the MC is in, but don’t toy with my intelligence by dragging the MC through vile jungles only to have a distant relation come to her rescue in the last paragraph unless said distant relation is in fact an 80 year old serial killing great-aunt bearing a grudge for a broken tea cup thirty years ago.
I have many unread books on my shelf…I don’t have an e-reader. I try to get back to them before buying something else but it doesn’t always happen. When I finally pick it up, if I can’t get into it rather quickly, it ends up being given away. I guess that’s where reading the samples would come in handy. I have forced myself to finish some but not usually with good results so I guess my answer would be that if I’m forcing myself – what do I hope to learn or accomplish from finishing it besides the satisfaction of not giving up? I guess I won’t know unless I read it.
There are books that I just stop reading altogether — especially if it’s something I can’t completely relate with. I prefer real books though over e-copies, so I really invest in my library. The books that I stop reading are the ones I put back in my shelf in the hopes of opening them again one day in a future time when I’m ready to go through them again.
If the writing is technically proficient and there are interesting characters but the plot is not engaging, I will sometimes force myself to finish. Mentally, I re-write as the book goes along. I also make mental notes on what I think worked best.
But other books I just cannot stomach. Fifty Shades comes to mind. I tried, really, I did. I thought I could learn something from this book I wouldn’t normally read, given it’s outrageous popularity. No could do. I wanted to vomit by the end of Chapter Two.
There are plenty of junk novels I’ve enjoyed that are technically imperfect and have under-developed characters, but if there’s a great story and I find gems along the way, I will stick with it through the bad spots.
This post reminds me that reading the bad stuff along with the good is something we shouldn’t be ashamed of because there’s something to be gained through each reading experience.
A writing teacher once asked all her participants to bring a book they did NOT like, but to find the first scene they did not like and mark that section with strips of paper. In the class, each person was not asked to read that section aloud, but to rewrite that section and improve it. Make it better: more interesting, more effective description or dialogue, add an element of surprise or suspense, etc.
THAT taught me more about writing than anything I’d ever done.
Mary wow that teacher is brilliant never thought about that! Thanks for sharing!
Oh I really like this idea!
This is really a brilliant idea for learning to write. Thanks for sharing
I hate putting a book down without finishing it, though there are about 4-5 books I have done this with. What I have also found, is, as you’ve described, a difference when I’m reading since I’ve started writing myself. Before I started writing I could just read and enjoy but now I find I do analyse as I read. It’s not bad, just different.
Reblogged this on Dividing Walls.
If i can’t get into a book or it puts me sleep in the first few pages i won’t finish it. They are way too many books out there to waste my time on something i don’t like.
I just wish that we could all sit down and talk about this subject at length. Writing a quick comment seems to distill my thoughts, and when it comes to books and characters I’d like to ramble a bit and have the feedback from others in conversation. I feel a lot like you do. Some books disappoint me when they get into uncomfortable scenes – places I just don’t want to go. I don’t like torture scenes for example, but I like adventures etc. Sometimes I get far into a story and they lead to unpleasant scenes that make me stop reading. It’s not that I can’t toughen up, but I just don’t want to late at night. I want to be taken away and to bond with the characters. I don’t need to feel those other unpleasant emotions etc.
Thanks for the thoughts about reading – especially on the Kindle where I do most of my reading nowadays.
Reblogged this on Simple! and commented:
Lee Laughlin hits my feelings about reading in her post. Good job!
I like it when people not only read a post but add intelligent comments, this one did that , so I am thanking everyone.
I am trying to hone the writing craft and I realise the importance of reading but I don’t take formal notes from my reading. I am sure that I will get a note book and jot down the most important lessons I learn from now on. Thanks for underlining that point.