How Do You Get Past The Writing?

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djunamod

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Hi All,
I've recently started reading cozy mysteries because I have been working on a series. My background is literary fiction and the classics, so I'm reading in a totally different genre than I'm used to.

I'm finding that I like the stories and the characters of the books I'm reading but the writing is really hard to get used to. I totally get that cozy mysteries are not supposed to be Shakespeare and not pretending to be, but as an English major and a reader and writer of literary fiction, it's sometimes tough going. I sometimes have to grit my teeth when I read through some of these books.

For example, I'm reading a cozy right now where I like the setting, characters, and story so far, but the author does some things in the writing that I think most professional writers would consider amateurish, such as being obvious with filling in information rather than letting it come smoothly from the story (i.e., "Well, you know, Bob, when the mayor had that scandal last year with his secretary" kind of thing), switching suddenly to another point of view for a few paragraphs and then back to the MC, and ending chapters in an awkward manner.

So how do you get past the writing when you're reading in your genre, especially when you like everything else in the book but the writing itself?

Sorry if I sound conceited here. I don't mean to imply that anything but literary fiction is not good writing or that all cozy mysteries are badly written. I recently read another historical cozy that was written quite well. I just never really encountered this before. Usually, when I don't like something in a book, I stop reading, but I consider this kind of reading research for my genre and my writing, so I don't want to stop.

Djuna
 

mirandashell

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Well... who says that you should put up with bad writing in a cozy? I read loads but if the writing is bad I put it down.

If you feel you must read the bad ones, maybe you should look it as a lesson in how not to write a cozy.
 

Maryn

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Bad writing is bad writing. Since there are hundreds of mystery authors writing zillions of series, why endure cozies (or any other subgenre) which are less than well-executed?

I'm not a big cozy reader, but I'm sure our members can recommend good ones you can like across the board. Nobody should have to grit her teeth while reading.

Maryn, sure on that
 

virtue_summer

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Hi All,
I've recently started reading cozy mysteries because I have been working on a series. My background is literary fiction and the classics, so I'm reading in a totally different genre than I'm used to.
Could it be that because this is a new genre for you you're still discovering the writers and stories that work for you? By that I mean that you maybe don't have to get used to writing you don't like so much as you have to find the writers in the genre that you do like. Cozy mysteries aren't really my thing, but I've gone through a similar situation in other genres. When you're new to it, you don't know the writers yet. You don't know which ones will fit your definition of good or bad writing. You don't know which ones you'll fall in love with and which ones you'll hate. You haven't filtered them yet. In other words, maybe this isn't a matter of getting used to bad writing because cozy mysteries have it. Maybe it's find the cozy mysteries that appeal to you, writing and all, and accept that you'll probably run across some duds along the way, because it's a process.
 

mirandashell

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For plotting, you can't do better than Agatha Christie. She is the master of it. And the writing is good too. As long as you're not looking for deep psychological insight.

Ngaio Marsh is another good one.

And for a totally different style of cozy, early Janet Evanovich. But don't bother reading after Number Five.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Hi All,
I've recently started reading cozy mysteries because I have been working on a series. My background is literary fiction and the classics, so I'm reading in a totally different genre than I'm used to.

I'm finding that I like the stories and the characters of the books I'm reading but the writing is really hard to get used to. I totally get that cozy mysteries are not supposed to be Shakespeare and not pretending to be, but as an English major and a reader and writer of literary fiction, it's sometimes tough going. I sometimes have to grit my teeth when I read through some of these books.

For example, I'm reading a cozy right now where I like the setting, characters, and story so far, but the author does some things in the writing that I think most professional writers would consider amateurish, such as being obvious with filling in information rather than letting it come smoothly from the story (i.e., "Well, you know, Bob, when the mayor had that scandal last year with his secretary" kind of thing), switching suddenly to another point of view for a few paragraphs and then back to the MC, and ending chapters in an awkward manner.

So how do you get past the writing when you're reading in your genre, especially when you like everything else in the book but the writing itself?

Sorry if I sound conceited here. I don't mean to imply that anything but literary fiction is not good writing or that all cozy mysteries are badly written. I recently read another historical cozy that was written quite well. I just never really encountered this before. Usually, when I don't like something in a book, I stop reading, but I consider this kind of reading research for my genre and my writing, so I don't want to stop.

Djuna

I don't try to get past the writing. Why would I? There are too many books with excellent writing in every genre. If you don't like the writing, reading it is pointless. Yes, I do think you sound conceited, but this is normal. To many English majors feel this way, especially when they're young. Many of us are English majors, though, and even MFAs, and have backgrounds in literary fiction, but do not have to grit our teeth to read cozy mysteries, or any other genre.

So now I'll say something conceited. If you never read anything but literary fiction, you don't know what good writing, and good storytelling, is.

Some of it is a matter of taste, some of it the brainwashing you get going through college as an English major, but Trust me on this, many of us have to grit our teeth when reading most of the literary fiction out there. I love a good deal of literary fiction. Some of it is excellent. But, from my perspective, no other field has a higher percentage of poor writing, or so much lousy storytelling.

