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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fenros" data-source="post: 331778" data-attributes="member: 975">I'm greedy and picky. So if it were up to me, a novel would have it all! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> Great imaginative setting/history, great characters, great plot, great storytelling style.As an author, I imagine you would shoot high and try for all of that. If your current skill happens to be weak in certain spots, after the whole thing is written, then you know what part of your craft you gotta practice more. So in other words, concentrate hard on all those aspects equally. But of course an author would naturally try for that anyways. I'm sure it doesn't hurt to say it again though.Examples of books I had troubles with will give you an idea of stories that were great in one area, but failed in another. The following are based off my opinions and tastes, so I apologize ahead of time if I offend any fans of the following books --- "Dragon Prince" : Rawn creates a pretty cool world and I like the concept of the Sunrunners. Its not typical fantasy fare, y'know Eurocentric landscape, elves, dwares, etc. So once I began reading it, I was intrigued. Then the characters were very likeable too. So why am I having trouble getting through this book? The storytelling style I think. Now, I'm not saying all fantasy should be hack 'n slash and follow some formula of rationing out action to keep the reader awake, BUT.......man, I'm 300 some pages into this book and besides the little action in the beginning, its been Rialla this, Rialla that! The Rialla is this meeting/festival thing that takes place every 3 years where all the rulers of the different lands gather to deal with trades and other affairs. But man, its taking SO ....MUCH....TIME. None of political manueverings keep me interested long enough. Basically......its all intrigue, shopping for jewels,.....and no adventure. The romance is nice though....but that's it. Even that's getting too sappy.George R.R. Martin, for me at least, can keep me interested for tons of pages even though there's no battles anywhere. I'm just turning pages constantly. So, a political intrigue heavy novel can be done without boring a reader. Its just in "Dragon Prince", its boring me. I'm struggling to get through this book.....I fear I have not the strength anymore......--- "The Deathgate Cycle" : Wow, cool concept. Nicely thought up worlds. Then the authors ruin it with some stupid 'wink at camera' nerdy jokes.  I finish the first book and become excited to go on to the second. I'm thinking I'm in this series for the long haul. I'm gonna read 'em all! So I start reading the second book, then I notice the whole tone suddenly becomes very comical. I think that's okay though, because moments of light hearted adventure is okay. Then Weis and Hickman have Fizban show up and make silly references on how he's met characters from Dragonlance and Lord of the Rings. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes    :rolleyes:"  data-smilie="11"data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> Killed it for me. My enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. Haven't touched the rest of book two or the rest of the series since.So there's another thing to watch out for. If you feel tempted to but in an inside joke or something. Think about it carefully first. It may be funny to you and your friends, but really....is it worth it? You think its so great, but really, the book may not even need it. A teacher told me once, "you gotta be willing to kill your babies." Each idea you think is cool is one of your many 'babies'. You cherish them so. But sometimes, for the good of the book, or the movie, or the comic book, or cartoon (this applies to visual mediums too) you gotta edit out and kill one of your babies. It hurts, I know....but you gotta do it.A lot of director commentaries on DVDs may talk of such moves too. Things they loved a lot, but had to let go for the sake of the film. I believe the same applies in writing.If you can maintain a way of objectively looking at your writing project and being able to maintain it through out the creation of it, then I think that's a huge task many creators/writers fail to accomplish. It maybe that Weis/Hickman didn't intend the majority of the DeathGate Cycle audience to be like me, so it could be written for a crowd of different readers with different tastes. In that case, I guess the advice would be to 'know your audience', and don't mind the fact that a few outside that demographic just aren't gonna like your stuff.Constantly think of the stuff you don't like when you read crappy books. If you see it appear in your own work, then that list of crappy stuff becomes your 'filter'. You'll know what to re-write and take out.  Many times I've sat with writers ( a few friends of mine) who constanty say how this is stupid or that is stupid. Then I read their writing and I see some of the exact same stuff they think is stupid appear in their own work. Please don't make that mistake too my friend.Hope some of my comments might've helped. If not, I apologize for my long winded babblings. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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