Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Higher Expectations

Thought for the day: A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.  [Thomas Mann]



I never thought about it before, but now I'm inclined to believe Thomas Mann's quote about writing  may very well be true.

It's kinda like when I was a child. Whenever I had the opportunity to play a piano, I'd sit there for glorious lost-to-the-world hours, pounding and teasing the keys, even though I'd never had a single lesson, and didn't have a clue about what I was doing. I didn't know how to play, and knew nothing about tempo or playing chords; I just poured myself into the experience with reckless abandon. No doubt, the noise I was creating was sheer torture for anyone within earshot, because I didn't give a good diddle about hitting the right notes. I wasn't thinking about the people who were subject to my senseless noise; I was thinking about my own enjoyment.

It's the same with writing. Those who know nothing or care nothing about the basics of writing scribble whatever comes to mind, regardless of spelling, grammar, or whoever might be subject to reading it.  But a writer? A writer expects much more of himself. He wants his words to create something wonderful and truly worthwhile. It isn't enough to use words; they've got to be the right words, and if he's very lucky, they strike the right chord with his readers. Writers don't want to make readers cringe like a certain little girl pounding out those sour notes used to do.

As you can probably tell by that badge up there, it is once again IWSG day, when writers all over the world are encouraged to share their ups and downs with each other. Thanks go out to Alex Cavanaugh, ninja captain extraordinaire, for coming up with this super idea. If you'd like to join this caring group or read the posts of other writers, please go here

Okeydoke. I don't have anything to complain or crow about this month. I'm looking forward to (gulp) being the guest speaker at a book club meeting later this month, and I'll let y'all know how it went next month.

So on to this month's question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

For life-long addicts to the written word, reading is a vital part of our existence. As a child, I consumed books indiscriminately like a plague of locusts leveling a wheat field. Some books I loved, some I liked, and others I liked less, but I always enjoyed the experience of reading, and never criticized the work. If I was reading, I was happy.

[morguefile]


As an adult, I still read a lot of books. Our house is full of them. Bookshelves everywhere. Books in every room. Books in the attic. If I wanted to, I could build a wall with books. (But why would I want to do that? Then no one could read them.) When I was considering buying a book at a yard sale, Smarticus wanted to know why in the world I wanted another book. I already had hundreds of them. I said, "But I don't have this one." He couldn't argue with that, and neither could the gal selling it. She laughed and gave it to me for free.

But as a writer and an adult, my reading has become much more discriminating, and my reactions are much more critical. I notice misspellings. Bad grammar drives me up the wall. Poor plotting and cardboard characters annoy the stuffing out of me, and poorly constructed sentences... especially in the newspaper... are endlessly aggravating. Perhaps because I employ a pushy nit-picking internal editor when I'm writing, I can't shut her down when I'm reading someone else's work. I find myself judging what I read instead of simply enjoying it. In short, as a writer, I have an even greater appreciation and admiration for beautiful writing, and much less patience for sloppy writing.

I still crave... and sometimes find... books that are so beautifully written, they sweep me away and engulf me in a wondrous world populated by exciting ideas and characters, but it isn't as easy as it used to be. Darn it.

Are you more aware of errors in the things you read than you used to be, or is it just me? Or... are there simply more errors?

                             Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.



P.S. I'm experiencing a bit of a split personality today. In addition to being HERE, I'm also guest blogging with the really real housewives HERE

How about popping in over there, too? And it'd be extra nice if you'd sign on as a follower while you're there. It's a super blog run by four super ladies, and they and their guest bloggers always come up with lots of interesting and helpful tips and advise. I'm offering some health tips today... and some of them might even be true!









53 comments:

  1. I'm more aware of errors in newspapers and my kindle books too, because there ARE more errors. People aren't taught spelling and grammar the way we were and it shows.
    A question about cardboard characters: what does that mean exactly? Characters with no depth? and how does one ensure there is depth?
    I hope you would be kind enough to let me know if ever you find my writing sloppy and also kind enough to explain what I did wrong.
    Every lesson learned is a good one.

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    1. To me, a cardboard character is, as you said, one that lacks depth, and is more of a one-dimensional caricature than a well-developed character. In an attempt to ensure depth in my WIP, I created detailed backgrounds on the main characters before starting the book. I figured the more real a character becomes to a writer, the easier it would be to project that "realness" onto the page.

      I don't recall ever thinking any of your stories were sloppy, but if I ever do... I'll send you comments about it via email.

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  2. Hi Susan - I definitely spot mistakes and don't like books that fade away at the end, having held my attention for about 3/4 of the way ... but writing is an art, a passion and people will write as they will. We have to learn as we go ... wonderful lady to give you that book ... oh I've lots of books I haven't got yet! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hilary. I know what you mean about weak endings. It's frustrating to invest time, especially in a looooooong book, and then have the writing rush through the ending, as though the he got tired of writing and just wanted to be done with it.

