A bad trend.

Oct 01, 2016 11:17

Hey there. Still alive, business as usual ( Read more... )

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Comments 31

killabeez October 1 2016, 16:36:59 UTC
"This was very worrisome." I giggled. Thank you, I needed that! I'm going to throw that line into everything I write from now on. Also, I'm going to modify every description with "relatively speaking," because doesn't that just sing off the page?

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janissa11 October 1 2016, 17:04:57 UTC
::weak laugh:: I mean, it's so bad, I don't even know. I wasn't even out of comments, by a long shot, but now I've lost my will to comment. And live.

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I am so SORRY that you had to read all that! pinkphoenix1985 October 1 2016, 16:46:51 UTC
First of all, I just want to hug you and if I could I would give you back all the minutes you spent reading these books.

I think that self publishing on Amazon and such places means that everyone is looking to be the next BIG author without doing the hard work behind it. Especially since it doesn't get properly edited and proof-read. It is a disgrace in my opinion :(

Which means that the great reviews mean almost nothing because most likely they are from the author's immediate community-- whether it is friends and family or strangers who don't speak English that well to understand what is seriously wrong with it.

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Re: I am so SORRY that you had to read all that! janissa11 October 1 2016, 17:13:02 UTC
Well, honestly? I only read about three more paragraphs of that second book before I rolled my eyes and closed it. The first book, though -- jeez, I read a couple of chapters and then just kind of sagged and gave up. OH LOL the first review is headed, "Moronic."

I think you're absolutely right about the self publishing. I can't find a publisher listed for the second book, and the first -- hang on -- Fiction Rex? I don't even know what that is. A service for self-publishing authors?

At least I didn't pay for these.

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Re: I am so SORRY that you had to read all that! pinkphoenix1985 October 2 2016, 07:30:30 UTC
LOL I did see that a few reviews were like that-- at least they are willing to be truthful-- sometimes being kind and trying not to hurt is not good because it only leads to the author continuing the bad writing and not trying to do better.

Yep, yep--at least you didn't pay. Imagine if you had even just paid a dollar or 99 cents. That would be rewarding the author for wasting your time and money.

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without_me October 1 2016, 18:58:44 UTC
First things first: DON'T SAY "CAUSING."

THIS THIS THIS FOREVER!!! I see people use it in sex scenes all the time, and it just DERAILS me. "He deepened the kiss, causing the younger man [because of course epithets] to moan." WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE THINGS LIKE THIS, AND HOW CAN WE MAKE THEM STOP??? (Sorry for shouting; I get worked up about this.)

As for the shitty quality... all I can say is I feel your pain. I can't tell you how many books I've d/led that are simply awful. Even most of the good ones would benefit from another editing pass. I read one recently from a major publisher that, while quite readable, was riddled with unnecessary adverbs and misused words. SIGH.

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janissa11 October 1 2016, 20:08:10 UTC
I am so glad someone else breaks out in hives over "causing." It is a popular word these days, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. A truly egregious passive phrasing. Why not say, "He deepened the kiss, and X moaned"? Isn't that...more natural? Than, "He deepened the kiss, causing the younger (barf) man to choke and lose consciousness"?

I will say that now that it's been brought to my attention above, there were signs I should have heeded (but didn't, because freebies). Self published, and some really, really bad reviews.

Sigh.

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scolaro October 1 2016, 19:30:28 UTC
"This was very worrisome."

I may sound like an idiot, but is it grammatically wrong?
Personally I wouldn't use it because it sounds...slightly weird, like a line from a children's book (Peter Rabbit or Terry Pratchett's version Mr Bunnsy Has An Adventure come to mind.)

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janissa11 October 1 2016, 20:02:31 UTC
It's not incorrect, but it is inappropriate. The level of urgency should be higher than what is implied in the wording; "worrisome" says that it's mildly perturbing, but it kicks off the entire book, so the assumption here is -- or rather, should be, ideally -- that the stakes are higher than "worrisome."

It's not wrong, technically, from where I sit -- but it's a poor choice.

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scolaro October 1 2016, 20:15:42 UTC
Ahhh, ok! Thanks for the explanation.
I was so set on finding the grammar/spelling problem that I didn't even check context. "Dammit, it must be a mistake every native speaker immediately spots, but I just don't!" XD

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tabaqui October 1 2016, 21:32:25 UTC
Fuck me. That is just awful. All of it. And sadly, i seem to run across a *lot* of this kind of dreck when i'm desperately searching for new books.

There's a reason i keep re-reading stuff.
*sigh*

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janissa11 October 2 2016, 12:52:14 UTC
Yeah, I'm with you on rereading. *shrug* And waiting to pounce feverishly on anything new released by an author I trust.

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tabaqui October 2 2016, 14:56:07 UTC
THIS.
I cannot wait for new things. Sadly, a couple of my most favorite authors are dead now. Argh.

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