tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702469667096938541.post5219872537068129757..comments2023-09-02T09:30:56.579-07:00Comments on The Writer Next Door: Soundbites and LanguageAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02093015396120879130noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702469667096938541.post-10947816959344124342012-03-14T06:28:28.890-07:002012-03-14T06:28:28.890-07:00I've seen that first point missed pretty recen...I've seen that first point missed pretty recently in a book I won't name. I bought the book because somebody tweeted that it was like a cross between Writer X and Writer Y, both being writers I have immense fondness for. What I found when I read it was that it was a first-person supernatural tale like Writer X, and he curses a lot like Writer Y.<br /><br />The problem was that he didn't seem to understand why he was cursing, or where those curse words should be placed. Every time the f-bomb was dropped it seemed jarring and out of place, like the protagonist was battling with a fit of Tourette's Syndrome rather than actually using profanity to highlight an emotional response.<br /><br />Worse still, after sixty pages I didn't care about any of the characters even a little. For all the interesting ideas presented and the novel character concepts used and the edgy language employed, the author had failed to make any of the characters seem like real people. <br /><br />I put that book down and started reading a book by Writer Y. Within ten pages I cared deeply about the protagonist and wanted to see more of the minor characters. There were f-bombs aplenty, but they all seemed like a natural part of these individuals' language. Clearly there is a difference between writing characters and writing people.Brian Engardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05078422438616200554noreply@blogger.com