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3,645 / 38,000
(9.6%) |
So I’m creeping along on this project, reassuring myself that while the words are coming slowly, they are, for the most part, quality words. They are words that tell a story I care about and though I don’t spend much time thinking about potential readers, my gut tells me others will care about this story, too. And then just a moment ago, doubt started shouting at me from the wings, taunting me with “Yeah, well I bet Author X cared about his story, too, but that doesn’t mean anyone else would.”
Here’s the deal: I’m reading a YA right now written by a multi-published author I absolutely love and respect. He’s magic with the English language and writes emotions and humor and characters/stories so real you feel as if they’ve made camp in your solar plexus. And yet, as I read this book all I can think is “Yuck!” Not about the writing itself but toward the story and basic premise.
I haven’t read any reviews of this book because I always wait until after I’ve finished reading, but I gotta believe I’m not alone on the ick factor. So did Author X ever wonder if he’d be the only one to care about his story? And should he even waste time wondering?
I truly believe we write the stories we need to tell, so here are my questions: Have you read well-written books that made you wonder what could possibly have possessed the writer to tell that particular story? And if so, did you end up caring about the story?
Tracy Abell 
I’m afraid that if I don’t care for a story, I stop reading the book regardless of how good the writing. Too many books, too little time.
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I’ve gotten that way, too. But for some reason, I’m stubbornly hanging onto this book. Fortunately, I’m close to the end.
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I normally finish reading everything I start. If there’s a significant ick factor I could be put off reading the story in the first place but I can’t ever recall putting a book down for that reason. There have definitely been a few I’ve finished only to feel very, er, troubled and in those cases I didn’t end up caring about the story.
Personally, I need to genuinely like the main character(s) to care about the novel and if that’s not the case I find I don’t care *whatever* happens. Now I’m wondering what happens if you stick the likeable character in the ick situation, do I still care? I guess it depends on what the ick is.
– C.K.
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You’ve got me thinking about whether I like this character or not, and I can’t say I’ve developed an overwhelming like for her but I don’t dislike her, either. Maybe this all boils down to author-loyalty on my part. I’m reading because I admire the author and want to get to the end with the hopes I’ll understand more about why he wrote this book.
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