Myeeeeargh
Goodkind, Jordan, and Martin are all terrible writers.
Goodkind cannot write dialogue. Every one of his characters is an eloquent poet, with the insignificant exception of the people he is trying to make look stupid. His dialogue follows a formula:
Character 1: Elaborate explanation
Character 2: Oh you mean it's like this obvious metaphor that I, as a character, probably never have had exposure to?
Character 1: I guess I never thought of it that way!
Or, his dialogue doesn't follow a formula and doesn't exist, and instead characters just throw ten page monologues at each other. Also, his recapping is pointless. Every book is called "standalone," and I figured out why: it's because they all tell the story of the previous series over again. Furthermore, his description is out of place and pointless. When he does have dialogue, recapping, or description that serves a storyline purpose, it is drowned in the rest of the book and you miss it completely. ATTENTION GOODKIND: WHEN I AM SKIPPING OVER MOST OF EVERY PAGE BECAUSE ITS WORTHLESS TO THE STORY, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY WRITTEN A SHITTY BOOK.
Jordan was just Jordan. Everyone knows why Jordan was bad. R.I.P. and all that jazz, but he was a pulp artist and an overconvoluted storyteller of wooden, Two-Dimensional characters.
George Martin doesn't understand what it means to instill the reader with a sense of passion for the character. His wikipedia quotes him as saying that he kills off important characters early and often to keep the readers on their toes. Alright, fucking newsflash, if everyone is dying then you stop loving the characters. If he is trying to make a jaded reader, who does not care about the story because no matter how interesting it turns out the ending is predictably somber, then he has accomplished it with his storytelling style.
As a writer, however, I have learned a great deal about good writing from any of them, and I highly recommend all three of them if you are willing to look past horrible writing styles. These authors are geniuses of content and character dynamic, but they have terrible styles. The only reason they sold, I would imagine, is because their preachy (Goodkind), convoluted (Jordan), and overstuffed (Martin) styles are able to fill a 1000 page book, and based on the best seller list the market eats that up.
Goodkind cannot write dialogue. Every one of his characters is an eloquent poet, with the insignificant exception of the people he is trying to make look stupid. His dialogue follows a formula:
Character 1: Elaborate explanation
Character 2: Oh you mean it's like this obvious metaphor that I, as a character, probably never have had exposure to?
Character 1: I guess I never thought of it that way!
Or, his dialogue doesn't follow a formula and doesn't exist, and instead characters just throw ten page monologues at each other. Also, his recapping is pointless. Every book is called "standalone," and I figured out why: it's because they all tell the story of the previous series over again. Furthermore, his description is out of place and pointless. When he does have dialogue, recapping, or description that serves a storyline purpose, it is drowned in the rest of the book and you miss it completely. ATTENTION GOODKIND: WHEN I AM SKIPPING OVER MOST OF EVERY PAGE BECAUSE ITS WORTHLESS TO THE STORY, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY WRITTEN A SHITTY BOOK.
Jordan was just Jordan. Everyone knows why Jordan was bad. R.I.P. and all that jazz, but he was a pulp artist and an overconvoluted storyteller of wooden, Two-Dimensional characters.
George Martin doesn't understand what it means to instill the reader with a sense of passion for the character. His wikipedia quotes him as saying that he kills off important characters early and often to keep the readers on their toes. Alright, fucking newsflash, if everyone is dying then you stop loving the characters. If he is trying to make a jaded reader, who does not care about the story because no matter how interesting it turns out the ending is predictably somber, then he has accomplished it with his storytelling style.
As a writer, however, I have learned a great deal about good writing from any of them, and I highly recommend all three of them if you are willing to look past horrible writing styles. These authors are geniuses of content and character dynamic, but they have terrible styles. The only reason they sold, I would imagine, is because their preachy (Goodkind), convoluted (Jordan), and overstuffed (Martin) styles are able to fill a 1000 page book, and based on the best seller list the market eats that up.