Why don't I like everything I read?
Recently, I've been thinking about how many different authors there are and how many different styles of writing and subgenres. I know that sometimes I just don't click with an authors voice, I know that doesn't mean that the author can't write because they are sometimes very popular authors.
I think rather than the ability of an author or the merit of their stories, it comes down to our own personal expectations. I read to escape, to travel to places and times I'll never be able to in my real life. For instance, I have very particular ideas about beach vacations. I don't really care for the beach as most people do. I would love to take a beach vacation on a remote island where the beach was pristine, and isolated. I can imagine myself lounging beneath a large shade tree with my Kindle in hand traveling to yet another exotic to me location or time.
Isn't it great that books or our love of them can bring strangers together. I get really excited when one of you emails me or says hi when I'm posting at a forum or online somewhere. I write so that I can discover those of you out there who can fall in love with my storytelling.
I'd love to know your thoughts on the subject. Please leave me a comment so I'll know that you're there.
:)Tammie
I think rather than the ability of an author or the merit of their stories, it comes down to our own personal expectations. I read to escape, to travel to places and times I'll never be able to in my real life. For instance, I have very particular ideas about beach vacations. I don't really care for the beach as most people do. I would love to take a beach vacation on a remote island where the beach was pristine, and isolated. I can imagine myself lounging beneath a large shade tree with my Kindle in hand traveling to yet another exotic to me location or time.
Isn't it great that books or our love of them can bring strangers together. I get really excited when one of you emails me or says hi when I'm posting at a forum or online somewhere. I write so that I can discover those of you out there who can fall in love with my storytelling.
I'd love to know your thoughts on the subject. Please leave me a comment so I'll know that you're there.
:)Tammie
Personally, I think that one of the things that makes books different then other sources of entertainment is that readers need to bring something to the table to get the most out of it. There are certain things that we all carry inside of us: certain issues, ideas, memories, opinions, preferences, prejudices, ideals... And when we like a book it's either because something clicked with them, made us question or evaluate them, or rubbed them in a wrong way in a way that we were able to accept and examine.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that when I get a new book and I'm doing my research on it, I feel sort of like I am planning a trip. All the pre-purchase stuff that I do -- reading reviews, checking out an excerpt, watching a book trailer, etc. is like if I was checking out the tourist attractions, booking my flight and choosing a hotel. But no matter how much you research a book or plan for a vacation, you can't totally control how the journey will go -- only how you respond to what happens.
This is actually a big part of what made me decide to become a book blogger. I get to go on adventures or vacations, etc. through the books I read without leaving my house and then I get to share what I thought of the experience with other "travelers".
I agree with you that readers have to be at one with the author's voice. Us authors are out there trying to find people who "get" us, who can hear our voices. Sometimes it isn't easy, especially when you write from the heart. You feel very vulnerable and when a reader doesn't "get" you and trashes your book, it is painful.
ReplyDeleteThat's the price writers pay for writing. It's not like most of us could something else and be happy. So we deal with it and move on and keep writing.