While away, I started reading a book that I thought would be compelling reading (which is of course why I chose the book) but the writing was sadly disappointing. Since reading is so personal the title will go unmentioned because other people might enjoy what was not great to me.
Interestingly, though, the writing in said book is good but I found that the story meandered in directions that seemed irrelevant and therefore uninteresting. My attention frequently wandered and I would catch myself having to go back a page to find out what my brain just skipped over. Consequently, I will not finish reading that book. It is going to charity, hopefully to find someone who will like it much more than I did.
My point in writing about this at all is to caution writers about writing for themselves and therefore losing the audience. The author is familiar with the story so to him or her everything is relevant and the author knows exactly where the story is going. The reader does not and does not want to slog through chapters and chapters before having a light bulb moment - "So that's why those characters or that plot line was in the book way back there!!"
Always write for the reader. Keep in mind that the reader has no idea where the story is going, which is the thrill of reading -following the story to the unknown and hopefully fascinating ending. Make the story so compelling that the reader absorbs every word and does not want to put the book down. Rambling writing is just boring.
Do people recommend boring books? Not likely, but they certainly do talk about books that thrilled and fascinated them. What sells books? Word of mouth. Think about it.
Denise
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