What are you reading in 2025?

[TiQuinn]

Authorial tics--and King does have some--stand out more in audiobooks. When I worked recording them, it was not unusual for us to make fun of books (or series) for things that repeated often. There was one series where the author was going for a character being the strong silent (or at least terse) type, but he'd get into conversations, and he'd be an active (if silent) participant--so there was a lot of Character nodded and Character said nothing in those books. I know what the author was going, but man it flew off the page when read aloud.

I think in his short stories they’re more forgivable since the characters don’t need to be fully fleshed out any more than needed to get the point across in a small narrative. Where it drives me crazy are some of his novels, particularly when he’s bringing in some of pseudo-language a la The Dark Tower combined with sometimes non-genuine characters (at least to me). I remember listening to that and Lisey’s Story which was full of made up terms like “Bools” and “Booya Moons” where puzzling out what the nonsensical term is ultimately key to the story. The effect was more silly given the seriousness of the story and I couldn’t really finish that one.

But it’s King. When they’re hits, they’re big hits. But you have to also suffer the misses.

 

[prabe]

I think in his short stories they’re more forgivable since the characters don’t need to be fully fleshed out any more than needed to get the point across in a small narrative. Where it drives me crazy are some of his novels, particularly when he’s bringing in some of pseudo-language a la The Dark Tower combined with sometimes non-genuine characters (at least to me). I remember listening to that and Lisey’s Story which was full of made up terms like “Bools” and “Booya Moons” where puzzling out what the nonsensical term is ultimately key to the story. The effect was more silly given the seriousness of the story and I couldn’t really finish that one.

But it’s King. When they’re hits, they’re big hits. But you have to also suffer the misses.

The Dark Tower does have some real issues, I think being written piecemeal did it no favors--though I think watching the authorial voice evolve is a real pleasure. I do not think I've ever had any problem following any author's use of made-up words in fiction on the page; sometimes those words were a problem when I worked recording audiobooks, of course, because we couldn't find a source for them--and keeping track of consistency for a 1200-page novel can be difficult.

 

[TiQuinn]

The Dark Tower does have some real issues, I think being written piecemeal did it no favors--though I think watching the authorial voice evolve is a real pleasure. I do not think I've ever had any problem following any author's use of made-up words in fiction on the page; sometimes those words were a problem when I worked recording audiobooks, of course, because we couldn't find a source for them--and keeping track of consistency for a 1200-page novel can be difficult.

It’s not really a problem following them per se, but sometimes the particular choice of made-up word for me has an effect that may be opposite that of which the author possibly intends: sounding silly rather than scary, for instance.

 

[prabe]

It’s not really a problem following them per se, but sometimes the particular choice of made-up word for me has an effect that may be opposite that of which the author possibly intends: sounding silly rather than scary, for instance.

Not disagreeing, but again, that's a thing that might be at least less of a thing on the page.

 

[Autumnal]

John Scalzi has blogged about how writing for audio has affected his writing in general. As usual with him, it’s friendly and casual-seeming over some impressive analysis of craft.

John Scalzi: Writing For Audio Made Me A Better Writer, Period

Cut dialogue tags and consider the narrator — tips from the Hugo Award-winning author of Audible Studios' "The Dispatcher."

www.audible.com