I am about twenty pages into a book, the first in a series, that has received a lot of attention. And I admit the plot is good so far. Too soon to tell if the characters are going to be riveting, but everyone suggests they are.
Problem for me: the writing is bad. Okay, not really bad but not top-notch. Short sentences, limited vocabulary, too much description. All the characters speak the same. Does this happen to you? Can a book that is strong on plot put you off because the writing just isn't there? Or can you get past it? Alternately will you stick with a book that is short on plot if the writing is excellent?
And isn't it nice when both elements are on the page at once.
30 comments:
This is the same problem I had with The Da Vinci Code. I couldn't get past the first 3 or 4 chapters. The writing was just terrible. All the characters inner thought using exclamation marks just drove me up a wall. Good writing can save a mediocre story more often than a good story salvaging bad writing.
I agree. I couldn't believe people were gulping it down. It was wooden to me. I'm not much of a thriller reader anyway and that just sealed the no deal.
Not everyone enjoys reading the same things, which is an obvious statement. Not all things are well written, which is another obvious statement. Life is too short to read things that you do not enjoy, regardless of what other "critics" say about those things. For example, I simply cannot read Henry James's novels, and my colleagues would consider me a heretic for saying so. Here is another example: Agatha Christie bores me. So, my response to your dilemma is this: Move on to things you enjoy.
I'm with you, Patti. Bad writing takes me right out of a story. I can forgive a less than enthralling story if it's written well, but not vice versa.
I'll go farther with good writing because it takes a while to discover the plot sucks. I'll only suffer bad writing if I know the plot will deliver - Clive Cussler & Son, for example.
Pat5ti I suspect writers are more bothered by bad writing than the general reading public, which explains why so many writers were appalled by The DaVinci Code, yet the book sold 80 million copies worldwide. The average reader just cared about the story and the page-turning aspect of it--we were the ones turned off by the wooden prose.
If the plot's good, I can stick with it. Frankly, I just ignore it and turn off my writerly brain. I enjoyed Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Lost Symbol not so much.
Great writing that is plotless is pointless.
Plotless, yes. No point in that. But some so-called literary fiction manages to succeed on the writing, far more than the sometimes sketchy plot. I am reading a book for my bookgroup now that has great writing, a great protagonist but it's mostly travelogue beyond that. Still the writing and main character take me along.
The, "too much description," is something I have a tough time getting past.
Some people still write books as if we don't have TV and haven't seen just about everything in the world. And some people still enjoy those books, of course, but they drag too much for me.
A little physical description goes a long way for me but I know from my reading group that many people crave it. They want to know exactly what the character looks like--what her house looks like--what kind of car he has. I'd rather imagine that sort of detail unless it is pertinent to the plot. And I certainly don't need it all at once the first time we need someone. That used to be a common device but not so much now.
If the writing is truly bad, I sign off. There are just too many other books to read.
But what if writing is gorgeous, plot is great, but the story is depressing? I read Living Dead Girl (a YA) recently, and it was so painful, I almost walked away by page 5. The only reason I kept reading was because I was reviewing the book.
Books really need a balance of good writing and good storytelling, for me anyway.
I don't think I could have stayed with that book--a third element, a story you can bear to hear. Or a POV you can live with. Oh, there are so many ways to screw up, aren't there. It's a wonder when someone gets it right.
Sounds like you might be reading something by Stephenie Meyer. Bad writing gets in the way of my enjoyment of a book, but "bad writing" is pretty subjective, I think. For me an imaginative use of language and wide vocabulary are needed to qualify.
Bad editing and proofing are a separate matter, and I can (usually) get around those, though repeated instances pile up on my subconscious.
To John's comment I say: I don't want an author to think about television, or whether I've seen something there or elsewhere, when doing descriptive passages. I want it described as the authors sees it mentally.
Of course, Fleur's final observation is spot on.
If the characterization and plot or excellent, sub-standard writing may not get in the way too much. But I truly love a lyrical turn of phrase in prose.
