Thread by @thomasjbevan1

//THREAD\\

A Short Discussion on why You Should Never Hate A Book

(and what you can do to make a bad book useful)

@SamuelThews @IntegralStory @MattheWrite @SteafanFox

It’s a truth, universally acknowledged, that the most successful bestsellers are, as a rule, fucking terrible.

And writers, being a neurotic bunch, generally expend great energy in moaning about this state of affairs

But there’s a better way…

God awful modern bestselling trash,

when viewed in the right light,

can teach a writer just as much as the Tolstoy’s and Dickens’ of the world

These books can teach you what to avoid, and competent writing is generally the avoidance of mistakes...

An incredible way to educate yourself and improve your writing is to buy a used copy of a terrible book

(Dan Brown, 50 Shades etc.
Pick your poison)

And read it carefully, pen in hand and

Attack it like an editor, and like a critic

Argue in the margins as to why a word choice doesn’t work,

Why the dialogue is flat,

Why the characters are cliches,

Why the plot and pace have stalled,

Why the theme makes no sense or how it doesn’t exist.

& even better, if you really want to get your moneys worth from this awful book that your auntie bought you for Xmas, then:

Take a scene, figure out what the author was trying to do, &rewrite it yourself.

This is like anti-copywork.

Doing this will teach you so much

Because

Popular junk generally has an interesting premise/hook but is utterly devoid of nuance& craft.

It also has outlandish elements that you'd never opt to write about yourself.

Playing around with this can get you out of your comfort zone and into the ‘sweet spot’ of difficulty.

Now, to be clear, I’m not talking about becoming one of those dorks who write fan fiction

(God bless em)

I’m talking about being able to use a bad book as a tool that self-generates #writingprompts

I can honestly say that I picked up a lot of insight & technique from this

Also, doing this completely changed my mindset about ‘bad’ books

Holding that juvenile hatred for popular schlock and

fanboy love for the wilfully obscure will hold you back in the end.

Good writing is a question of clarity and intent

& holding on to that envy, disgust & rage at mainstream things will cloud yr vision more than anything.

Realise that taking the path to mastery is its own reward

& that if yr focused on the reception of yr art above all else then you've probably strayed from the path...

I hope this short thread has been of help to you.

RT if it has.

And let me know of any shitty books that you think I might be able to learn from...

H/T

@StoicGoatFarmer
@SteafanFox
@ryanstephens
@futureinmindd
@BillyRedHorse
@chiefchuck2k