How does writing style influence your reading choices?

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Story is what matters to me. All the pretty descriptions and beautifully crafted sentences are a waste of time unless they serve the story.

I tend to agree with you, but the opposite is true as well. The greatest story in the world needs a little pizazz in the form of narrative and/or dialogue to keep my attention.

Still while I like humor, and insight into the characters, timeframes, locations etc. I am not into reading a series of one liners or great whopping descriptions of the country manor, or long detailed descriptions of who did what to whom. It is about the story after all, but much is in the telling. Otherwise I could just read the first and last chapters.

Generally a book grabs my interest within the first paragraph or two. Not saying they have to, and many books I have enjoyed never have that initial pull, but I find that I like (sometimes even love) them enough to want to read others by the same author. And some authors fill their books with repetitive trite dialogue, but still I love those books. It’s kind of like the person who can tell you the same joke 47 times, and they are so happy, animated and enthusiastic in the telling that you actually still enjoy the experience. Others tell a different joke each time, but in such a manner, that by the time they get to the end you’ve forgotten they are even in the room.

Perhaps I should just chalk it up to magic or literary charisma, but it is something that has been puzzling me for a number of years, even while the normal part of my brain keeps saying shut up and read

Helen

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by kennyc

It's all about narrative voice.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was a master.
Dickens was a master.

E.L.Doctorow is damn good

Flowery descriptive language in novels puts me to sleep. It should be short and reserved for poetry, but Cormac McCarthy throws it in in such a way as to create magic.

Loren Eiseley's science (and other essays) ARE poetry.

Dhalgren is #1 on my list of SF novels.

I don't care for mysteries.

I've tried to read Neuromancer many times and always end up throwing it across the room before the second chapter - same with Ulysses by Joyce. Same with anything recent from Neil Stephenson.

I've yet to read Cormac McCarthy, and have never heard of Loren Eisely (call me a cretin if you will) and I pretty well went off straight SF 30+ years ago, and switched to mysteries, although I will read anything that is lying around rather than not read at all. I thought Neuromancer was ok IIRC (can you say cretin 16 times without catching a breath?) . I did try to read Ulysses and failed

What book would you recommend by Cormac McCarthy?

Helen

[kennyc]

Either the Border Trilogy or The Road....

Eiseley - http://www.naderlibrary.com/immense.journey.htm

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Expound please if you will. I kind of understand but not really. I am not totally like those simple people who keep saying I know what I like, and you ask them why and they just shrug or repeat themselves, but I am still a tad baffled by why I like so many really different types of books, and why I will suddenly go off a type of book. The obvious reasons of burn out from having read too many books by the author in a row or the author has died and they forgot to bury him apply in far less than 10% of cases.

Helen

This probably makes it more complicated than it is:
http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/e...ive-voice.html

[jersysman]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

... I tend to like the same things on TV as I like to read, so I imagine if you like a show that has books published or a type of show, you would likely like that kind of book.

Helen

I never thought of that before, but you are exactly right! I loved Law & Order (in all its flavors), The Closer and now Major Crimes. I love mysteries (especially a police procedural). I like documentaries about history and I tend to read historical non-fictions. Thanks for making me think about that.

[Rita Lee Chapman]

To me the style of writing is really important. However I did read Angela's Ashes and the writing in that is really atrocious, but the vivid story Frank McCourt portrayed has stayed in my mind.

[drofgnal]

Writing style to me is less important than just good writing. I've never paid much attention to a particular style, but am quick to dismiss a book with poor writing, regardless of style.

[Ansileran]

I'm not sure what "writing style" encompasses here so I'll just list anything that makes me drop a book and is not related to the story.

- Repetitions: use the same word / sentence over and over again. Or uses the same construction all the time.

- Only uses short, basic sentences. I tried reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was 12. I dropped the book after the first chapter because it was SVO over and over again. I thought this was intended for 6 y.o. kids.

- Books I need a dictionary to understand the first page. I recently picked one on sagas from Island and had to look up several words per page of introduction, in my native language. Said words were noted as archaic in the dictionary. Very annoying.

- Books written in the second person. I prefer third person, but occasionnally read first person novels too, especially if it's an epistolary novel or a diary. I'm not overly fond of "omniscient" narration but it's not a deal breaker if the story is good

- Vulgar / colloquial language in narations. It's fine in dialogues if justified but not in the narration!

- Books with little / no description: if I want a screenplay, I'll get one

- Characters with no personality. If the main character had to leave his home / lost his mother / fell into a dark hole, I want to know what he feels about it

- Books / Series where all the important stuff is cramed in the last part: revelations of identity, thoughts, pasts, discovery of a magical item...

- Books that aren't part of a serie and have loose ends, like the author forgot about it.

- Books with too much description: again, I'm looking for a novel, not an encyclopedia

I probably forgot a couple others ^^

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Ansileran

I'm not sure what "writing style" encompasses here so I'll just list anything that makes me drop a book and is not related to the story.

- Repetitions: use the same word / sentence over and over again. Or uses the same construction all the time.

- Only uses short, basic sentences. I tried reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was 12. I dropped the book after the first chapter because it was SVO over and over again. I thought this was intended for 6 y.o. kids.

- Books I need a dictionary to understand the first page. I recently picked one on sagas from Island and had to look up several words per page of introduction, in my native language. Said words were noted as archaic in the dictionary. Very annoying.

- Books written in the second person. I prefer third person, but occasionnally read first person novels too, especially if it's an epistolary novel or a diary. I'm not overly fond of "omniscient" narration but it's not a deal breaker if the story is good

- Vulgar / colloquial language in narations. It's fine in dialogues if justified but not in the narration!

