Gang, I know this was supposed to be Wednesday’s thought-provoking question. Sorry to be late. I’ve been running all week. I had a flu mist last Sunday, the evening I got my husband out of the hospital. I was tired and run-down. This should have been a signal, but I was there, the mist was ready, and I’ve had the flu for the last 3 years. I wasn’t going to get it again, dammit. Um…wrong. It’s thankfully not as bad as the case I had last year, but I don’t feel fabulous. I also spent a lot of time at the eyes doctor’s office yesterday only to be told that I am not a candidate for Lasic. Drat! I am committed to a writers’ retreat this weekend. I’m excited…but hoping I don’t get sicker. (Yes, that’s a word, at least today.)
I have a Feature Friday ready, but I’ll share it next Tuesday, after Sunday Newsday and Manly Monday. I hope that’s okay with y’all.
So, onto the question…
I’ve heard some readers say that they read books occasionally by cherished, favorite authors…and can tell that author “phoned it in”. How can you tell when an author has done that? Why do you think it happens? No naming names or anything, just curious how you perceive it from a reader’s point of view.
From a writer’s perspective, I can tell you some things that happen that may contribute to that perception that are largely out of the author’s control:
TIGHT deadline – Some authors are “layer” writers or pantsers, which means they either need multiple drafts to create their finished product or they write by the seat of their pants, i.e., no pre-plotting. When you dump a very short deadline on top of that, sometimes they have to turn the book in before they’re ready. Even a “1 draft” writer like me can be backed into a corner. I’ve had 1 book I was about 2 months late on and did not get a chance to smooth it out. It wasn’t a disaster, but I knew the book could have been better. And by the way, those deadlines can get really tight because yes, a) you’re slow/procrastinating/waiting until the last minute for your “muse” to strike (which I personally find somewhat unprofessional. Writing is your job every day, not something you do when you feel like it, but I digress…) or b) the edits for your last book took horrifically much longer than planned or c) the publisher “asked” you to turn the book in sooner. I say asked in quotes because, let’s face it, that may not really be a request in some cases.
Oops direction – Sometimes you’re writing on a book and something’s not quite right, but you’re uncertain what, but you go with the flow; this is what you had planned, after all. But the deeper you get into the book, the more you realize that something is screwed up. You might even finish the book and never be really happy. And again, you’re not sure why. Yes, this has happened to me once. Even though my editor at the time said she loved the book and found nothing wrong, I kept thinking that something was just a tad off. I think this is a combination of me missing a story element just slightly and the editor (it was her last day with that publishing house) not being totally honest because she didn’t want to haggle on something that wouldn’t matter to her tomorrow.
Editorial disagreements – Thankfully, I’ve never had this situation (at least not so far…), but sometimes an editor can INSIST that you revise a book a certain way and refuse to accept it (and pay you) until you do. Most editors are wonderfully flexible and are willing to work with your ideas and nurture the book in your head, even if they need adjustments, but I have friends who have been put in positions where they’ve done revisions they didn’t like/didn’t fully comprehend, and they felt the book suffered for it.
Copyeditor from hell – Publishers often freelance out the copyeditor job. So after the author turns the book in and the editor has edited for content, they turn it over to a copyeditor who edits for style, grammar, defines the typestting marks for the typesetter, etc. Some are wonderful and catch those little inconsistencies that drive readers up a wall. You want to kiss those. Some do exactly the job they are hired to do and add a little polish to the book. Others…are frustrated writers who try to rewrite the whole book for you.
There may be other reasons, but these are some that came to mind. But it’s possible that some authors are feeling lazy with a certain book or the whole genre. I only know what’s happening with me, and that’s not my case. But I LOVE what J.R. Ward said about this in The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide. Here is her quote:
“Own your own shit (or work, if we’re going to be a little more classy).
Do not rely on your editor or your agent or your critique partner to identify and solve your plot, character, pace, context, pagination or any one of the thousands of problems you have to work through when you write a book.”
Wise words. Your thoughts?
3 comments
Just like any other job, life gets in the way
and due to commitments that have been made, shortcuts are taken. I can tell if any author has used a template for the story, the variables of the story usually are not changed enough and are simple to spot. Especially in a series, simple gestures are used throughout all of the books, that would should be unique to one particular character. The plot lines seem to be to similar to another.
And can we talk about spelling!!!! To me the
publishing house should be embarrassed!
Hope you feel better so you can have fun at the
retreat.
I just want to say…… we love you so much!! You need to slow down, take a breath, and take care of yourself so we can love you for a LOOOOOONG time!!!
You are awesome, and I feel for you being run-down!!
Take 2 days; 1 to sleep and 1 to pamper yourself (massage, mani/pedi, get your hair done, and buy a new outfit), it makes a world of difference!
Writers have my sympathy when it comes to meeting deadlines. So many things can interfere with the time one needs to write. I was just remarking to a friend here about how soon Christmas sneaks up on us and I know deadlines have to be much worse.