IT WENT SOUTH: What Went Wrong With Books
IT WENT SOUTH
What Went Wrong With Books
The biggest factor by far is instant gratification. It has made authors rush what would otherwise be a fantastic book. It has convinced authors to focus more on the wow factor, than the quality of prose, character development, and powerful themes. Thus, the person writing the books eagerly launches them in quick succession.
I believe all of this has pulled the author away from their craft. It has created unnecessary pressure and an obligation to remain relevant. Your relevance as an author should depend on the quality of your books. The obligation to be relevant has lead to an immense distraction. Social media. I can say from experience that I spend more time on my phone than at the keyboard. It has influenced me to include subject matter in my books that isn't who I am as a person. None of it appeals to my actual interests. These two factors may affect other authors as well, especially those starting out.
Authors ultimately need to focus more on the craft and what's in their heart. We can't allow rapid launch dates and what is popular to interfere. I know we live in a different world than forty years ago, but the mission remains the same. Write a good story. And with that an understanding of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and how we want to tell the story must be considered. This here isn't my best sentence, but my excuse is one of passion.
Passion is what fueled the legends of the past. From Ursula K. Le Guin to J.R.R. Tolkien. These legends wrote with passion and devoted their efforts to the craft. They allowed their writing to speak for them. I can't imagine my life as an author without the influence of Tolkien.
All of this leads to another problem that has affected readers on a global scale. The ability to read and comprehend. Our education system is the largest factor. The second is how we go about writing books. There is too much reliance on computer programs to fix our mistakes. An author needs to have a strong familiarity with sentence structure and word use. They need to stop overexplaining parts of their story such as a magic systems. I will admit my familiarity with sentence structure, grammar, and word use is lacking. I'm pulling from lessons in high school that are over twenty years old at this point. This leaves room for improvement. We all want to improve, and if we do, perhaps in time it will help our readers.
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