      I know. None only haven't I read all the classics, there are still NEW books coming out every day! Tons of 'em! (We're just gonna have to get a bigger house...)

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  3. Hi Susan, yes! I am aware of issues in some books I read. My biggest issue is with dialogue and character. When a writer breathes life into a character I expect the dialogue to match the picture of the person. I read a book a while back where the character was so great but then he'd say something and I'd scratch my head thinking...that's not the snark I expected. It happened more than once. It really brought my view of the work down a notch. I can get through some grammar issues, but not character flaws. Lol. Happy Wednesday!

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    1. Hi, Erika. Dialogue that doesn't quite "fit" is a real turn-off for me, too. I recently read a book that had a terrific plot, and nice bits of humor... but the characters NEVER used contractions! Talk about stiff...

      Happy Wednesday to you, too!

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  4. My mom had an organ when I was a kid and I loved nothing more than to sit at it and play even though I had no clue what I was doing. Like you, I can only imagine the noise I was inflicting on others, but it sure was fun.
    That's a great quote and unfortunately I do think it's true now.

    Good luck at the speaking event!! I'm sure the club will love you. Yay!!

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    1. It WAS fun, wasn't it? Too bad we don't retain some of that youthful reckless abandon when we become adults.

      Thanks. :)

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  5. That garage sale story totally cracked me up - made me laugh out loud. :)

    Good luck at the book club!

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    1. I'm glad the garage tale story struck your funny bone. (True story!)

      Thanks. I'm starting to look forward to the book club. I think. (Guess I'd better read my book again, so THEY don't know more about it than I do. HA!)

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  6. Yep, can't just scribble away and expect it to work, takes way more work than that. I sure have become more nitpicky than I was, but I can let it go if the story is good.

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    1. Judging by some of the books that have become huge best sellers, millions of readers are willing to overlook poor writing if the story is good enough. Why can't we have both? (I'm greedy.)

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  7. I'm just sitting here staring at your daffodils and dreaming of spring.

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    1. With all the warm weather we've had, the flowers and trees look like spring is already here.

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  8. I've always been aware of errors, but I think there are more of them now than there were even 10 years ago (probably longer than that for newspapers, but then they are in a rush to get the paper out). I've read many authors that say they can't afford editors and it shows!

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    1. I think you're right. Small publishers don't offer a huge amount of editing assistance, (other authors published by that house often act as editors... whether or not it's their strong suit) and even the big houses don't provide as much editing as the did in the past. I reckon that means we writers have to be more than diligent than ever in self-editing our work.

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  9. I agree with your post. I still enjoy reading to read and escape. I try to not be too picky. For my writing, I do put on the reader hat and I'm far more critical. I slash and burn my pages. I do think in regard to newspapers and the internet, people are far sloppier. The standard is being lowered in the schools, too. That's where it begins. Alas!!

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    1. Too many books are being launched into the world without benefit of proper editing, which is a shame, but I tend to give some slack to authors, because I realize they may not have the editing support they want or need. On the other hand, magazines and newspapers have full-blown editing staffs, for goodness sake, so what's their excuse for printing so many errors? The Internet? OY, now that's where the fruits of reduced educational standards reeeeally rear their heads.

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  10. Choosing the right words and phrases... Oh boy. But we all have to go through those early stages if we're going to reach the understanding we hope to obtain. =)

    I was more critical for a long time. In recent years, I've learned to just go with the story. Sometimes I can turn off my thinking brain and just read. I know that sounds counter intuitive, but it works.

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    1. Hey! I'm OLD... I don't have time to dawdle in the "early stages"... :)

      The only way I can "turn off my thinking brain" while reading is if the material is over-the-top fantastic. Stellar writing takes away my breath and kicks my internal editor to the curb.

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  11. I'm just like you in that regard (reading), but I think of it as a good thing. Sure, I notice the books that are poorly written and the typos much more easily now, which can be kind of a buzzkill, but the books that do manage to captivate me and whisk me away with brilliant writing - they stand out even more for being the great works that they are.

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    1. Well said. (Sure you aren't my lost-lost kid I never knew I had...?)

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  12. Yes! I see spelling and grammar errors and lose the whole being-lost-in-the-story experience.
    But I read something luscious and appreciate it even more, too.
    x

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  13. My unproofed manuscript must have sent your internal editor into paroxysms. I still blush every time I think of that.

    Many magazines and publishing houses—major imprints—have cut their editorial staff to the bone. I think that's why we're seeing so many errors in published work these days. My IE is easily vexed, but it’s most often vague POV changes and conspicuous anachronisms that take me out of a story and slam me against the wall.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. HA! No, it didn't. In spite of the typos, your writing still shone.

      Hmmm, I wonder if the reason editorial staffs have been reduced so much is because the general public is perceived as being less discerning about errors. ("If they don't care, why should we...?")