I think you have two choices:
1. If you are enjoying one element of the book, edit/embellish in your head as you read along. (This really helps when you're reading something because you have to--for work, for a review, etc.)
2. Say, "Life's too short," and start another book.
I find that that kind of writing actually gets in the way of my enjoyment. The prose doesn't have to scintilate but it needs to be smooth enough so that I am not constantly made aware of its clunkiness.
I will confess that I HATE bad writing. It definitely puts me off. I've never ever (not even as a child) read just for plot.
For me, narrative momentum sometimes holds my attention if the writing isn't up to snuff. R. T., you're missing some great Henry James writing if you don't try THE ASPERN PAPERS or WASHINGTON SQUARE. James wrote for 50 years so his style changed and that produced some uneven patches.
Good post, Patti. The book which I reviewed for your "Forgotten Novels" column last week is a great example of making your point.
"The Blonde On The Street Corner" by David Goodis has no real plot to speak of, just a group of characters who do little more than sit around and complain about their miserable lives. Goodis' writing, however, is so compelling that you just can't quit. As with virtually all of his novels, he can paint a portrait of hell, pull you into it, and never let you leave.
I think I've read this book, Patti. If it IS Meyer, I read it, but I edited it in my head the whole time. It's annoying to myself. Usually, though, I put the book down.
Time is so short these days that i will put a book down if by say Chapter four or five I'm not captivated.
The older I get, the less patience I have with bad writing, although a good plot can still draw me in and keep me reading. It has to be a really good plot, though. Of course, there are exceptions, books that I know are badly written but something about them appeals to me anyway. Then there's sloppy writing, which I think is not exactly the same thing as bad writing. I'm talking about books where the writer can't keep details straight from one page to the next and probably never went back over the manuscript. Sometimes I can edit that stuff in my head as I'm reading and keep going, and sometimes I can't. (And I'm realistic enough to know that I'm guilty of all these sins myself at times and am always thankful for patient readers.)
I recently stopped a book that has garnered great reviews because I just wasn't into it. Patti you nailed it: it is amazing that anyone can ever pull it off.
I usually go with the idea that it is not really "bad" writing but just not my style.
I recently read a new book where the writing was geared more for young adult than an adult audience strictly by the choice of words used. Thought the characters within this particular book were well defined and had interesting roles to play.
If the writing is poor after my perusal of the book in a bookstore, I don't buy the book, nor do I read it later. Though I have to put up with poor writing whenever I do my book reviews where I have no choice but to continue, or do as some reviewers who make a comment that 'the book wasn't for me, but perhaps others might find it to their liking'. I haven't had to do that yet, but I can see it might be there in the future.
When I first saw The Da Vinci Code, the chapters put online had not been edited properly with the writing leaving much to be desired. I held off reading the book until it had been out a year and the paperback came out. Even then I wasn't very impressed with it.
The best recourse here is to find a book you do enjoy to read.
Good question!
I got through Da Vinci (out of curiosity), but laughed a lot in the wrong places.
If I give up on a novel very early, it is often because the language is clumsy or boring. I may wait longer until I give it up because of the plot (one never knows if the next chapter is better ...)
Editing in your head is an interesting notion.
Henry James-I liked TURN OF THE SCREW, DAISY MILLER, THE BOSTONIANS and some of the shorts. But he can be a chore to read. I prefer his contemporary, Edith Wharton.
Yes, unless I have to read it I don't give it long. Sometimes I discard it after just a few pages.
Good books are few and far between.
I am never sure, these days, if it the writer who is bad or whether it is careless editting. I think that once an author has a 'name' then publishers just want the profits quickly knowing that it is not the book but the 'name' that sells.
Talking books - Friday's book is up
Maybe it depends on how bad? Although I think I personally put up with more when a book is character driven.
I don't think too much about it: Either it grabs me or it does not.
Truth is, there are too many GOOD books out there to get bogged down in mediocrity.
I can forgive a lackluster plot if the writing really sings.
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