02-27-2013, 08:14 AM | #31 | |
MR Drone
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 15612282
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DRONEZONE
Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20
|
Your quote is a perfect reason to be a bit snobbish about what one reads. The sheer amount of drivel is overwhelming.
Quote:
|
|
02-27-2013, 08:16 AM | #32 | |
MR Drone
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 15612282
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DRONEZONE
Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20
|
The ewriting/ebook revolution has just begun.....
Quote:
|
|
Advert | |
|
02-27-2013, 08:17 AM | #33 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,135
Karma: 11676050
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: UK
Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch
|
I was trying to think of something to do for The Ugliest Truth yesterday. I didn't come up with anything.
Bad writing in itself is not a fatal disease if the story is strong enough or the characters are interesting enough or the point is worth making. At least, for Dan Brown levels of badness; I'm guessing there are indies out there that make that look like Steinbeck, and he does, at least, have a copy editor. |
02-27-2013, 09:13 AM | #34 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,601
Karma: 9211856
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini
|
Quote:
signed, former editor. |
|
02-27-2013, 09:15 AM | #35 |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 76,091
Karma: 134368292
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
But why should we pay for these poorly edited books?
|
Advert | |
|
02-27-2013, 09:17 AM | #36 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,601
Karma: 9211856
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini
|
Quote:
|
|
02-27-2013, 09:19 AM | #37 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,601
Karma: 9211856
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini
|
Presumably, if you pay for them, they hold some value *to you* above the perfection of the prose. The problem is, of course, all you get is the 20-or-fewer-page sample to see if it looks like the book is for you.
I prefer edited books also. I do try, when reviewing, to note whether I think the problem lies with a writer or with the editor who either failed them or should have been hired. |
02-27-2013, 09:33 AM | #38 | ||
Witcher
Posts: 933
Karma: 7321117
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Swamp. Slaying Drowners.
Device: Kindle PW2
|
Robert Stanek - Keeper Martin's Tale
few sample paragraphs from the book: Quote:
Quote:
I actually came across this article on this guy. He is a real sleazebag too according to the evidence provided by this site http://bestfantasybooks.com/blog/rob...-in-the-world/ I was so amused that I downloaded the sample just to see if this is true. It cracked me up so much So there is a positive consequence of bad writing, not all of it ofc, but sometimes you come across one of these "gems". His covers are equally horrid as his writing. |
||
02-27-2013, 10:06 AM | #39 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 45,019
Karma: 55647515
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Peru
Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One
|
That's properly bad writing, although it verges on the hilarious in its ineptness, sort of like being forced to watch Criswell's opening narration in the Ed Wood 'film,' Plan 9 From Outer Space.
Don Last edited by Dr. Drib; 02-27-2013 at 10:08 AM. Reason: title corrected |
02-27-2013, 10:30 AM | #40 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,179
Karma: 11573197
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: London, UK
Device: Voyage
|
When ebooks are made available in all the Kindle stores, it would sometimes be a good idea to have specific editions for different countries. If I get a book from a US indie then I'm fine with reading "color" instead of "colour" but some things really don't cross the pond well... Like a description during the siege of Leningrad where a soldier was wearing "patched pants and suspenders"
|
02-27-2013, 10:30 AM | #41 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,265
Karma: 10203040
Join Date: Dec 2011
Device: a variety (mostly kindles and kobos)
|
Joykins got there first but I was going to comment that I find it interesting that whenever this topic comes up a lot of people are quick to mention editing problems - spelling, grammar, typos etc - but I'll put up with quite a lot of those mistakes if the story is good and the characters compelling. Badly edited or unedited work can be rescued a lot of bad writing simply can't.
|
02-27-2013, 10:37 AM | #42 |
Groupie
Posts: 188
Karma: 615554
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: NYC
Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1
|
Perhaps part of the problem is the fact that an entire generation (or two) has managed to get through high and school and college without having to read extensively or write extended essays, term papers, theses, etc. For the most part, students read less and less; unless they are literature majors, they are unlikely to read classic or modern literature of any kind. Here in New York State, high school juniors or seniors take a statewide exam in English to measure proficiency in comprehension and writing. Back in the dim past (early 1970s and before), the big essay question on that exam had to be written on a play by Shakespeare or some such. Today, it can be written about a movie or tv show. Mind you, I'm not suggesting we return to the "canon" of the 1950s - there's fine literature to be found in every genre to interest everyone of any background.
Yes, this is a generalization (and an American one, at that), and yes, there are exceptions, but I don't think I exaggerate in regards to the mainstream. My stepson went to an extremely competitve Catholic school in the late 80s which prides itself on its high standards and traditional curriculum and had to write but one extended paper. My stepgrandchildren live in a very affluent suburb in N.J. with the best possible public school system and don't come close to the reading and writing that my generation did, both in quantity and quality. I suppose this is an extremely long-winded way of asking how can we expect writers to maintain baseline standards given the general lack of exposure to good writing? Mind you, I'm not talking about content (as in all those dark and stormy nights), but simple grammar and spelling. Ever notice those typos and misused words on tv news zippers, newspapers, and magazines that now appear with frequency? Sorry for the rant, but like many grouchy old ladies, I wonder where this is all heading. Is it language evolution, devolution, or just too much noise to signal? Oh, and feel free to correct any typos or other errors in the above. |
02-27-2013, 10:47 AM | #43 | |
Award-Winning Participant
Posts: 7,350
Karma: 68329346
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ, USA
Device: Kindle
|
Quote:
Seems to convey a "Marsha Marsha Marsha!" state of mind reasonably well. |
|
02-27-2013, 11:23 AM | #44 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,230
Karma: 7145404
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Southern California
Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+
|
There seems to be a fine line between awful and admired prose.
I'm thinking of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." That book was filled with excessive phrasing that evokes emotions. I suspect most of us forgive Cormac because it is so clearly intended. But I'm sure there are readers among us who will just shake their head at his prose and mutter "drivel." |
02-27-2013, 11:25 AM | #45 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,309
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
|
Quote:
|
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Do Inadequate Writing Skills Engender Bad Coding? | Prestidigitweeze | News | 81 | 11-30-2012 01:24 PM |
Free Book (Kindle/Nook) - The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing | koland | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 4 | 11-14-2011 06:32 PM |
The truth about THE TRUTH BE TOLD! (sort of) | HPOliver | Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers | 0 | 11-29-2010 01:21 PM |
Free Book (Kindle) - The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing | koland | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 0 | 08-16-2010 04:49 AM |
Biography Truth, Sojourner: The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, v.1, 10 Feb 2008 | vivaldirules | IMP Books | 0 | 02-21-2008 08:30 AM |