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  14. I'm waay more critical than I used to be.

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    1. Me, too, but only as it applies to writing. In general, I'm still a Pollyanna-like sap.

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  15. I notice that I'm not inclined to finish books if I really don't like them. I used to finish everything. It seemed rude not to. Now, not so much. Can't wait to hear how your book club speaking experience goes!

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    1. It takes a lot for me to give up on a book. In fact, I don't know if I ever have... although I may put one on the back burner for a while. There was one book I read when I was in my late teens or early twenties that had me so upset when I finished it, I threw it away. I don't remember the book's title or author, but I do remember the writing was okay. What infuriated me was the bad guy... the really really evil guy with no redeeming qualities... got away with all of the terrible things he'd done. I kept reading for the satisfaction of seeing that awful person "get his" in the end, but he came out smelling like a rose.

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  16. Oh, it feels SO good to realize I'm not alone! I don't know when or where my own nit-picking internal editor showed up, but my enthusiasm for a book just fizzles when I catch obvious uh-oh's. Not naming any names, but a couple years ago a best-selling author had her protagonists traveling in a certain vehicle one minute ... (and) a few pages later they were on the same road in a DIFFERENT car. You'd think by the time Ms. or Mr. achieves a notoriety, they could afford to hire careful proof-readers?

    'On my way to check out the really REAL housewives. :)

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    1. Hmmm, think we're getting crotchety in our old age??? NAH! Couldn't be!

      Cool. I think you get a kick out of the posts there. ;)

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  17. I'm not a writer in the same way as you are... I do notice poor writing when there are so many misspelled words. I try very hard to make sure I spell my words properly because I think it takes away from what you are reading. My punctuation could be a great deal better than it is but I try xox Have a great rest of the week (I too was a voracious reader when I was younger, I practically lived at the library xox)

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    1. You write; you love to write; ergo, you ARE a writer. :)

      When we lived in Baltimore, I had a library card for something like six different libraries, and I used 'em all. When we moved to Georgia in 1971, our local "library" was in a very small old house, and the books were shelved willy-nilly, with no kind of organization at all. I cried. Then I joined three book-of-the-month clubs. :)

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  18. That quote is so TRUE because we put so much more THOUGHT into our writing and that makes it more difficult, sometimes frustrating, but also more pleasing when we're content with our result! I'll check out your other post too! Christy

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  19. Susan, my love of books goes way back --when the teacher read Charlotte's Web aloud and the whole 4th grade class cried-- and way forward --couple days back I saw the phrase "Attorney Generals in an online news story (it was 24 hours before they corrected it to "Attorneys General"). Eldest son is a senior editor with Viz Media in SF and tells me society is free of unnecessary stops inflicted by our generation, and I like that, but I can't tolerate plurals E. B. White wouldn't use.

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    1. My love of books stretches back to before I even started school, but our third grade substitute teacher read "Dr. Doolittle" to the class every day, and I still remember how much we all loved it and looked forward to it. Teachers really CAN make a huge impact on us. No telling how many kids she inspired to be book-lovers.

      "Free of unnecessary stops"... that's an interesting way to put it. (He must be a smart dude, too.)

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  20. You are so right about writing being worse for writers. Never thought of it that way. :)

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    1. Well, I don't know if I'd call it "worse," but we definitely set a higher standard for ourselves than the general public. :)

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  21. LOL, Susan. I agree with your every word. And they're all spelled correctly and in perfect harmony!

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    1. HA! Thank you, dear lady. We can use all the harmony we can get nowadays. :)

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  22. A big part of my job is proofreading. Granted, it's engineering reports and not novels, but it carries over into the books I read for fun. It bugs me when there are typos or format errors (like italics or bold on the wrong words, or not all the words they are supposed to be on...), but it usually doesn't deter me from finishing the book.

    One of the first things I noticed about your book was that spelling, grammar, and formatting was flawless. Your perfectionism as a writer shone through the pages.

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    1. Once your mind gets attuned to proofreading, it's almost impossible to turn it off.

      Well, thank you. I appreciate it. (You have no idea how many times I edited and re-edited!)

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  23. I chuckled and empathised with you through your blog post. Delightful. I'm going to sign up for email updates.

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  24. Hi Susan, Your enthusiasm for reading is contagious, and your attention to detail is what makes you such a talented writer! I'm off to see what you're up to at the Really Real Housewives.

    Julie

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  25. Like you, I am so much more appreciative of seamless, beautiful writing. I guess it's because I realize how freakin' difficult it is to actually pull off.

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    1. Yeah, it's kinda not fair how HARD it is to write something that's easy-breezy to read. :)

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  26. I am easily annoyed by grammatical errors and misspelled words too. I honestly think there are more of them out there to annoy us.

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    1. It sure seems that way. Then again, when my kids were in school, their teachers weren't concerned about misspelled words and such on their schoolwork. (But their MOTHER was!)

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