I had dinner with my sister and her husband on Saturday. She is a regular reader of the blog and she thought it was neat that I don’t flog the “aspiring writer” thing all the time. I try really hard not to do too much of the “inside baseball” on this blog. Some bloggers do a great job and give rookies like me an insight into the business that is truly appreciated. I’m not yet published (in book form) so I am reluctant to spread my paper thin wisdom around. Today will be an exception.

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One thing that seems to be universally accepted is that good authors have to read quite a bit. It is a trap when you write in that you either ape the works of others or shut yourself off so as to avoid that problem. You miss out on good books, great stylistic trends, and the horrid blunders of other authors. In the last two years I’ve read more horrible books than I can even count. I no longer read every book cover to cover. The bad ones get about 10 pages before they get the dustbin.

The joke in the title goes back a ways – you’re a poster child for either the good or the bad in your life and your career. You get to pick, usually, which you will be. (Including the choice to split infinitives on occasion.) I have several authors that I’ve read for years and years with nothing short of glee. I preorder their books on Kindle and wait for them to pop into my carousel. I get an endorphin rush when I see them on the shelves. Two of them, who shall remain nameless, have now fallen off of my list.

The first author decided to spend more time bashing Christianity than crafting their stories. It was sad to see them descend into this madness since I’d been reading them for thirty years. I knew they were at best agnostic for a long time. No problem, the stories were great. But each of their last dozen books got more abusive toward my faith. The last one I read (and it will be the last) was nothing short of hatred unmasked. This was coupled with a decline in the quality of the story – more recycled elements than I’d seen in a very long time.

The second author had created a world that I loved to visit. It’s a thriller/espionage series that was ongoing for the better part of two decades. All of the books were fun reads right up to the one I have now. When it was published I read some reviews on Amazon and they were all pretty negative. Bad. Two star bad. I thought he’d angered some group and the haters came out to sink him. Ah, er, um, … they were right. The book stinks on ice.

I’m in the middle of putting my sequel on paper. The book is written in my head but now I’m flinging it down on the computer. I’ve struggled mightily with how much back story I need to put into the book. When you write a series (which Assault On Saint Agnes leads) you must make each book strong enough to stand on its own. You also want to make it fun for the people who’ve read the first book to continue to read. And, ideally, you’d like the person who comes in at the middle or the end to go back and buy the other books. Best of all, if they have exactly the right amount of information to make book two or three work, but no more, they will enjoy the previous books and not complain that it’s a rehash.

This beloved author (who garnered the two star reviews) spent exactly 50% of the book doing back story on the previous two decades worth of books. Not just a dribble here or there, but literally 50% of the book, almost the entire first half, was expository back story. Not a bit of fun in that, and it was done badly. You have some work cut out to do back story well, and you try to accomplish it through a clever device that makes it look important. You never have characters say, “Well, I’m glad you asked about my entire life story. Sit still and I’ll tell it over the next 172 pages.” Would you read any further? Me neither.

I am seriously considering putting the book down and not finishing it today. I love the characters, I love the whole story, but I’m wondering why I should continue. He’s made cartoon characters out of his cast and it’s just stupid. Not funny, not enjoyable, not the mark of a good author. I would have been much happier if he’d quit after the last book in the series and started something new.

So, now I have my example and my warning in one author. He was great in the first dozen or two books. The last one will drive his fans away. Lord, please guide me and prevent me from doing the same stupid things. I’m too new to do that yet – hopefully never.

I hope all the books you read today are wonderful. If not, what is annoying you with your literary selection?

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