tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post2519189826251345919..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Vacation Day #10: How?Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30711290171513886392015-09-02T18:54:45.330-04:002015-09-02T18:54:45.330-04:00@kdjames "Taste in reading is so subjective. ...@kdjames "Taste in reading is so subjective. Kinda gives you a better understanding of why agents issue so many rejections and why it's not always a reflection of the quality of the work."<br /><br />That's such a good point. I once had an editor at a business journal reject an article by a couple of client authors of mine. Normally I wouldn't question the decision, but it surprised me because I'd gone back and forth with the editor when my clients were in the early draft stages and the editor seemed very interested and invested. <br /><br />When I asked the editor why, he said, "It's the we." <br /><br />Me: "The 'we'? Oh, do you mean ex. 'We've found...' etc? Would it help if they took extra steps to clarify exactly who the 'we' is within the text?" <br /><br />Editor: "It's all the plural pronouns. Them. Like they're watching me."<br /><br />Me: "........Sure. Gotcha."<br /><br />On a whim I edited the article in question, changed the title and did my best to strip as many plural pronouns as I could--which, you can imagine. I resubmitted to the editor and he was like, "Great! Looking forward to publishing this."<br /><br />These are our gatekeepers, lol. Said editor has since moved on from the journal. I think of him sometimes and wonder how he's coping in a plural pronoun world. But yes, I keep the "it's not always the quality of the writing" mantra in my head because it often genuinely isn't.<br /><br />Thick descriptions of setting--pages--can force me to put a book down. I think that's why I don't read a lot of spaceship/high tech-type Sci-fi, as those can be pretty description-dense. <br /><br />I mean, I will totally hang in there for the 10 pages describing the dashboard if I know that an antago-naut is planning to rewire the cup holder button to open the airlock, but otherwise it's hard to keep reading. A lack of sustained tension I guess. <br /><br />A lot of other times it's a matter of "come for the plot, stay for the voice." And sometimes the voice drops.<br /><br />If nothing surprises me. There's definitely a pleasure in reading a story where you know from the cover what you're in for, but if I can literally predict what a character is going to say or see things coming a mile away, it's tough to keep going.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834627471326416945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-868911417124469232015-09-02T09:23:54.523-04:002015-09-02T09:23:54.523-04:00@ W.R. Gingell
For what it’s worth, if you’d wri...@ W.R. Gingell <br /><br />For what it’s worth, if you’d written that you don’t read books with identity perspectives outside your own—which, if I understand you correctly, isn’t as specific, but still generally true to you and your reading preferences—it’s unlikely that anyone would have read your comments and experienced an unpleasant punch side effect. For all anybody would have known, you’re a mermaid living in the Mediterranean Sea and you do not care for the novels of the Pacific. <br /><br />Singling out a specific minority group in the context of the rest of your list was the source of the hurt for me. I wrote in because K.C. had the same reaction, and I wanted her to know “not just you.” I did not want her to feel alone, or for other queer lurkers to infer her reaction was an isolated one.<br /><br />You answered a question from Janet honestly. Just as you have the right to be honest, other commenters have the right to be honest and say so if a comment hurts them, signal support for each other, and send out a friendly reminder that there are all sorts of people reading this blog. <br /><br />So yes, it was about you because it was a reaction to your comment, but simultaneously it wasn’t about you. Sincerely. I did not assume ill intent, and I didn’t suggest that unless you read certain books you are reading all wrong and should feel bad as a person, or alternatively that people who read Lambda award-winners are somehow better people. Truly, we’re not at odds on that issue. Plenty of people read widely and never pay their parking tickets or whatever. <br /><br />I agree we’ve reached an impasse, and welcome a new day.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834627471326416945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61610229490627682562015-09-01T18:40:17.413-04:002015-09-01T18:40:17.413-04:00I used to read books all the way through no matter...I used to read books all the way through no matter how much I hated them. But as I've grown as a writer, I've come to recognize when there are underlying problems that won't (usually) get better -- for instance, no early-on moment where the author gives us a reason, however small, to care about the protagonist's journey. Or when stereotypical portrayals of minority characters show no introspection that suggests the author used the stereotype on purpose. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53657279739626105422015-09-01T05:02:05.601-04:002015-09-01T05:02:05.601-04:00No one is trying to force you or anyone else to re...<i>No one is trying to force you or anyone else to read "homosexual themes" if that isn't your thing.<br /><br />Look, a fellow reader and commenter alerted you to the fact that your post was hurtful. KC and I both had a visceral, unpleasant reaction to what you wrote. Because when it comes to stuff like this, it's not an intellectual exercise in offense. It's like, our existence.</i><br /><br />And i'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm not responsible for your feelings, or your knee-jerk reactions. A logical reading of the list should have informed you otherwise. You're the only one who can control your reactions. Your reactions just made me feel that you hadn't read my comment properly- or any of my subsequent comments.<br /><br />Both of your comments made it clear that you'd taken the list personally (KC for instance saying 'finding myself in the same list'. I don't know how you can think that a list of my reading preferences in any way refers to you personally.<br /><br /><i>Everyone at some point has typed and posted quickly and then realized that they came off, as Hank said, abrasive. Most of the time it's just a matter of people not thinking things through for the sake of expediency. Most people, myself included, totally get that and give other folks the benefit of a doubt when they say or do thoughtless things.<br /><br />And I get that when someone calls you out, the knee jerk reaction is to come back full throttle, WHAT I SAID WASN'T A PROBLEM, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM...YOU...PROBLEM, i.e. defensive. <br /><br />But this is a pretty close-knit blog, right? I mean, if a friend comes to me and tells me that I did or said something hurtful, my own sacred opinion or not, I'm going to take her feelings into consideration and apologize, own up to whatever I said or did, and clarify if there was a genuine misunderstanding (and accept the fact that the wounded party does not owe me forgiveness). Because that is the respectful thing to do.<br /><br />Instead you made it out like KC and my reactions are the problem here, that the issue is us not getting it, or being oversensitive.<br /><br />I'm using words like "hurt" and "feelings" to be clear I’m coming from a place of "fellow reader" rather than "person with agenda."<br /><br />So there's no doubt: there's no hostility or pc police afoot here. Again: It doesn't take much energy or self-sacrifice to be mindful of things that could legitimately hurt other people who are only here to learn and laugh with everybody else. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask. </i><br /><br />I get that, but I don't think I was thoughtless or unreasonable. All that occurred to me was that people were getting hurt and taking things personally because of a knee-jerk reaction of their own. I still think that. And I can't apologise for my comment, because I said nothing wrong. I can't control your reactions, or what you decide to get hurt at; and honestly, yes- I do think it's your reaction at fault, and not my comment. But I can't do anything about that, just as you'll feel you can't do anything about what you're certain is my 'thoughtlessness'.<br /><br />We're gonna have to agree to disagree, I'm afraid. I will, however, try not to let my frustration make me snarky again, because I know very well how sick conflict makes me, and I really don't want to make you feel like that, either. That, I <i>can</i> control.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25010664710708731472015-09-01T05:01:05.730-04:002015-09-01T05:01:05.730-04:00@Elena
Okay, hang in there, I'll try not to b...@Elena<br /><br />Okay, hang in there, I'll try not to be too long!<br /><br /><i>I wasn't "trying to get offended." I was trying to read the comments to an interesting question that Janet posed. Then I read your comments and felt unwelcome in a blog I love to follow.</i><br /><br />After your comments, which to me honestly came across as condescending and (please excuse me) self-righteous, <i>I</i> felt unwelcome on a blog I love to follow. That's not your fault, that was my perception. All I ask is that you consider that <i>your</i> perceptions did the same thing to you. I'm sick of repeating that sex scenes and character that I don't connect with <i>were on the same list</i>. Your perceptions led you to ignore the simple logic that in that case, I cannot have been equating homosexual themes with rape, bestiality, et al. If you still do after all the times I've pointed that out, I'm afraid I can't say anything that's going to make sense to you.