Say Something Positive About Your Least Favorite Author

[Steerpike]

We've had plenty of posts over the time I've been here that are directed to criticism of authors we don't like. Generally, these authors tend to range from the moderately successful to the wildly successful. I've criticized Paolini, and I've stuck up for Meyer because, while Twilight wasn't for me, on the whole the writing isn't nearly as bad as people make out.

I thought it might be nice to pick out something positive about an author, even if you dislike their work a great deal. There are always good points to find. If you don't have a good thing to say about your least favorite author, please don't pollute the thread. There are others devoted to criticism

I'll start with Paolini, and say two things:

1) he captured the imagination of a great number of people with his story and inspired some of them to pursue writing; and

2) he started, and then finished, four complete novels. I have not written four complete books.

 

[Reaver]

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series has great cover art.

 

[Steerpike]

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series has great cover art.

Well, there you go

As you can see from the posts in this thread (or more accurately, the lack thereof), it is easier to get people to pile on an author than to say nice things!

 

[Mindfire]

I'll say something about Paolini as well. For all the harassment I give him, I think he really does have some talent in there somewhere and that the Eragon books had potential. (Whether they lived up to it is a different story.) In fact, I even enjoyed reading them once upon a time. I rolled my eyes, I facepalmed, I snickered and sneered, but I read them. Despite the awful prose, bad dialogue, and shameless copycatting, I stuck around for three books because, encrusted in the dross, there was a germ of potential. And my imagination could work with that. In fact, that's what annoys me most about the series. If it had more originality, less pretentiousness, and better editing, it could have earned a spot on my favorites list, and perhaps others as well.

I'll say this, the books that earned the top spots on my favorites list (LOTR, Narnia, Earthsea), they inspired me to start writing. Eragon inspired me to keep writing, even if it did so by being awful enough to strengthen my resolve to do better.

 

[saellys]

E. L. James knows how to market herself.

 

[Ireth]

Stephenie Meyer knows how to put a very unique spin on an old literary monster.

 

[Penpilot]

S.M Stirling has top notch concepts. His book jacket blurbs are outstanding. Every time I read one, it makes me want to read that book.

 

[Anders Ämting]

In Stephany Meyer's defense: For as bland as she was, I actually found Bella Swan to be strangely endearing just from what I read of her.

 

[shangrila]

The end of the first Twilight book was legitimately entertaining. If you're wondering, I'm talking about the whole being hunted by that stalker vampire.

 

[Reaver]

Terry Goodkind is really good at punctuation and conjugating verbs.

 

[Mindfire]

Terry Goodkind is really good at punctuation and conjugating verbs.

Wow, you're really reaching aren't you?

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Meyer/Twilight did two things I admire:

1) Art Direction - while that may or may not have been Meyer's call, the consistent black background, white objects, plus one red object for cover art is eye catching. The first time I saw a Twilight book, it was just a glance, but the cover was captivating. I haven't seen anything that tops this pattern for cover art in a series, and it takes a lot less effort than it would to depict characters.

2) The MC Abstains Until Marriage - I'm sick of forbidden love/lust being toted as the only interesting kind of romance to write about. I have no idea where the MC's love life goes since I'm not part of the Twilight audience, but I do know that the MC held out until she was married. This is the sort of romance I'm happy to let my daughter's read. And it is interesting in part because it's different than most of the romance that is famous these days.

 

[Anders Ämting]

2) The MC Abstains Until Marriage - I'm sick of forbidden love/lust being toted as the only interesting kind of romance to write about. I have no idea where the MC's love life goes since I'm not part of the Twilight audience, but I do know that the MC held out until she was married. This is the sort of romance I'm happy to let my daughter's read. And it is interesting in part because it's different than most of the romance that is famous these days.

Actually, I think Edward was the one who held out until they were married. I'm not part of the audience either but my impression is that he's the one fending off her advances, rather than the other way around.

Really, even though I just said I found her strangely likable, Bella is apparently kind of a horrible role model for girls in general.

 

[Ireth]

Actually, I think Edward was the one who held out until they were married. I'm not part of the audience either but my impression is that he's the one fending off her advances, rather than the other way around.

That is true. Bella only agreed to hold off until they were married so she could lose her virginity while human. Which really should have turned out worse than it did. But I digress.

For someone who apparently doesn't like horror movies, Stephenie Meyer can certainly write that kind of thing effectively. I refer, of course, to a rather infamous scene in Breaking Dawn.

 

[Steerpike]

Really, even though I just said I found her strangely likable, Bella is apparently kind of a horrible role model for girls in general.

Who says she's meant to be one?

 

[Reaver]

Wow, you're really reaching aren't you?

No.

/10 CHAR

 

[Reaver]

Who says she's meant to be one?

I agree. Just like any story, we project our own values and mores onto the characters.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Just to clarify, I don't feel that an MC has to be a role model so much as it's a nice change of pace. Something that I admire when I see it, though it would take a lot more than an extramarital affair with a vampire for an MC to get on my unlikable list.

Meyers isn't necessarily my least favorite famous author, but she's definitely high up on my not-for-me list, and what I mentioned above were two huge positives (in my opinion) that jumped into my head.

 

[Shockley]

Ed Greenwood created what, in my head, is the perfect fantasy world, full of warring gods, broad landscapes, intriguing characters, etc.

 

[SunnyE]

I have one that I just can't. I just can't no matter how hard I try. Kurt Vonnegut. *cringe* Please don't skewer me. I have for years heard his fans refer to him as one of the greatest writers of all time. I happened upon a copy of Galapagos many years ago. I did manage to get through it without clawing my eyes out for the distraction, so that was good. But it took real effort. I kept thinking, "Hmm, must be a fluke. I should try something else to give him (and his fans) the benefit of the doubt." I then read Slaughterhouse 5--a classic according to many. It was only slightly better. What did I miss? I really don't get it. Can anybody tell me specifically why people love him so much? I'm not a literary dolt, so I really should have been able to glean something out of it, but alas. I guess I do have one positive--the books were fairly short.