- Books with little / no description: if I want a screenplay, I'll get one

- Characters with no personality. If the main character had to leave his home / lost his mother / fell into a dark hole, I want to know what he feels about it

- Books / Series where all the important stuff is cramed in the last part: revelations of identity, thoughts, pasts, discovery of a magical item...

- Books that aren't part of a serie and have loose ends, like the author forgot about it.

- Books with too much description: again, I'm looking for a novel, not an encyclopedia

I probably forgot a couple others ^^

I tend to agree with you fairly strongly although I hate loose ends more in a series book. Especially obvious cliff hanger endings. If I wanted a soap opera I'd get cable.

I read a book by a fairly popular author and enjoyed it, so I read the first book of a series which ended in a chapter 4 that was really a preview for the next book. I sometimes read previews but I felt I had been tricked into it. Having already borrowed the next book, I read it and same thing. So even though I enjoyed the books I read, the annoyance factor has stopped me from reading more in that series where otherwise I would have eventually read them all.

Helen

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Overall I prefer first person present tense, with the narrator being the main character or sidekick.(examples Robert B. Parker, Rex Stout)

Can you give an example of a Rex Stout book that's written in the present tense, Helen? I have most of his Nero Wolfe books, and to the best of my recollection they're all written in the past tense (I've just checked half a dozen to be sure of that). Personally I loath novels which are written in the present tense!

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Ansileran

I'm not sure what "writing style" encompasses here ^^

That is my problem. I have read a lot of books, and have no idea of what style is really, never mind what it encompasses.

What started me wondering was the Red Flag thread where someone mentioned 2nd person present tense and I had to look it up. Then the JK Rowling controversy mentioned her style etc. as being somewhat distinct or flowery. I read the preview which I rarely do and decided to read the book, and found myself almost analyzing a paragraph here and there. I know many people do this, but not me. I read a book and at some point I know whether I like the book based on story, characters, interesting points that crop up (a lot of the points mentioned in your post). But the type of narrative, flowery or straightforward descriptions, tense etc. I have not dwelled upon.

So stopping to think here and there throughout the book about descriptions, I found them to be totally nonintrusive, and added to the plot or characters rather than blah, blah, blah. There are a lot of descriptive sentences or parts of sentences, but not abnormally so, but having never thought about this before I really wouldn't know.

I haven't finished the book, but so far I like it except for the main character's hair being mentioned in an unpleasant way far too often, it is a slightly better than okay book which is good enough for me to read another by this author. And I don't really have to know more about style, but would like to.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can you give an example of a Rex Stout book that's written in the present tense, Helen? I have most of his Nero Wolfe books, and to the best of my recollection they're all written in the past tense (I've just checked half a dozen to be sure of that). Personally I loath novels which are written in the present tense!

Harry I am pretty ignorant about tenses these days although I made straight A's in English grammar.

You are undoubtedly right about the past tense as the narrator is telling the story after the fact in the books (had to think about this for a minute). Maybe I thought they were present tense because I have been watching the excellent IMO A&E series which seems present tense to me, but I have not been in the habit of noticing or analyzing these things and am woefully ignorant.

But this is the kind of thing I would like to understand better. I am pretty sure that I don't loath novels written in the present tense, but maybe I do I am thinking they may be a bit more simplistic in general, but my brain refuses to come up with an example at present, so if you have time give me an example or three.

Helen

[HarryT]

This would be an example of present tense writing:

I'm sitting at home in my armchair, relaxing. Suddenly the doorbell rings. I get up and answer it - it's my next-door neighbour. "Hello", he says, "how are you today?". "Fine", I reply...

Whereas this would be past tense:

I was sitting at home in my armchair, relaxing. Suddenly the doorbell rang. I got up and answered it - it was my next-door neighbour. "Hello", he said, "how are you today?". "Fine", I replied...

I gave up reading Patricia Cornwall's "Kay Scarpetta" series when she started writing in the present tense - I find it virtually unreadable.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

This would be an example of present tense writing:



Whereas this would be past tense:



I gave up reading Patricia Cornwall's "Kay Scarpetta" series when she started writing in the present tense - I find it virtually unreadable.

I looked up some articles on present tense and it seems so obvious now
http://theeditorsblog.net/2012/01/31...way-back-then/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...TenseNarrative

The second article has a list of authors, some of whom I like and some of whom I loath. Like Pratchett, loath Palahnuik.

Anyway thanks a bunch for making me remember something I have always known but couldn't bring to bear. Races instead of was racing, how obvious.

Helen

[delph]

And same passage in active voice:

I sat relaxing at home in my armchair. Suddenly the doorbell rang. I answered it - my next-door neighbor stood there. "Hello", he said, "how are you today?" "Fine", I replied.

I'm still mulling over the topic. I know that I don't like a lot of description that doesn't advance the plot. I like it when an author shows me their world as part of the story, such as when a character experiences the smells and notes things about their surroundings, as opposed to the author simply describing them.

Present tense is a little jarring to me, though I understand why an author would use it. I'm not truly a bystander in the scene, thus whatever is happening isn't current. This is especially jarring to me in fantasy or sci fi. I recognize this is really a function of my own possibly faulty or overactive logic circuits, and less about the author's writing abilities.

Some of my preferences - or I should say tolerances - shift with the wind. Sometimes I'm fine with flowering prose, and sometimes it just annoys me. I haven't pinpointed what triggers this. I know it isn't simply if the flowery prose is well done or not, as there have been books that I passed over only to enjoy them thoroughly later when I was "in the mood".