<br /><br /><i>I tried to point this out to you respectfully but honestly. I very specifically pointed to what you wrote rather than who you are as a person. I also thought I made it wicked clear that my intent wasn't to be attack-ish and assumed good intent. <br /><br />I mean, I mostly lurk. Attention and controversy are not things I seek. I'm usually too much in awe of the other commenters to offer any insight. I’ve got "carriage wit." <br /><br />Your response assumes I get some sort of self-righteous pleasure out of this. I don't. I felt sick to my stomach after I posted yesterday. It's TERRIFYING for me to be a dissenting voice about something so personal. Because I admire the people on this blog and I don't want them to dislike lurky ol me. Because I knew very well no matter how even-handed or clear I tried to be that I wasn't out for a fight, that you or other people might still respond with hostility--which you did. Not to mention risking the wrath of the shark! </i><br /><br />I also become sick to my stomach at conflict, so I'm sympathetic with you here. It's horrible to start shaking and feeling like you're gonna chuck because you feel that you have to speak out. I feel the same way, but from the other side of the fence. We can agree that neither of us deserve to feel that way. It's why I took so long to even comment on this blog, because I knew that sooner or later, someone would take offense whether I meant them to or not. What you assumed to be hostility in my previous post was, in fact, frustration. Frustration that no matter <i>how many times</i> I pointed out the logic of the situation, people were still gonna be offended because they didn't really read my comment, and took a knee-jerk reaction of the matter. If this came across as hostile to you, I'm sorry. I don't want anyone to feel the way I feel when I have to argue a point.<br /><br /><i>Your initial post in this thread was thoughtless. Not as in, "you're a bad person and you should feel bad" but "what you wrote was thoughtless." <br /><br />More context, which may help: there's a whole thing in the world where people declare gay folks to be one step away from bestiality, or associate gayness with other bad things and it's all just super depressing. As written, any reader would assume you were equating those things. </i><br /><br />I disagree. It wasn't at all thoughtless. I've pointed out the logic of this above, and so so many times since. I can't be blamed for <i>Your</i> perception of what I said, only of what I said. I stop reading when I come across homosexual themes. I stop when I get to sex scenes. I stop when I get to rape scenes. The only common factor here is that I stop when I get to any of the things on this list. Not that they're similar to each other. Again, logic should tell you that if you read the rest of the comment and the other things in the list.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-59575090275696941132015-09-01T04:30:52.496-04:002015-09-01T04:30:52.496-04:00I'm with Theresa on this.
So many books; so l...I'm with Theresa on this.<br /><br />So many books; so little time.<br /><br />I'd normally give a book 2-3 chapters before I hit 'delete' on my Kindle. There are just far too many books that I want to read to waste my time on something that I am not enjoying.Allison Newchurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00639341318039077271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-884431419319099782015-09-01T03:04:58.675-04:002015-09-01T03:04:58.675-04:00@Hank, thank you. Love this blog.
@W.R. Gingell ...@Hank, thank you. Love this blog. <br /><br />@W.R. Gingell <br /><br />I wasn't "trying to get offended." I was trying to read the comments to an interesting question that Janet posed. Then I read your comments and felt unwelcome in a blog I love to follow. <br /><br />I tried to point this out to you respectfully but honestly. I very specifically pointed to what you wrote rather than who you are as a person. I also thought I made it wicked clear that my intent wasn't to be attack-ish and assumed good intent. <br /><br />I mean, I mostly lurk. Attention and controversy are not things I seek. I'm usually too much in awe of the other commenters to offer any insight. I’ve got "carriage wit." <br /><br />Your response assumes I get some sort of self-righteous pleasure out of this. I don't. I felt sick to my stomach after I posted yesterday. It's TERRIFYING for me to be a dissenting voice about something so personal. Because I admire the people on this blog and I don't want them to dislike lurky ol me. Because I knew very well no matter how even-handed or clear I tried to be that I wasn't out for a fight, that you or other people might still respond with hostility--which you did. Not to mention risking the wrath of the shark! <br /><br />Your initial post in this thread was thoughtless. Not as in, "you're a bad person and you should feel bad" but "what you wrote was thoughtless." <br /><br />More context, which may help: there's a whole thing in the world where people declare gay folks to be one step away from bestiality, or associate gayness with other bad things and it's all just super depressing. As written, any reader would assume you were equating those things. <br /><br />No one is trying to force you or anyone else to read "homosexual themes" if that isn't your thing.