Writing Styles

As a boost to my writing I've been reading authors who write outside the historical fiction zone thinking that  I shouldn't get in a rut. Which is why at the weekend I brought home The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

The only other book of his I have read is, inevitably, the Da Vinci Code. I remember it had fast pacing and numerous short chapters. Well, his style has not changed. In 53 pages I have reached chapter 14. The plot set up is fine, but I find I am weary of bad guys who appear to have every attribute - fine physique, brains, confidence - you name it, they've got it, but they use them for world domination. In other words, a typical James Bond villain. Of course, I may be wrong. 53 pages is not an awful lot to judge by when the whole thing is 500 odd pages.

I have nothing to complain of in his actual writing. It flows by with ease and nothing stands out as awkward. I hardly notice it as my eyes travel the page seeking the story. It is very similar to Lee Child's style - straightforward, correct, short sentences.

At the same time I'm reading Ian Rankin's The Black Book on Kindle. Before that it was Peter James, the House on Cold Hill., Adele Parks Stranger in my Home. All very different, all very readable. Will I come out of this splurge a better writer? I doubt it, but it cannot do me any harm, and subconsciously it may do some good. A lifetime of reading has got me this far and I shall continue to read widely. I tried Val MacDermid's Skeleton Road, made no conscious decision to leave it and go onto Rankin, but that is what happened. I shall probably go back to it at some point. She must have something to offer me!

I've written reviews over the last couple of years for the Historical Novel Society and that has introduced me to many different styles, some of which I liked and some I didn't. What has it taught me? In no particular order, that the story line is as important as the style, adverbs are usually not required, that voice can be many things; pacing is important and a good, sensible conclusion is a must. It has taught me that I dislike what I call the the grab and snag style of writing where every verb is racked up to maximum; no one ever "takes" anything, they "grab" or "snag" it. They don't kiss, but "devour" each other, don't walk but "sashay," "tramp" or "traipse" across a room.  Sometimes plain English is good, if not best!

PS - I got myself in the picture this time!

Bestsellers

Read this article order to find out where we're all going wrong! It is very good, and I won't even try to paraphrase it because she says it all and you should read it all - yes, all the way to the end. http://www.danutakean.com/blog/how-to-write-a-bestseller-2/

"Why do badly written books become bestsellers? It’s a question that banged against my consciousness as I tried to read 50 Shades of Grey, E L James’s unintentionally hilarious erotic fanfic tribute to Twilight. An ebook, it has become a self-publishing phenomenon, earning the British author an eye-watering advance from a traditional publishing house."

It's just as well that we know what we're up against when we try to get published, and sometimes I wonder if agents and publishers of the past are squirming in their graves as they see what is published these days. I would no more buy a celebrity book than I would fly to the moon - yet people are doing that these days. I hear it's the latest vacation for the super rich.

And I've told a fib, because I bought Rafa's book, and I suppose he counts as a celebrity. I was thinking more of your Katie Price-type celebrity - the ones with silicone breasts, botoxed lips and hair pieces but hardly a brain in evidence and very little to say except how to look good and keep themselves in the headlines. Maybe I'm being cruel to the KP-type celebs, and you may ask how could I know what their books are about if I've never read one. Good Question! It's prejudice, I suppose - I imagine I know what they will write about. Their actions speak louder than words, sometimes.

And - don't forget to read the Danuta Kean article!