I read a lot. I skip over the classic classics and have no particular fondness for the 18th and 19th centuries. I need to be hooked into a book fairly quickly; if I don't care about at least one character in the first 200 pages or so I usually check the ending and move on to something else. And by "caring" I do not mean falling in love or rooting for the character's success. Hating his or her guts works just as well for me.
Lately I find myself becoming more and more impatient. I skim pages of description. Verdant forests, dappled leaves, rippling brooks...move ON already! Gimme some old time plot, thank you. But, puh-lease spare me all the hemming and hawing. Good dialogue is entrancing; imitating dialect is insulting. Dated misogyny passed off as the attitude of the times just makes me want to puke. But, most of all I LOATHE inscrutability.
That pretend suspense designed to get the reader to turn another page. The "dotdotdot" that's not really written. The words that do not quite mean what they say. And I'm a good reader; I am more than willing to work for my literature. Toni Morrison speaks to me. Novels and short story collections held in my pudgy, little hands are some of my greatest joys. (I've never touched a Kindle or even seen one in real life; and so I am reserving judgement there.)
Good writing leads to good reading. I strive for that. Thanks to all the good authors out there. On paper and in cyber land.
Lately I find myself becoming more and more impatient. I skim pages of description. Verdant forests, dappled leaves, rippling brooks...move ON already! Gimme some old time plot, thank you. But, puh-lease spare me all the hemming and hawing. Good dialogue is entrancing; imitating dialect is insulting. Dated misogyny passed off as the attitude of the times just makes me want to puke. But, most of all I LOATHE inscrutability.
That pretend suspense designed to get the reader to turn another page. The "dotdotdot" that's not really written. The words that do not quite mean what they say. And I'm a good reader; I am more than willing to work for my literature. Toni Morrison speaks to me. Novels and short story collections held in my pudgy, little hands are some of my greatest joys. (I've never touched a Kindle or even seen one in real life; and so I am reserving judgement there.)
However, I have come to a decision. dotdotdot. See how nasty? I will no longer linger over the intentionally misleading blog or facebook post. This revelation may not mean much to the general public. I bet it saves me a hell of a lot of time.
Good writing leads to good reading. I strive for that. Thanks to all the good authors out there. On paper and in cyber land.
I can't help but think this is (in)directed towards me...
ReplyDeleteSo, an explanation...I was ticked off yesterday when my manager did not schedule her MIT's days off to coincide with their travel plans and I was called in to work early. Hence the inscrutable blog post.
My Facebook statuses have merely been song lyrics that I have heard on satellite radio recently and liked. I am going with song lyrics to AVOID any trash talking from people and to expose people to new music!!
That's all mom. I swear.