Peter Boody's Blog: Inside Out: a not-so-smalltown editor's life - Posts Tagged "reviews"
On writing: Thinking out loud about reviews
Funny how there are a quite a few reviewers (completely unknown to me) of my last novel, "Thomas Jefferson, Rachel & Me," who make a point of saying the book is well written — but then there are a few who make a point of saying the writing is not good.
Wish I knew what they meant. None offer specifics.
I'm an old editor. I've seen some bad writing, let me tell you, including some by one of these very same reviewers (the 2nd kind I mean). I don't think TJRM suffers from it. There are certainly things in the book the sharp critic can fairly target but, compared to a lot of books out there, TJRM is in a class I'd call well crafted.
There's always room for more editing; I don't mean to suggest it's perfect, although I've tried to get it there with many revisions over the past two years. The Kindle, Nook and Smashwords editions now include the latest polishes; the paperback will soon.
But I do wonder sometimes if a group mentality might be at work, perhaps people from writing or reading groups, virtual or actual, who get herded into conformity, or perhaps even bullied, by one outspoken member who has some kind of axe to grind.
To me, "good writing" isn't a subjective thing (while whether or not one "likes" a book certainly is). Good writing is a technical thing, like a good fly cast or crosswind landing, even though there is plenty of art in both.
This is why it annoys me to be accused of something I don't believe I am guilty of.
Just tell me the writing style doesn't work for you, for whatever reason, and I'll shut up. Can't argue with THAT!
Wish I knew what they meant. None offer specifics.
I'm an old editor. I've seen some bad writing, let me tell you, including some by one of these very same reviewers (the 2nd kind I mean). I don't think TJRM suffers from it. There are certainly things in the book the sharp critic can fairly target but, compared to a lot of books out there, TJRM is in a class I'd call well crafted.
There's always room for more editing; I don't mean to suggest it's perfect, although I've tried to get it there with many revisions over the past two years. The Kindle, Nook and Smashwords editions now include the latest polishes; the paperback will soon.
But I do wonder sometimes if a group mentality might be at work, perhaps people from writing or reading groups, virtual or actual, who get herded into conformity, or perhaps even bullied, by one outspoken member who has some kind of axe to grind.
To me, "good writing" isn't a subjective thing (while whether or not one "likes" a book certainly is). Good writing is a technical thing, like a good fly cast or crosswind landing, even though there is plenty of art in both.
This is why it annoys me to be accused of something I don't believe I am guilty of.
Just tell me the writing style doesn't work for you, for whatever reason, and I'll shut up. Can't argue with THAT!
Inside Out: a not-so-smalltown editor's life
Bits and pieces from my newspaper column as well as some riffs on the horrors of novel writing and trying to get one's work the attention it deserves.
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