Okay, I don't know if you CAN help, no worries if not. I just want to try. So, my grammar, pacing, plotting, dialogue, and so on, are all bordering on perfect. But when someone reads my work, they just go 'yeah, good'. I feel like my writing has reached a plateau, where my stories are good, but they're not good enough for people to want to or be excited about reading them. Is there anything you could suggest? Your blog is awesome, btw, and I greatly appreciate it.
For me, personally, the differencebetween good writing and great writing is what it makes me feel. It doesn’tmatter how technically good a story is (I mean, obviously it does, but we’retalking about the next level) If I don’t feel what the characters are feeling,if I’m not made to passionately care about them, I can take or leave it. I’veread brilliantly written books that make me go ‘Hmm okay’, and I’ve readtechnically poor books that I will defend to the death because they make me feel.
On a little bit of a tangent, which Ihope is relevant – I grew up as a literature snob. My family is extremely well-read,and I devoured bookshelves of wonderful, award-winning literature. Going to unito study literature just cemented that. But once I graduated, I decided tocatch up on all the YA, commercial fiction I’d missed out on through puredisdain, and subsequently discovered many of the books that are now at thetip-top of my Favourite Books list.
What I’m trying to say is that, veryrarely at least, people don’t choose their favourites based on technical merit;they choose them based on empathy and emotional connection, that they canrelate to and induces them to say, ‘Oh my god, yes!’
I lovehigh literature, but I think that’s mostly because I’m a writer and I’m asucker for a well-turned phrase. A reader-reader wants a story, first andforemost, and I find it’s very easy to lose the substance of your story infavour of technicalities. It’s something I’ve been working out for myself veryrecently following a rather eye-opening review.
Long story short: Make sure you’ve got agood balance between form and substance :)
Good luck!
- Esme
