Normally a great author, but not their best work.
By megamatt
@megamatt (14292)
United States
April 21, 2011 1:14pm CST
I think that every author is going to have that one book that looks good in planning but is not going to be all that good in practice. Or really does not have to be a book, a short story or a poem. Like for example, big fan of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but there were a few pieces that were lacking there. Of course part of it could be that you're used to a certain style of story from an author sometimes and when they step out of that, it takes you out of that element. Or they are just having something that is not that good. On the flip side, I have given many people a second chance over the years(although not as much recently, not have read as nearly as much this year), and had been relieved that that the previous book that I read from them had fallen far below their usual standards. In the end, nobody's going to hit a home run every time.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
22 Apr 11
I think publishers don't realize that quality work cannot be rushed. Then again, people are always ruled by one essential thing. And that is the bottom line. Publishing companies, when you break it down, are in fact businesses and are apt to push works out there by a certain point. Perhaps that might earn them more for a short term, but really is damaging for the long time. It does seem like the longer the person is writing and writing good, the more demand and thus the more that it gets pushed out there.
That is really the downside of success. Publishers want to get more work out there, from their money makers. Unfortunately, when you rush someone, you do get a sloppy job. Forcing something leads to some very ugly results for certain. Yet, it is just the nature of the publishing game. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
21 Apr 11
I don't think we should expect our favorite authors to please us every time. People are people and occasionally do things that we don't like. Now, just because I don't like a book doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad book. I think too many people make the mistake of thinking that theirs is the opinion that should be the defining standard. I've hated lots of books, but I also know loads of people who throughly love them and think that they're beautifully written. It doesn't mean that they just don't know what a good book is, it means that they're different from me.
When I was in middle school I was very fond of Melody Carlson, and I was trying to read absolutely everything she had ever written. I'd read her series which were about regular teenage girls and I loved them, but when I read her adult fiction I found I didn't like it much at all. It wasn't that her standard of writing had changed or that it was a bad idea, I just couldn't relate anymore and therefore wasn't interested in the characters at all. But that doesn't mean I think she should have restricted herself to just what I wanted to read. I'm sure there are loads of people who enjoyed her other books, and perhaps both her YA books for teenage girls and her other books.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Quality is most certainly in the eye of the beholder. I mean you can have ten people read a book. Five might like it, three might hate it, and two would be rather indifferent about it. You can't really please all of the people. If you could, that would be what would be a miracle to the highest degree to say the very least. With literature, you tend to have a lot of people who are very hard to please and with good reason sometimes. Reading a book is a commitment to an extent after all.
Some authors are going to venture out of their comfort zones. To mixed success of course. Perhaps they did good, perhaps it was an experiment that they would like to forget as much as the people who read those books. Still in the end, no matter what book, someone, somewhere enjoyed it. Even if the book gets ripped by everyone, every time you turn around. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
22 Apr 11
I think entertainment just works like that period. It's not like surgery or math where there's only one right answer and if you do it any other way you're wrong. It's not science, it's Art. Therefore it's very subjective. I don't really think there is such a thing as "good writing" other than getting the rules of grammar and spelling right, no matter what Stephen King says.
I don't even think that it's authors venturing outside of their comfort zones, just the zones that they've been known for. I think every author (or artist, filmmaker, etc.) has full right to try whatever style or genre they enjoy. I liked Melody Carlson's teen fiction and that was certainly her most popular fiction... but I don't think it was her comfort zone. She was perfectly comfortable writing adult fiction too, but not all of her fans were comfortable with it! lol Not to say that her adult fiction was "adult" in the sense that it was racier, cause it really wasn't, but still fans like myself found they didn't enjoy it as much. Too bad so sad for us. I'm sure she still has loyal and confident fans who'll follow her writing wherever it goes.
