{"id":264,"date":"2013-09-24T21:18:39","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T01:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lgoconnor.com\/site\/?p=264"},"modified":"2013-09-24T21:22:23","modified_gmt":"2013-09-25T01:22:23","slug":"whom-are-you-writing-for-are-you-sure-its-the-reader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lgoconnor.com\/site\/whom-are-you-writing-for-are-you-sure-its-the-reader\/","title":{"rendered":"Whom are you writing for? Are you sure it\u2019s the Reader?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Reading<\/a><\/p>\n

Personally, I think the dog yawning in the background doesn't bode well. Just sayin'!<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to my questions. Ask almost any writer what they thought of Fifty Shades of Grey<\/em> and let the games begin. The best analogy I can think of: dropping chum in the water for a bunch of sharks.<\/p>\n

Regardless of what any writer thinks of E.L. James, I can honestly say that I enjoyed her books and would gladly take her $95 million paycheck (or Stephanie Meyer\u2019s, or Dan Brown\u2019s, etc.) in a heartbeat. Granted, my lens was not as finely-tuned\u00a0when I read FSoG as it is now. What do those three authors all have in common, beside their hefty paychecks and #1 NYT Best-Selling status? Writers who are detractors. Not to say there aren't readers who are also detractors, but it's the writer forums that I haunt.<\/p>\n

Like all writers, I\u2019m dedicated to improving my craft. I spent about five months over 2 years writing my first novel, and I\u2019m in the process of wrapping\u00a0up eighteen solid months of editing and revising it after working with multiple paid editors. I have a critique partner, I'm part of a critique group, and I've\u00a0had both readers and other writers \u2018beta\u2019 my work during that time. All of my betas are great and offer a slightly different perspective, which is invaluable during the process. In addition, I'm an active member in a writer's community, actively follow\u00a0several\u00a0industry writing blogs, as well as\u00a0individual writer's blogs.<\/p>\n

That said,\u00a0I've had the following epiphany:\u00a0 by definition, once you become a writer, you\u2019re no longer a just a reader\u2014ever again.<\/p>\n

What I can say, unequivocally, is\u2026 I love readers. Why? Because they don\u2019t care about the rules, they just want a good story. They are also who drive a book to go viral and make it a bestseller. When looking for critique, I'm a big believer in having a mix of both readers and writers to give\u00a0me a balanced perspective.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, as writers, I think we get caught up in what we think\u00a0agents, editors, and publishers are looking for, and we start feeding each other\u00a0too much of our own Kool-Aid.<\/p>\n

There are two points that I will get to in this post. The first is this:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Are the \u201crules\u201d the only acceptable rules, and must they be applied to every book?<\/p>\n

Let me list them:
\n\u2022 No backstory
\n\u2022 No telling
\n\u2022 Every chapter must end with something to keep the\u00a0reader\u00a0turning the page
\n\u2022 Action-infused chapters
\n\u2022 Minimize world-building
\n\u2022 No flashbacks
\n\u2022 Yada Yada Yada\u2026<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t tell you how many books I\u2019ve read lately, whether Dan Brown or the next hot New Adult author, where the books are following the \u2018rules\u2019 and leaving me wanting. They are suffering from the same thing Hollywood movies are right now. They are all trying to follow the ‘Save the Cat' formula, leaving everyone saying: “Didn't I just see this?” Am I turning the page at the end of the chapter? Yes.<\/em><\/strong> Am I happy about it? No.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Why?<\/strong><\/em> Because at some point, I just want the damn book to slow down and show me characters I want to\u00a0hang out with\u2026 I don\u2019t mind some back story, some banter between characters, some world-building, some freaking moments where people aren\u2019t covered in blood, running for their lives, or having needlessly tense conversations because the author\u2019s been told there isn\u2019t enough \u2018tension\u2019 in the scene. Current releases of books by new authors (read: traditionally published, just to eliminate self-published bias for a moment) are coming across as formulaic and leaving me feeling cheated. Of course this isn't true of every new book I've read lately, but enough that I've taken notice.\u00a0I wonder if Diana Gabaldon's Outlander\u00a0<\/em>series would've even had a chance of being published today.\u00a0Just sayin'.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Whatever happened to\u00a0the leisurely beach read?<\/p>\n

My\u00a0second point?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a writer, at some point when you\u2019re revising your manuscript, you need to determine when another writer\u2019s critique is a matter of style vs. craft. You should be able to tell the difference, but once you\u2019re fairly certain you\u2019ve nailed the craft piece, you have to decide when done is done. Sift through the feedback for pearls of wisdom, but at some point, step away from the keyboard.<\/p>\n

Write On!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the matter? As writers, are we tainted as readers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo Credit: http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jamelah\/3365906930\/ via\u00a0<\/a>http:\/\/photopin.com\u00a0<\/a>href=http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Personally, I think the dog yawning in the background doesn’t bode well. Just sayin’! Back to my questions. Ask almost any writer what they thought of Fifty Shades of Grey and let the games begin. The best analogy I can think of: dropping chum in the water for a bunch of sharks. Regardless of what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,16,17],"tags":[47,63,60,61,59,62],"yoast_head":"\nWhom are you writing for? 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