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It’s all about the writing.
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What writer hasn’t heard this? Noble words certainly, but are they true? The very real possibility that the above statement is outdated, or worse a flagrant lie, is my greatest writing insecurity.
Recently, I’ve heard it said more than once that readers care only about story. Language, grammar, nuance, metaphors, imagery, similes, themes, lyricism, all mean nothing. As both writer and reader, I find this prospect disheartening. Not because some readers don’t care beyond a compelling plot—that’s all well and good and how it should be, but as a writer, nothing eats away at my confidence more than the notion that all readers are the same.
I’m not arguing against the importance of story. Story has and will always be king. But doesn’t a worthy story deserve to be well-told?
Today, writers are under constant pressure to generate more and more material in order to remain visible on sites like Amazon. Branding is the new buzzword. What do you think, have we become so product-centric that writers are the only ones who still care about the writing?
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Would love to hear your thoughts.
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VR BARKOWSKI 
It’s an interesting thought, VR. The cynical side of me would point out some rather popular books that have become overnight sensations and yet are pretty poorly written. I suppose such works will always pop up, but I’ve noticed after a little while they are hardly even remembered. The books that endure, that withstand the test of time, are the ones that are so masterfully crafted they are amazing works on art. If that weren’t the case, Shakespeare’s popularity would be waning right now.
I took a college course on the English novel. My professor purposely had us read a few bad novels that were popular in their time just to illustrate a point. The contrast between them and works by the Bronte Sisters and others was marked. So there’s my $0.02.
I agree on the point that a number of bestsellers aren’t written well.
A few of my writer friends and I were talking about series books, particularly in romance genres and the New Adult craze; some of the successful ebook authors are churning out 3 books a year and several novellas. The quality is noticebly deteriorating with each book. Maybe readers without a writers eye don’t notice. Though one person said the star ratings diminished for subsequent books. Keeping up with demand might sacrifice quality; the question is, is it worth the risk if people are still buying the books?
Interesting question, Stephanie. We all read for different reasons, and I would hate to see the market move away from reflecting this diversity. If publishers only go where they make the most money—understandable, publishing is a business, after all—maybe indies will eventually become the sole source for quality writing. Speaking for myself, I won’t be co-opted into reading what amounts to literary’s lowest common denominator. There are plenty of fine books already in print I’ve yet to read. Better to visit the library than endorse publishing’s wrong turn with my dollars.
True, Steven, poorly written work has always been around, but I think quality is increasingly out of the writer’s hands. With many successful authors being pressured by their publishers to produce two or three books a year instead of one, what was once quality has slipped into mediocrity. Good writers need the time to produce good work.
It does feel sometimes like people are so pushed to get out the next novel that it happens without all the wonderful things they could have put in to make the work better on the second substantive draft. Somehow, the economic pressures seem to have created a writing environment that is basically outline-first draft-proof read-publish. Which makes it hard to put in anything more than just a punchy plot running on rails.
I agree, Stu, and it’s sad. Too bad fledgling writers are still being told that it’s all about the writing. I think we’re doing them a significant disservice because we don’t want to face the truth.
Just look at some of the crap out there, some writers don’t even care about writing anymore. All about the brand it seems and the money.
Yep, branding is the thing these days, Pat. While I understand the need to sell an author and his/her work, and while branding is great for series and formulaic genres like mystery, romance, and thrillers, we’re not all series and/or genre writers (thank God).
There has always been inferior prose … always more than the prose that is remembered. Think of our modern songs … compare them to the ones you love from the past. But the classics we remember were adrift in a sea of slang as well.
Have you ever heard a great joke told badly? We all have. It is not just the skeleton of the joke’s plot but how it is delivered that makes it great. Sometimes the pauses are what sell it … and the way it is presented in word and gesture.
How about great evocative prose as a brand? When you went to a Steve Martin comedy concert you knew it would be different from a George Carlin one — though both made you laugh. And each said a different, though true, statement about humanity.
Lyrical, evocative prose is no longer appreciated. My lack of sales prove that. But there are always cycles. I will keep true to the type of storytelling I enjoy reading and writing.
If we do not give up, we win at least our self-respect. 🙂
I so hope you’re right about the cycles, Roland. Even with all the changes in publishing—and we both know writing has always been an angst-filled profession—I don’t think there’s ever been the emphasis on marketing that there is today.
