Stories...

Aug. 28th, 2008 10:00 pm
fajrdrako: (Default)
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From August 28, 2008: If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?
I don't find that story, character, plot, description and action are separable in any book. The concepts are separable, in the abstract, but in the actual context of a book, what happens is only as interesting as the words in which the story is told. Which is why a synopsis of a book isn't usually very interesting in itself - unless it is written well enough to be worth reading in itself.

There are books in which the storyline is feeble, and however well written it may be, it just doesn't hold me. There are books in which the storyline is strong and I'm turning pages like mad, but the writing just isn't skilled enough to keep me interested. The Da Vinci Code is a good example of that. This is why some historical novels are so disappointing: It might be about my favourite events and my favourite people of my favourite era, but if the skill in writing and concept isn't there, it all falls flat.

The best novels are the ones that manage to put it all together; the total is more than the sum of its parts. There's no formula for doing that - in fact, formula is one thing that prevents it from happening. So what makes it happen? I don't know. It's a mystery..

But it's terrific when it happens.

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