tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post1072967583504427573..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth? L.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-2747822023448739842014-02-25T13:13:16.406-08:002014-02-25T13:13:16.406-08:00Tom, I don't think eight-grade prose is inferi...Tom, I don't think eight-grade prose is inferior. I simply prefer books that aren't written to the lowest common denominator. In a January blog, I talk about using "big words." Some people like them, some don't. Personally, however, I don't feel that I need to pander to an audience that either can't read above an eight-grade level or is too lazy to use a dictionary. When I read Umberto Eco, I'm challenged as all get-out; I'm not that smart. But I don't in any way think he should write down to my level. <br /><br />Essentially,I'm blessing eight-grade prose as entirely suitable for a huge mass audience. I prefer prose that's more musical and more lyrical, and often that's above eight-grade level. It certainly doesn't mean it's better.Michael W. Shererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359437241079384725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-9788525028455446192014-02-25T13:06:34.853-08:002014-02-25T13:06:34.853-08:00My bad! Of course JLB deserves a place here. Wonde...My bad! Of course JLB deserves a place here. Wonderful writer whose gift for metaphor I admire and envy.Michael W. Shererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359437241079384725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-51681991459326332812013-10-27T09:18:20.667-07:002013-10-27T09:18:20.667-07:00Michael, those are some great insights. But I need...Michael, those are some great insights. But I need you to clarify things a bit. You see, I strive really hard to zero my writing in on the eighth grade reading level. Each draft of a novel gets closer and closer to that "ideal." But you seem to be saying that eighth-grade prose is inferior. Is that really what you're saying? I suppose a case could be made for that notion, but it is also a time-tested measure of how to appeal to the largest readership, isn't it? And if so, is that such a crime? I want lots of people to like my books, and have no interest in "snob appeal." So I'm wondering if you are condemning or blessing eighth-grade prose.Tom Hopphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17683044597782252722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-66598059207067591942013-10-26T18:19:26.211-07:002013-10-26T18:19:26.211-07:00Burke is a good one, though I roll my eyes sometim...Burke is a good one, though I roll my eyes sometimes at his over-the-top soul-corrosion, quasi-Biblical, McCarthy Lite melodramas.<br /><br />I think sometimes we just get blinded by the stuff the clogs up the supermarket checkout aisles and the bestseller list. Don't worry about that stuff. Dig a little deeper and just as with almost anything in life, you'll be rewarded with the discovery of dozens of brilliant crime authors. In my opinion, most of the best authors in the genre are not with the biggest publishing houses.Jim Thomsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16436505068478971925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-23274586215376786462013-10-26T18:09:28.088-07:002013-10-26T18:09:28.088-07:00Speaking of James Lee Burke, Doug Lyle has a great...Speaking of James Lee Burke, Doug Lyle has a great review of Burke's latest book, Light of the World, over at the Writer's Forensics blog right now.Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-79034985970218889822013-10-26T18:06:31.203-07:002013-10-26T18:06:31.203-07:00Bold article, sir. I admire your candor.
In the li...Bold article, sir. I admire your candor.<br />In the listing of great storytellers with gifted prose I find one of my all-time favorites missing -- James Lee Burke.tom combsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-41182790521867950072013-10-26T17:50:25.886-07:002013-10-26T17:50:25.886-07:00Great post, Michael.
I find I'm drawn to the...Great post, Michael. <br /><br />I find I'm drawn to the well-told crime story that sneaks a little literary spinach in when I'm not looking. Probably my favorite crime series is Stephen Dobyns's Charlie Bradshaw mysteries, set in Saratoga Springs. Airtight yet leisurely plotting, and original, highly pleasurable prose with a hint of highbrow. Anything by C.J. Box comes in a very close second, and anything by Laura Lippman slots almost as high in my hierarchy.<br /><br />Other favorites in that vein include Tyler Dilts, Bill Cameron, Lynn Kostoff, Chris Knopf, John Rector, Sean Doolittle, Peter Abrahams, Linwood Barclay (yes, he's upped his game the last few times out), John Sandford, Steve Brewer, Max Byrd, Marcus Sakey, Aric Davis, Brendan DuBois, Victor Gischler, Ed Gorman, George V. Higgins, Dennis Lehane, Elmore Leonard, Peter Leonard, Patti Abbott ....<br /><br />I could fill up the rest of this page. These are great times for American crime fiction. I'm not worried about the crap that's out there. There are a zillion alternatives out there, and more new great novels out every week.Jim Thomsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16436505068478971925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-32257702612387054042013-10-26T06:46:08.014-07:002013-10-26T06:46:08.014-07:00Well said. It's very discouraging that these a...Well said. It's very discouraging that these authors keep getting all the praise not because their new books deserve it, only because they're previous best selling authors.Kelly Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05864393063155941257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-54042948376188276522013-10-25T20:17:13.797-07:002013-10-25T20:17:13.797-07:00Wow, Michael, your post really spoke to me because...Wow, Michael, your post really spoke to me because I've been feeling the exact same way. When I buy a book I expect the whole package: exquisite prose and powerful storytelling. However, I rarely find it in a lot of books I've picked up recently and it's my own fault because I haven't been reading the authors whom I know can fulfill my needs. You've reminded me that I need to dig into some great fiction from equally great writers like Robert Crais (love him!) and Laura Lipman, whom I haven't read in ages. I'm a multi-genre enthusiast so I read across the board and my only requisite is a damn good book. <br /><br />A friend of mine, who writes erotic romance, was lamenting about the poor quality of a lot of self-published fiction in her genre. She says she could probably be a best seller if she pandered to the whims of the erotic romance reading public. She probably could, too. But I know she won't. When you know what you're doing it's hard write in a way you don't believe in.Karen Duvallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01839711547501582977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-60202640441729032352013-10-25T19:19:02.816-07:002013-10-25T19:19:02.816-07:00Nice post, Michael. Well said.Nice post, Michael. Well said.Terry Ambrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14859532145979982213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-31275263013707371162013-10-25T14:33:53.355-07:002013-10-25T14:33:53.355-07:00Jodie mentioned the very real aspect of quality ed...Jodie mentioned the very real aspect of quality editing, regardless of the format or price of a book. And the content and style spectrum you mentioned suggest that there truly are a broad number of readers out there with differing tastes, even from one month to the next. <br /><br />As a writer, I find it difficult to lose myself in a story and tend to be more critical, at least in my own head. Some books appeal to the snob in me and others appeal to my need for some quality entertainment. So my answer is, it depends.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-61227828341498622122013-10-25T07:28:07.730-07:002013-10-25T07:28:07.730-07:00As a reader, I've always cared more about stor...As a reader, I've always cared more about storytelling than prose, and I suppose that's true about my writing as well. I have little time/focus to read now, so I spend that time trying out new authors. But I'm with you: implausibility and inconsistency will make me give up on a novel or author faster than anything else. L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-40813506980706929082013-10-25T06:47:57.871-07:002013-10-25T06:47:57.871-07:00Great post, Michael! Since I edit fiction all day,...Great post, Michael! Since I edit fiction all day, mostly thrillers, when I read one, it's hard to turn off my editing mind, even for a bestseller, so I notice a lot of inconsistencies and continuity/logic errors, even in NYT bestsellers. I think the budget isn't there any more for quality editing, or the editors are reluctant to point out to rock-star authors areas where some revision may be needed for it to make sense. I really like Sandra Brown, but every book I've read of hers in the past year contains some logistic errors that someone should have caught!Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.com