My Own Reading ‘Process’
In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* My Own Reading ‘Process’
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“Life is a precious coin, and you can only spend it once.” Martha Woods, as attributed by her son, actor James Woods
My Own Reading ‘Process’
I could have also called this My (Extended) Quote of the Day.
A young very good writer emailed me a couple of days ago with some questions. She and I enjoy talking with each other about writing fiction.
I won’t include her specific questions, but here’s my much expanded response, which I decided to save for TNDJ:
I never mind you asking anything. But I won’t always have a good answer.
I can’t speak with any authority about [a particular author] because I’ve never read any of her work. Neither travel pieces nor ‘love, love, love’ tweak my interest as a reader.
Come to think of it, I don’t really have any ‘favorite’ genres that I actively seek out for reading. I most often stumble across writers (often while spot-researching specific topics for my own fiction or for presentations on ‘process’ in TNDJ. Then if their work appeals to me (genre) and pulls me in (craft) I read more of it.
A great case in point is Dean Koontz. He’s certainly a well-acclaimed writer, but I’ve never read any of his work.
Then a few days ago I stumbled across an in-depth interview with him about the writing process. His interview ‘popped up’ after I watched a similar video interview with Lee Child. Essays on both of those interviews are coming soon in TNDJ.
As a result of what Koontz said during his interview, I went directly to Amazon and bought one of his books so I can read it. If he practices what he preached in the interview and pulls me into the story, I’ll read the novel through and order more of his books.
If he doesn’t pull me into the story with all the things I’ve talked about in TNDJ in the past (setting and character description, scene, pacing, etc.), I’ll close the novel and donate it to our local Friends of the Library.
Even if his novel doesn’t engage me, I might try one more of his more recent novels (hoping his mastery of craft has improved), but if that one fails to pull me in too, I won’t try anymore.
But to your email—
In brief, yes, it sounds to me like you’re probably reading too much into [the author’s] non-travel-based works, or maybe ‘looking for’ something that isn’t there, possibly owing to expectations you created while reading her travel works.
And no, that isn’t “fair” to the author. But does “fair” really enter into anything? Any situation at any time simply either is or isn’t occurring. Or as Willie Nelson’s character in the film Barbarosa says, “What cannot be rememedied must be endured.” By the reader, I suppose, and by the writer.
On the other hand, that’s exactly why I always say if the reader can’t get into a work, it’s because the writer failed to pull the reader into the work.
If you want to study her stuff, maybe do a comparison: maybe study how (craft-wise) she pulled you as a reader into her travel-based works and compare that with what she didn’t do to pull you into her other works.
But I might be the wrong guy to ask.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced wondering why one novel engages me and another doesn’t. I have no preconceptions of any work other than that I will be engaged and entertained.
As a reader, I give the author every chance for success.I go into any new novel I’m reading with zero expectations and just read, hoping the story will pull me in and keep me there.
I have no problem suspending my sense of disbelief. I read like I write, strictly in the creative subconscious and without any presuppositions or ‘thinking’.
I seldom buy books by any author who admits (usually bragging) to have ‘outlined’ or ‘plotted’ them because I know what I’m going to get. I know if the author can ‘figure out’ what’s going to happen next, so can I (the reader), and so far that hasn’t failed.
And of course if I do buy one of those novels, as soon as I’ve been able to foretell ‘what happens next’ two or three times in a row, the novel is boring to me because there’s a good chance I’ll know what’s going to ‘happen next’ all the way through.
As Bradbury said (I’m paraphrasing), “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”
It also sounds like you’re approaching the reading process as a critic more than as a reader. If you’re ‘looking for’ what’s right, you’ll also notice what’s ‘wrong’.
So maybe just relax and give the writer a chance take you away.
I never advocate ‘studying’ a fictive work before you’ve read it strictly for pleasure.
That said, if you try to read a novel for pleasure and are unable to become invested and get through it, I recommend NOT studying it. All you’ll learn from such a study is what to NOT do, and intentionally opening yourself up to negatives is never a good idea in any endeavor.
As to whether being unable to get into or through a novel is down to personal preference, Dean Wesley Smith likes to say every reading experience and reader reaction is owing to the reader’s taste and personal preferences.
Much as I admire Dean’s knowledge of the craft, that’s one of very few points on which I vehemently disagree with him.
For example, Dean constantly touts the early novels of James Patterson, back when he was writing his own novels. But owing to my own experience as a thoroughly dissatisfied reader, I don’t think Patterson can write his way out of a paper bag.
That opinion isn’t based on my personal taste as a reader. I’ve tried to read several of Pattersons novels, but he never pulled me into a story. I’ve never felt that I (as a reader) was ‘in’ the scene or story with the character.
On the other hand, Patterson is a masterful marketer, owing to over two decades as a marketing expert with the world-reknown ad agency J. Walter Thompson.
In my opinion, the reader’s personal taste and preferences end at genre. Once you select a book in a genre you enjoy, whether you’re pulled into the story is up to the writer and his or her level of craft.
If the writer fails to
engage the reader’s interest and imagination with the actual writing and
pull the reader into the story,
that isn’t the reader’s fault. That’s all on the writer.
Of Interest
People Judge Poetic Language as More Truthful Given my recent series in TNDJ, this is timely.
Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: Admitting Mistakes
Sordid & Organized A new free soft-horror short story posted yesterday over at Stanbrough Writes. (Typo alert: In the paragraph that begins “Aunt Maggie and Uncle Mitch,” the secone and third “Mitch” should be “Marvin.” Sigh.)
The Numbers
The Journal………………….. 1190
Mentorship Words................. 0
Total Nonfiction...................... 1190
Writing of
Day 1…… XXXX words. To date……...… XXXXX
Fiction for February...……………………. XXXX
Fiction for 2026…………………………… XXXX
Nonfiction for February.…………………. 23710
Nonfiction for 2026………………..……… 44490
2026 consumable words………………… 44490
2026 Novels to Date……………………... 0
2026 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2026 Short Stories to Date……………… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 123
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 310
Short story collections……………………. 29
Thank you for this, Harvey! Super interesting.
I can see what you mean about Patterson and it not being a personal preference thing in that case. I guess that makes me wonder just what genre is. I've been surprised the past several years by how many novels I've tried to read and just found boring. Definitely a majority of them. (Not yours!) I guess my taste has narrowed quite a bit. Not sure that's a good thing!
Thought-provoking post.
RE: Dean Koontz. I read one of his older novels Lightning last year and the new afterword is fascinating:
"...my publisher was frustrated with me and ceaselessly lectured me to the effect that my failure to embrace a single genre and to write within its narrowest confines would ultimately—and soon—destroy my career."
"Lightning was published without enthusiasm—and at once became my biggest success to date."
There's a lot more about his struggles with his publisher and writing across genres and tone. And how readers act very differently than his publisher at the time thought.
I'd recommend beginning (and more advanced) writers getting the version of Lightning with the afterword, just for the words:
"Readers are not sheep. They are wolves, filled with curiosity, adventurous, always hungry for a tasty treat with at least a little substance to it."
Because it feels like people often forget what readers are actually like.