Lyrical, evocative prose is no longer appreciated, well ‘as’ appreciated. I sympathize with lack of sales. A friend of mine said she she would buy my book but she would need a dictionary to understand it, and I thought…how sad. No what I mean. Readers of popular modern fiction obviously don’t read the classics because they require too much thought. Like I said…very sad. Maybe you and I can start move back to classical literature, and we will write the classics for future generations.
Unfortunately, you may be right to a certain extent. Judging by some of the crapola books (IMHO) that attain best seller status, the general reading public doesn’t seem to set the bar very high. If a good percentage of the population doesn’t have a firm grasp on things like spelling, syntax, and grammar, they’re not likely to notice the kind of mistakes that drive us nuts. If they only care about the story, no matter how well or poorly it’s written, they’re not likely to have much of an appreciation for the beauty of lyrical prose. Have some writers sold out? Absolutely. Some well-known writers started out with a couple stellar books, but now, it’s become all about quantity over quality. What do they care? Readers are still reading their work, no matter how far downhill it’s gone, and the writers are laughing all the way to the bank.
But there’s always been a varying field of writing quality in the market. All we can do is read and support the quality stuff, and do our best to produce it. (And not get bitter over the crapola that gets made into movies!)
You’re right, Susan. I do understand there are those readers who don’t care. I just hope they don’t end up displacing the rest of us. Sometimes the book is so bad the movie is better. I suspect the Fifty Shades movie will be better than the book, but then it wouldn’t take much. Whoops, did that sound bitter? 🙂
I do think it matters and though there will always be popular-not-so-well written books I think (hope) that the fad of pushing books out with little care will die down once the novel idea of so many book choices for readers hits the wall.
Me too, Holly. The publishing landscape is in constant flux. It will be interesting to see how things shake out—if they ever do.
Perhaps as with film directors, readers don’t realise that how good a story is depends on good writing. How good a film is often depends on the director. If people aren’t aware of these nuances then they cannot understand what is missing. I can’t explain why poorly written books sell well, it’s out of my realm of understanding
Good point, Sue. It’s hard to see what isn’t there. A reader who picks up a badly written book won’t have a well-written version to compare it to. Likewise, poorly directed films are rarely remade by gifted directors.
Nah. Branding may be important, but in the end, a well-written story will find its audience. Eventually.
While there are those who don’t really notice the things that go into making good writing, they perceive it on some level. Some books are a flash in the pan. Great for a moment, but then they disappear. The good writing lasts.
It’s hard to say whether some of the extremely popular, poorly written works will stand the test of time, but I don’t believe a well-written story will ever outrank mediocre writing and high concept when it comes to finding an audience. Formula over art is what readers have come to expect. Seven years ago, an agent told me never to describe my work as non-formulaic because that was the kiss of death in publishing. The situation’s become only more extreme.
I really hope the we writers are not the only readers who care about the quality of the writing. That would be tragic.
I hope not too, David, but if low quality is all that’s published, that’s what readers will come to expect. Publishing seems determined to lower expectations at every turn. I’m not referring just to “high-brow” literary fiction, I’m talking about popular fiction, too. I remember reading an article about James Patterson. He has rules: short chapters, detailed descriptions, and no flashbacks or digressions. It’s clear the writing doesn’t matter one whit.
Sometimes I wonder if even writers care about the actual writing. So many times I’ve been told by authors that a review should never mention things like mispelled words, poor grammar, uses of cliche’s or even poor formatting. As long as the concept was interesting, then who cares how poorly the story is written.
As a writer AND reader, I put the effort into my writing to make the story easy to read and follow (not simplistic) without having to reread lines due to technical errors. When I read and the story grabs me, but the writing sucks, I give up on the story. I want vivid characters and settings, a logical plot development. Guess I’m just weird; I hate skimming through a book just to get the gist of the story.
But in a cookie cutter world, original writing seems a myth sometimes, even among famous authors.
I agree, Donna. While I do think even a retold tale can be fascinating in the hands of a skilled writer, there are few original stories out there.
IMO, if one doesn’t care about the writing, one isn’t a writer but a hack. It’s fine to be a hack, but don’t call yourself a writer—it reflects badly on those of us who do care.
It takes more than putting pen to paper to be a writer. Writing is part skill (grammar) and part art (voice). Sure, if you don’t care about grammar or voice, you can still write and still generate pages, but you’re not a writer.