As you can see, I still haven’t figured out any kind of blogging schedule yet. I think I’m still very leery about things so I’m playing it by ear.
Something I’ve been speculating on lately is what makes a book good.
I’ve written about what makes a book good to me, but there have been plenty of books I’ve read that have garnered tons of acclaim that just don’t do anything for me.
A prime example of this is the 50 Shades monstrosity franchise. As a writer, one who likes to think they are half way decent at writing erotica, I read that book and thought it was ridiculous on so many levels. It appeared a lot of things to me though including not well written. It doesn’t give an accurate portrayal of those who practice the BDSM lifestyle. It also wasn’t much in the way of erotica either.
So why the heck were people reading this book like it was going out of style???
I’ve given it some thought, and to me it’s the one ingredient that sells books: A good story.
That’s it, bottom line. The reader is extremely forgiving of many errors if it’s a good story (and this book had lots of errors). Even as I cussed E.L. for a number of things as I read, I still found myself unable to simply walk around from the book. I needed to finish, though my pace was very slow (an oddity to for me as an avid reader. Usually it takes me a day to finish, when this took me 3).
Another example of a book that fits this category for me is Forest of the Forsaken.
The book had a host of flaws including shoddy character development, unresolved points, rushed moments, etc. But… But I couldn’t put it down. It was weird and creepy and extremely odd, but I had to find out what happened next. It was a good story.
When we read, it’s the story that carries us along. If I set my writer’s mind aside, I can enjoy a book if the story line is good enough.
Something to think about when I write, I suppose. Write an un-put-downable story.