Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
You keep missing the point. Good grammar and good story are not mutually exclusive choices. In the past it has been the writer's job to write a good story and the publisher's job to see that it is presented properly. As a self-publisher you undertake both jobs - but you're ignoring the second.
There is nothing in the preview to suggest that the mistakes are deliberate (especially when they have been compounded with actual mistakes), so there has been little to separate your story from others that are uploaded without editing. McCarthy's The Road has been referenced here, but in that the departure from convention is clear and consistent, making it an obviously deliberate choice. This is what you are missing. Your mistakes look like mistakes, not choices. It doesn't have to be like that.
You object to my comments based on the fact that I have only read the preview and that they emphasise the technical. The two go hand-in-hand. Technical comments apply even to short passages of text, and they are much less subjective. Improve the technical aspects of your story and you will improve how the story is received by the reader.
To quote Jane Austen (an author that may have benefited from her editor), from Pride and Prejudice: "Excuse my interference—it was kindly meant." |
A lot of what you're saying is not even in line with what is going on in the novella, so it's really no use even discussing this with you since you seem to think that you know more about my writing and novella than I do. Thanks. - David