<br /><br />Look, a fellow reader and commenter alerted you to the fact that your post was hurtful. KC and I both had a visceral, unpleasant reaction to what you wrote. Because when it comes to stuff like this, it's not an intellectual exercise in offense. It's like, our existence.<br /><br />Everyone at some point has typed and posted quickly and then realized that they came off, as Hank said, abrasive. Most of the time it's just a matter of people not thinking things through for the sake of expediency. Most people, myself included, totally get that and give other folks the benefit of a doubt when they say or do thoughtless things.<br /><br />And I get that when someone calls you out, the knee jerk reaction is to come back full throttle, WHAT I SAID WASN'T A PROBLEM, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM...YOU...PROBLEM, i.e. defensive. <br /><br />But this is a pretty close-knit blog, right? I mean, if a friend comes to me and tells me that I did or said something hurtful, my own sacred opinion or not, I'm going to take her feelings into consideration and apologize, own up to whatever I said or did, and clarify if there was a genuine misunderstanding (and accept the fact that the wounded party does not owe me forgiveness). Because that is the respectful thing to do.<br /><br />Instead you made it out like KC and my reactions are the problem here, that the issue is us not getting it, or being oversensitive. <br /><br />I'm using words like "hurt" and "feelings" to be clear I’m coming from a place of "fellow reader" rather than "person with agenda."<br /><br />So there's no doubt: there's no hostility or pc police afoot here. Again: It doesn't take much energy or self-sacrifice to be mindful of things that could legitimately hurt other people who are only here to learn and laugh with everybody else. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask. <br />Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834627471326416945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25406439509254066142015-09-01T02:00:05.125-04:002015-09-01T02:00:05.125-04:00Elena, also ditto what Hank says: always feel free...Elena, also ditto what Hank says: always feel free to stop lurking and join in, even if we two don't agree. I'm sure you mean no offense just as I mean none, and I also just delurked recently (some months ago).<br /><br />I meant no offense to KC or anyone else, but I will still hold to it that taking offense at someone's don't read list is an entirely alien and odd concept. It certainly wasn't aimed at anyone, it's my own personal list.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885763976837081950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81864307519339757432015-08-31T09:16:52.829-04:002015-08-31T09:16:52.829-04:00Same here. I have to like the character enough to ...Same here. I have to like the character enough to root for them, even if I don't admire or approve of their actions.<br /><br />And absolutely under no circumstances will I read torture or physical mutilation scenes - if they don't make me put the book down altogether, I skip past them, allowing plenty of leeway. Those just overload the emotional circuits (not in a good way: it has a paralysing effect) and ruin my day. I've often wished that the mind could barf stuff out the way the body can, and just be totally rid of all memory of it.Bonnie Shaljeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13067442140631504611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67626064694667290952015-08-31T08:15:05.507-04:002015-08-31T08:15:05.507-04:00There's enough drama in real life so I tend to...There's enough drama in real life so I tend to stay with books I believe will be heavy on humor and low on gratuitous violence. I don't have to like the main character but if I don't find any character with any redeeming qualities within the first 25% of the book I'll move on to something else.Jeff Deiteringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09083122110139952278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18329442019359807302015-08-31T07:20:52.059-04:002015-08-31T07:20:52.059-04:00Elena, well put and stop lurking and join in. I am...Elena, well put and stop lurking and join in. I am probably the most guilty of posting and then realising how abrasive I sound. I believe the group here understands and puts up with it as they get I have hoof in mouth. As an observer the list struck me as well, but I honestly believe it wasn't malicious. K.C. has bullet points to her desired reading criterior as I'm sure you do. The beauty of this group is all are welcome and appreciated for the light each give off.....hell Colin and I are still allowed. ....even though we are roomies on Karkoon. Be well<br />Hankfrench sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-19922524800988925872015-08-30T23:09:45.260-04:002015-08-30T23:09:45.260-04:00Things that'll make me put a book down:
--Voi...Things that'll make me put a book down:<br /><br />--Voice'n'style that's difficult to read (including too many grammar/spelling errors--common in indie books published before their time, alas).<br />--Too many swear words. Swear words are powerful, especially F. Because of their strength, I feel their use needs to be limited. If a text is peppered with them, it throws off the power balance and ruins the tension of the scene for me. But the occasional one, placed for best effect, works for me.<br />--Unlikeable characters. Why on earth would I want to know their story?<br />--Rape scenes, more for the unlikeable character aspect, rather than the violence (though that is also a bit factor). A rapist is a pretty nasty character. Why would I want to spend company with him or have to cope with the emotional devestation he's racked on his victim(s)?<br />--Sex scenes that don't have significant impact on the plot. I know, I know, I'm a Romance author, but sex scenes for titillation's sake just doesn't do it for me. If a sex scene furthers the plot, I'm okay with it. (Currently, I have no sex scenes in any of my Romance novels, but have a few in my Fantasy novels, and they do serve to forward the plot.) I will skip through sex scenes in Romance novels as I tend to find them dull. If the novel is mostly sex scenes and the plot or characters aren't working for me, I'll put it down.<br />--Lack of optimism--One of the reasons I refuse to read most literary novels. I've encountered far too many that are all doom'n'gloom with no light at the end of the tunnel. If I'm reading any book (regardless of genre) and it's not got any hope or light or hint of positivity, I'll give up. I read for escapism. I've got enough grief in my life; I don't need to add to it through fiction.<br />--Dull plot with no other redeeming characteristics. I love plot. If you don't have a good enough plot, and you don't have anything else to make up for it, it's bye-bye.<br />I recently read an indie author who had a hooky voice'n'style and appealing characters, but was absolutely hopeless when it came to plot. I read to the end, but felt disappointed in the tepid plot arc. As his voice was a MAJOR redeeming feature for me, I attempted another of his novels. This one was more character-based, and worked better. Still, I believe he could have been one of our literary greats, if it wasn't for his appalling plot skills. So sad.<br />I LOVED Harry Potter because plot.<br />--Pacing too slow. Ain't nobody got time for that.<br /><br /><br /><br />As for pink gills with green spots, that sounds like a metaphor for envy.Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68535908611174035472015-08-30T20:41:51.486-04:002015-08-30T20:41:51.486-04:00Elena, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can&...Elena, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can't let you or anyone else dictate what I do and don't read.<br /><br />You'll notice I also remarked that I stop reading when I come across characters I don't identify with. Do you also assume I associate that with rape?? It was in the list of stuff I don't read, too, further down. I also said I don't read sex scenes. Do yo also assume I associate that with rape and bestiality?<br />I also said I don't like to read bad language. Tack on that 'do you also' here again.<br /><br />It really seems that people are just <i>trying</i> to take offense here. I haven't gone over your lists and said: "Oh, you don't read that! You horrible person!" <br /><br />Because that's your right. You can read whatever you want. I can read whatever I want.<br /><br />Why so judgy?? Why so intolerent?<br /><br /><i>These are things that I personally do not like to read.</i> How about anyone who is offended just decide to step back, realise that not everyone likes to read what they like to read, and stop taking offense at everything?<br /><br />I have been on blogs that do not read Christian fiction. It is listed as such:<br /><br />Do not read:<br /><br />*Child Molestation<br />*Animal Killings<br />*Rape<br />*Christian Books<br /><br />Am I supposed to get offended because they listed Christian books in with rape and animal killings, et al?<br /><br />No.<br /><br />Because it's just something they don't like to read about.<br /><br />Honestly. You know where else you find Homosexuality listed with other unpleasant things? The dictionary.<br /><br />Are you going to be offended at that, too?<br /><br />I also apologise to Janet if this has gone astray, but I like to defend myself against people who simply take offense at everything. I like the people on here, but I thought we were allowed to have our own thoughts, and read the books <i>we like to read</i>, not the ones that a consensus decides are suitable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81838404582538358052015-08-30T15:48:48.231-04:002015-08-30T15:48:48.231-04:00Seattle's celebrity librarian Nancy Pearl has ...Seattle's celebrity librarian Nancy Pearl has a handy rule she's developed. You must 50 pages of any book before stopping but once you turn 50 you can subtract your actual age from 100 and you only need to read that many pages. By the time you turn 100, you can judge a book by its cover.