tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post8861408188283543191..comments2023-11-05T04:21:08.093-08:00Comments on I Was Just Thinking: In which I gripe about writing styles...littlemissattitudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09826943351455750612noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post-40549849689850810472012-11-03T10:12:27.331-07:002012-11-03T10:12:27.331-07:00Thanks for stopping by, and for reading and commen...Thanks for stopping by, and for reading and commenting, Kourtney.<br /><br />It's interesting. I used to re-read a lot. A whole lot, in fact.<br /><br />Now, there are a very few books that I will re-read on occasion, but I do much less of that now than I did previously. When I do re-read, it is usually a matter of comfort reading; I've had a bad day or a bad week, and I revisit something that I really love and can lose myself in for awhile.<br /><br />As far as non-fiction goes, I've always read at least as much non-fiction as I do fiction. I'll give almost any non-fiction a try, but if it doesn't engage me pretty quickly I'll put it down and go on to something else. Also, since I've been writing seriously, more and more of my non-fiction reading time goes to things I'm reading as research rather than just reading because I'm interested in what the book is about.<br /><br />I wish I had more time to read. But, even now that I'm unemployed, I don't have as much time to read as I did when I was younger. Job hunting takes up a lot of time, and I'm doing volunteer work while I'm looking. That takes up time, as well. And, ironically, the more serious I get about my writing, the more time I spend writing and the less time I have to read.<br /><br />missattitudelittlemissattitudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826943351455750612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post-48624084382026898202012-11-02T22:18:33.225-07:002012-11-02T22:18:33.225-07:00AGH THE TOLKIEN OVERDESCRIPTION! That bothers me....AGH THE TOLKIEN OVERDESCRIPTION! That bothers me. I also remember loathing Steinbeck, but I can't really recall why and I'm disinclined to try and find out. <br /><br />I used to read a lot of EVERYTHING. I have less time now, and I don't read much nonfiction, as it's just not that engaging. I can't think of what else is a particular turn-off; I do know that there are authors I won't revisit, but I've never put too much energy into figuring out why.Kourtneyhttp://www.dollybirdworkshop.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post-24243465359274639162012-11-02T14:06:50.143-07:002012-11-02T14:06:50.143-07:00Oh, and I almost forgot. Thanks for coming by read...Oh, and I almost forgot. Thanks for coming by reading, and commenting. Not used to having commenters arond here.littlemissattitudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826943351455750612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post-12064544593530550422012-11-02T14:05:51.719-07:002012-11-02T14:05:51.719-07:00No worries. Long comments are more than welcome.
...No worries. Long comments are more than welcome.<br /><br />I have issues with overdescription, as well. Case in point: The part of "The Grapes of Wrath" where Steinbeck takes three pages or whatever it is to describe a turtle crossing the road. I was supposed to read that book fo English class in 11th grade, but those three pages made me throw the book across the room, and I never picked it up again. I feel the same way about Tolkien - I really can't read his stuff because he describes everything in such detail.<br /><br />I don't enjoy reading narratives written in children's voices, but I suspect a lot of that comes from never liking most children's literature even when I was a child. Reading that sort of narrative even in books aimed at adults annoys me.<br /><br />I read a lot of non-fiction, too, but I love a good science fiction or urban fantasy novel, and I have specific mystery writers that I enjoy reading. I mostly don't like mainstream fiction for the same reason I addressed in my post: I live in the real world; I don't want to read fiction about it.<br /><br />missattitudelittlemissattitudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826943351455750612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10292815.post-9817252854090320802012-11-02T13:14:32.818-07:002012-11-02T13:14:32.818-07:00I've been reading nonfiction for the most part...I've been reading nonfiction for the most part over the past few years. I gave up on fiction, for the most part -- there wasn't any real reason; I just stopped. <br /><br />Then I joined a book club (as a social thing, to meet new people and get out of the house) and had to read fiction again. And I was miserable. But on thinking about it, I believe what made me not enjoy the books was stylistic. Things like overly-descriptive prose, for example. It's a bluebird -- don't spend 8 pages telling me EVERY. LITTLE. FACTOID. about it. If I wanted to know that much detail, I'd read something nonfiction about it.<br /><br />That's hypocritical, isn't it. Oh well.<br /><br />The other thing is when authors adopt an annoying narrative persona. I read "Room" and the story was engaging, but reading the narrative in a five-year-old's voice, complete with cutesy descriptive names for things and mispronunciations and all that, made me want to punt.<br /><br />Whoops. This is not my blog... Sorry!CinnamonOpushttp://www.cinnamonopus.comnoreply@blogger.com