Will your readers enjoy the journey?
The other weekend, I started reading two novels. I’d not meant to begin the second so soon, but after several attempts to engage with the first, I gave up.
They were both mass paperback international thrillers. Despite my interest in plot of the first, its prose reminded me of a bad gravel road.
I’d recently encountered such a washboard road … Continue reading
Will readers catch your passion?
For all I’ve ranted about the importance of tight, accurate writing, each summer I get a powerful reminder that there’s a lot more to art than mere precision.
The last weekend of July, I enjoy the traditional jazz festival in Evergreen, Colorado. Just as novels fall into many sub-genres (how many categories of romances are there?), traditional jazz … Continue reading
Keep readers inside your character’s head.
The novel’s opening chapter reminded me of the car commercial that promotes its lane-departure warning system. If the car drifts across the center line, it sounds a loud alert.
This prospective author could have used something similar for his novel’s point of view. Unknowingly, he kept drifting from his main character’s awareness.
In a scene with … Continue reading