<br /><br />I am a big fan of this rule. So many books, so little time.<br /><br />Also I wanted to chime in (sorry I forgot who said this) but I could not read the first Harry Potter. The writing made me cringe. Have tried several times since with no success. I admit the story is brilliant. I wanted to find out what happened but couldn't get through the amateurish writing. I'm sure it got better as she went along.<br /><br />I tend to get my books from the library so that makes it easier to stop reading them if I don't like them. Then I buy them if I love them so the writer and the publisher (and the agent!) will get some money.<br /><br />Waverlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09457723282170501661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40154990980814680552015-08-30T15:31:51.128-04:002015-08-30T15:31:51.128-04:00I don't want to write this. I don't want t...I don't want to write this. I don't want to be That Person. I love this blog, lurk it regularly, and enjoy the smart, witty comments just as much as Janet's wisdom. <br /><br />But @W.R. Gingell, I had the same reaction as KC when I read your initial post. It felt like a punch to the gut. To be honest, your defense/qualifying responses to KC didn't make me feel a whole lot better. <br /><br />I have zero interest in starting an internet fight, nor do I want to derail the thread. I've read/lurked this blog enough to know that everybody here has good intentions. <br /><br />I'm writing this because I want KC to know that she wasn't alone in her reaction, and in case other queer readers felt the same but didn't feel safe speaking up.<br /><br />I'm also well aware that the world--and certainly not the internet--is not obliged to bend to my feelings. <br /><br />But as a reader/fan of this blog, I would ask this, of W.R. Gingell and everyone: don't dilute your honesty, but please be kind when you post. <br /><br />It is guaranteed that there are commenters here that don't share your race, gender, sexual orientation and the myriad other things that are a part of one's IDENTITY. <br /><br />It only takes a second to review a post before you hit the publish button, and I don't think it takes much energy to clarify/be mindful of things that could legitimately hurt other people who are only here to learn and laugh with everybody else. <br /><br />Janet, I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, and I really hope I'm not coming off as attack-ish. Have a great day everybody. <br /><br />Lurkingly yours, <br />ElenaElenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834627471326416945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17302938261273203002015-08-30T09:40:30.539-04:002015-08-30T09:40:30.539-04:00@Joseph Snoe
Ah! I thought it was the same autho...@Joseph Snoe <br /><br />Ah! I thought it was the same author @William Plante mentioned. I couldn't keep track of all of the reviews that said the reader was so disappointed and I wondered if it was the change in genre and the reader expectation. I think maybe that's why she tried to distance herself from the Potter series but when you've been that absurdly successful with one genre/series, I would think you would almost have to expect the backlash she got.<br /><br />I haven't read any of the Potter series *ducks,* but I wonder if I read the Casual Vacancy, would I like it for itself. Does that make sense? <br /><br />And I'm back to the cabbage again! ARGH!nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56662700500528721982015-08-30T08:08:31.550-04:002015-08-30T08:08:31.550-04:00Same experience with J.K. Rowling The Casual Vacan...Same experience with J.K. Rowling The Casual Vacancy.Bill Plantehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07333910594629506602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17481403614372204392015-08-30T03:38:22.265-04:002015-08-30T03:38:22.265-04:00Love the name "the seasick mermaid"<br />Love the name "the seasick mermaid"french sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30869375619578876682015-08-30T02:56:57.328-04:002015-08-30T02:56:57.328-04:00John Frain, I'm still laughing, and you are fu...<br />John Frain, I'm still laughing, and you are funny. Cheers.<br /><br />Bonnie Shaljean....YES......."my mind sort of loosens its grip and I start skimming and skipping ahead, which is always a red flag"....a hundred times yes.