The process of writing a novel, including the never-ending edits has forever changed the way I read someone else's novel. Reading for pleasure is a new process. Instead of getting lost in a story, I find myself looking at the sentence structure, the grammar, and the descriptions. What techniques did the author use to make the characters believable or to allow me to see the scene in my mind? Are the things I imagine as I read the same thing the author intended for me to imagine?
One of my favorite things now is to ask my own readers what they ‘see' as they read a certain scene or what they think my characters look like. My sister and I play a fun game where we find pictures of famous people who we think fit the parts in novels. Sometimes we pick similar people and sometimes we don't.
After years of editing and re-writes, I find myself paying attention to the mechanics of writing in the books I read. If the author and I were both describing the same scene, would I have chosen the same word as the author? Would I have picked up on the same nuances as the author? Of course not. Each of us sees different things in the same scene. The mechanics of writing are fairly rigid while the style of writing is as different as each person. The key is to be able to separate the mechanics of the book from the story and determine why it works, or why it doesn't.
I try to read for entertainment, but I catch myself rereading the paragraphs as I go along. The first read through is for enjoyment, and the second is to learn.
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Comments: 11
All the editing/critiquing I've done will cause me to let loose the editing witch, as some of us call it. I have a favorite author, who writes paranormal, I love her stories and have read everything she written in all three of her series. However, I've noticed that as she has become more of a big money-maker she does take some liberties with info dumps and as Viv mentioned especially psych dumps. Granted, most of her characters do have some serious flaws, definite scars, particularly the last two books in this one series, but she's not as careful with that as she had been in the past. Which also goes to show that there is a certain loosening on the part of her editors since her books tend to be released and immediately hit the best-seller lists. I do find myself skimming certain passages...not what you want your reader to do.
I had to laugh at, "How'd they do that?" I also will think, "Inspired word choice." Where did that come from? Writing changes many things. There are still authors who can sweep me off my feet and that is truly a treat!.
I hope I can continue to enjoy reading even after learning more and more of how to do it right.
Don't know if it's the cold or the cold meds that are making me fumblty fingered or not. But it's time for me to hit the hay. Runny nose and all.
night all.
I have to say I received your books on Sat and I LOVED both of them. Images of Betrayal kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it.