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- Most people do not read. They skim, and make assumptions. This tendency, however, can be manipulated.
- It helps if you honestly like to blow stuff up. Or at least write about blowing stuff up.
- All books are broken. Some are less broken than others. Some are broken in ways that a particular set of readers do not mind in the least. If you can find out the group of people who do not mind the ways in which your books are broken, you have identified your target audience. Unfortunately, this fact does not excuse you from actually learning to write.
- Can't please nobody if you try to please everybody.
- In terms of the market, the quality of your voice is often more important than what you have to say, unless what you have to say is really interesting.
- What you have to say matters, anyway.
- If you make it too accessible, people will assume it's not artistic. If you make it too artistic, people will assume it's not accessible. Go ahead and blow something up if it makes you feel better.
- Despite the number of people who will write in to tell you that they never read the sex scenes, sex does, in fact, sell. It does however mean that if you put the major plot revelations in sex scenes, a certain percentage of your audience will not notice them. [8(a).] don't put the crux of the plot in the middle of the homoerotic kissing scene you've been building to for three books: nobody will notice. Even the ones who aren't skimming.
- Be honest. Not all readers can tell when you're phoning it in, but a significant fraction can, and they will despise you for it. And while it might in fact make rejection and critical dismissal hurt less when you can tell yourself that it wasn't your best effort, it's still cheating.
- There is always somebody better paid, more acclaimed, or whose books will make you turn green with jealousy. It is the nature of the universe. Carry on.
- Mood:
relaxed - Music:John Gorka - Temporary Road
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matociquala
Comments
Note to self: Blow more things up. Would probably help with #10. *grin*
8(a).] don't put the crux of the plot in the middle of the homoerotic kissing scene you've been building to for three books: nobody will notice. Even the ones who aren't skimming.
In combination with 1), this DOES suggest an avenue or two for the subtle planting of clues...
"Beach books" actually rely heavily on this tendency, of the reader to fill in the story around the framework that the writer provides. It's clever because it's not very much work for either writer or reader; there is no revelation, only the fulfilled expectation.
Which is satisfying to a reader who likes that particular story-framework, because he can plug in the details he likes best.
Something like a caper movie makes use of this--it allows the viewer's assumptions to function as part of the misdirection, while some sleight of hand is going on under the table.
The thing is, some readers only want a particular species of novel, or they want a book to be other than it sets out to be, so they will judge it against the book in their heads rather than on its own merits.
If I want a tuna sandwich and you give me egg salad, it doesn't matter how good the egg salad is. I didn't get my fucking tuna, and I am gonna be pissed.
OTOH, if you can convince me I really wanted egg salad in the first place, and just didn't realize it....
..congratulations; you have subverted the genre.
I also would like to know about #1.
Also, #2 I think is a rather universal rule. *further g*
Cheers!
My training was undergrad only, but the fascination has lingered. Hello!
Thanks for this!
Where do I send the dynamite?
However, the reason people skim the sex scenes is that they don't do anything. (funny, in my fiction I never use italics almost but in comments and stuff I use them a lot)
I think sex scenes should always do something important -- maybe not the crux of the matter, but something important -- even if it means that some readers have to go "huh?" a few pages later and read back to figure out what just happened.
OMG so true. Just "yes ma'am"ing from the peanut gallery over here.
But the author demands ramps and ADA compliance!
Maybe I can make them really artistic ramps.
And then blow them up.
They're called 'dragons'. I like them. >:)
::carries on::
This is just a sign really. Someone needs to show this boy how blowing shit up is done. I'm going to go finish my book now.
(And thank you, as always, for the reminders that are so worth printing and learning to live by.)
>Or at least write about blowing stuff up.
Does hitting things with swords count?
I, too, nod over #7. If I'm going to be juggling artistic and accessible anyway, and probably dropping what I'm juggling on occasion, it would be extra nice if what I drop can go spectacularly boom when it hits the ground.
We do love our boom.