Come join Alex J. Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We discuss our fears, insecurities, ups and downs of the writing process and post the first Wednesday of every month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.htmlQuestion of the month: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?
Before I became a writer, I read for the experience and for pure pleasure. Now, I'm a ninja on a mission, always searching for that elusive "best book ever written." To discover why some novels stand out in an overcrowded book market and why others fall short, I read all the books: the good, the bad, and everything in between. I read in my genre and out of my genre. I read MG, YA, and Adult books.
One element I keep discovering in stellar works of fiction is story subtext. I admire an author who doesn't beat you over the head with every single detail and doesn't explain everything. Readers are intelligent. If a book can pass this simple test, I know right away it's going to be an instant hit.
K.M. Weiland said it best. "Overexplaining in fiction causes flabby sentences, confused metaphors, and condescending descriptions."
Anyone else have a crazy month? Between both of my boys knee deep in their wrestling seasons, and the flu virus flourishing, and finishing edits on my latest MG mystery, I'm ready for summer or a nap.
I read with a much better eye now that I am a writer. How about you? Do you study books in order to become a better writer? K.M. Weiland has written an excellent article on Story Subtext. Go check out her amazing blog for writers!