<br /><br />Be Well <br />Hank Azaria<br /><br />french sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12459839593750125892015-08-30T00:38:34.964-04:002015-08-30T00:38:34.964-04:00I loved Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who . ...I loved Lillian Jackson Braun's <i>The Cat Who . . . </i> books, but her final was was so painful to read. It was very much a draft, parts of it just notes strung together by an editor, maybe hoping to cash in on her name (at worst). I wish I'd stopped reading before the end. I very much doubt she'd have wanted it published in that state. The Seasick Mermaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15089107758742069700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50133152156053345922015-08-30T00:24:36.727-04:002015-08-30T00:24:36.727-04:00I read the first 200 pages of Neal Stephenson'...I read the first 200 pages of Neal Stephenson's Anathem before I got into it. My brother, who gave it to me, made me promise to read that far before putting it down. I'm very glad he did because I loved the last 700 pages, but I would never have read them if not for him.Shaunnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06542124673668776592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75205072679683463752015-08-30T00:00:10.677-04:002015-08-30T00:00:10.677-04:00Someone, my brain is mush now, but Joseph is remin...Someone, my brain is mush now, but Joseph is reminding me of this, mentioned turning away from books that get details wrong. This is a big stumbling block to me. Don't have someone in medieval England saying, "OK." Don't have a gazelle being born with horns. Commons sense, please. Horses are remarkable animals, but don't have them doing stupid stuff or galloping a hundred miles to save the day. If you're going to add historical details, get them right, because I am one of those nuts who will check to see if that's correct. <br /><br />I don't care if it's historical fiction, at least try to stay true to the story, otherwise write historical fantasy and don't make any pretenses.<br /><br />No, Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter or Jane Austen Sex Kitten wouldn't appeal to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-72474188764297919492015-08-29T23:54:04.332-04:002015-08-29T23:54:04.332-04:00John said: "Also, I'm not female, and I h...John said: "Also, I'm not female, and I hear that helps."<br /><br />OMG. John, that was hilarious. Yes, you are very funny. (I haven't read Franzen, so this is a comment on his reputation, not his fiction.)<br /><br />Reading all these comments is fascinating, and revealing. Taste in reading is so subjective. Kinda gives you a better understanding of why agents issue so many rejections and why it's not always a reflection of the quality of the work. But I am sorry to hear this assessment of THE CARTEL. So many people whose opinion I thought I respected purported to love it. But I also respect Janet's opinion of the genre.<br /><br />As a writer, I think I learn more from truly horrible writing than I do from writing that is compelling and pulls me into the story and makes me not notice or care what the writer is doing. So it has value (to me) for that reason. <br /><br />It's interesting, sometimes, to delve into a favourite writer's backlist and see how very far they've come with time and practice. Or, sadly, to see how they've lost some of that ability.<br /><br />I have to confess that I read for different reasons, at different times. Sometimes, I just want to read something that demands very little from me. Something I can read after an intense night of writing that will push my own story out of my head for a while so I can sleep. Something completely predictable and unmemorable and safe, that won't surprise me or make me think or follow me into dreams. I'm so very grateful for those books, even though I realize it's a bit of an insult to the writer (and why I'll never name them) (because I know they'll get better, and who the hell am I to discourage that?). <br /><br />And then there are the writers who I know will suck me in, without fail, and not let go until the last page. I save those books for other times, when I'm not writing, when I can give them the attention they deserve.<br /><br />So subjective.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8743542203263284932015-08-29T22:28:52.619-04:002015-08-29T22:28:52.619-04:00Gosh darnit, I forgot the assignment again. And my...Gosh darnit, I forgot the assignment again. And my dog didn't eat it.<br /><br />I don't stop reading once I've started. But I cheat to get to the end quicker. I skim and sometimes I read only the first sentence of a paragraph. The only book I can remember not finishing -- but I will -- is Jon Franzen's The Corrections. I happen to like the guy, which probably puts me in the minority at the moment. Also, I'm not female, and I hear that helps.John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83213627786443017642015-08-29T22:25:07.568-04:002015-08-29T22:25:07.568-04:00Hank,
Just so you're aware (you don't hav...Hank,<br /><br />Just so you're aware (you don't have to care, I'm just compelled to mention), every time I read one of your messages now, I close it like this:<br /><br />Be well<br />Hank Azaria<br /><br />as a nod to your sisters' names. And then I laugh a little cuz I think I'm kinda funny especially when no one else does.John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.com