A LOT of genre writers out there are as good or better than any literary writer. I think you need to spread your net wider and find the good ones. If you conclude there are no good ones, reading them is not a wise idea.

but the author does some things in the writing that I think most professional writers would consider amateurish, such as being obvious with filling in information rather than letting it come smoothly from the story (i.e., "Well, you know, Bob, when the mayor had that scandal last year with his secretary" kind of thing), switching suddenly to another point of view for a few paragraphs and then back to the MC, and ending chapters in an awkward manner.

This is not writing, it's how the writer tells the story, and I'd have to read it to see whether I agree with you. Either way, it's a perfect example of when to stop reading this book and go find a different writer.
 

jaksen

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You do come across as a little snobbish, but...

You like literary? So do I. You like mysteries? Me, too. So try reading a literary mystery writer like P.D. James. She's excellent; her stories have real depth and she seldom makes any writing 'errors.' (I've never seen any.)

Then go online and search for writers like P.D. James, if you like her. Or join a reading site, for ex. Good Reads, which will give you recommendations for similar writers.

And try the Mystery section here on AW and ask around for cozy mysteries that are 'well-written,' or have elements of literary novels.
 

tiddlywinks

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I don't try to get past the writing. Why would I? There are too many books with excellent writing in every genre. If you don't like the writing, reading it is pointless. Yes, I do think you sound conceited, but this is normal. To many English majors feel this way, especially when they're young. Many of us are English majors, though, and even MFAs, and have backgrounds in literary fiction, but do not have to grit our teeth to read cozy mysteries, or any other genre.

So now I'll say something conceited. If you never read anything but literary fiction, you don't know what good writing, and good storytelling, is.

I'd have to agree solidly with James. And as a fellow English major once mired in Shakespeare, I can tell you not every word from his pen was dipped in gold.

The same goes for other genres. You can find some great chick lit moments that make you laugh out loud, just the same as some really lousy writing that makes you want to hurl the book across the room. An Agatha Christie that keeps you guessing until the very end, or a mystery that has more plot holes than swiss cheese. And sometimes, you'll even find that variation in an author's own work. I've had a couple of favorite authors that I just itch in anticipation until their next book comes out, only to start reading and go "really? Guess you were in a hurry to pump this one out, huh?"

Don't assume it's the genre. It's maybe the author. Or maybe just that particular book.

Don't waste your time - there are too many other great reads out there. But, you can always take note of what you didn't like before you pitch it across the room; it may just help you improve YOUR writing so you don't fall into the same trap.

(Or, if you're like me and need to finish the story even if the writing is driving you batty, skim over the especially bad parts, get to the end, THEN pitch it across the room.)

Happy reading.
 

Roxxsmom

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For example, I'm reading a cozy right now where I like the setting, characters, and story so far, but the author does some things in the writing that I think most professional writers would consider amateurish, such as being obvious with filling in information rather than letting it come smoothly from the story (i.e., "Well, you know, Bob, when the mayor had that scandal last year with his secretary" kind of thing), switching suddenly to another point of view for a few paragraphs and then back to the MC, and ending chapters in an awkward manner.

I don't read mysteries much, so I can't say whether or not this is the norm for the genre. I'd be knocked out by abrupt pov shifts in fantasy or SF, though. And if "As you know, Bob," type expose in dialog is commonplace, I might go from eye rolling to annoyed pretty quickly.

Occasional small things I can usually get past, or things that are more a matter of style. Like there was a book I read a while ago where the first scene was in omniscient, but the camera moved in and stayed in limited third for the rest of the book. I noticed it, because it's not all that common to do it anymore, and I wondered why the writer did this, because it didn't (in my opinion) add anything. But it wasn't a repeated thing, so I got past it.

Now if he'd been continuously moving between omni and limited third throughout, even at scene breaks, I might have been more annoyed by it.

And then there's that remarkable thing that happens occasionally where a writer does something that would be klunky or clumsy if anyone else did it, but somehow they make it work.

Like a book I enjoyed recently where the author uses said bookisms all over the place. I didn't notice this when I was actually reading the book. I only discovered it later when I went back to the book to test the hypothesis that British writers tend to tag by putting said before the name more than US writers do.

I realized that he never, ever used "said" as a tag at all.

This usually drives me nuts when writers do it, but for some reason it was just organic to his writing style.

I was also reading a writer recently who used the names of the characters (instead of pronouns) way too often for a limited third pov (made it feel a bit more distant and omniscient). Sometimes he even used the pov character's name twice in one sentence. I think he was doing this to avoid ambiguity, but slight rewordings of most of these instances would have made it unnecessary. Made me wonder why his editor at [fantasy imprint of big six publishing house] hadn't asked him to fix this, but eh. Overall, the writing was good, and I got used to it.

I think we all have certain things that bug us too much to keep reading though. When that happens, oh well. There are so many books and so little time.
 
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Layla Nahar

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I read speculative fiction and if the speculative element is really interesting I'm so interested in that that I fail to notice the shortcomings in the writing, however if I really have a hard time with writing - I just keep looking for another book.

I'm with JAR on the opinion that the better fiction writing is in the genres.

If it's more work than fun in the reading, look for another book.
 

LuckyH

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There are as many different writers as there are readers and braggarts are annoying in most fields. If I don't like a book, I stop reading and put it down - if it has really annoyed me I throw it across the room. I can't recall ever having to throw a recommended 'literary' work across the room.

I did put Fifty Shades down before the end, but I didn't have to throw it.
 
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