We often hear that writers should read great books, but I’ve learned just as much from books that didn’t work for me. Have you ever finished a novel and thought, “I know exactly why this didn’t work”? Can reading weak writing improve your own craft?
2 Likes
Definitely.
It’s sometimes worth reading them to learn why a bad book sells so well.
Fifty Shades of Grey never should have sold a single copy, but it did. An awful book, but the clue to its success was in the reviews.
Once, you get past the hilarious ones:
What is the safe word that will stop you from writing?
You run into a batch of them from people who enjoyed the book because they finished it in about two days.
3 Likes
Having said that, Fifty Shades … has produced one of my favourite passages to read out at our group:
I have final exams to cram for and one essay to finish, and I’m supposed to be working this afternoon, but no — today I have to drive 165 miles to downtown Seattle in order to meet the enigmatic CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc. As an exceptional entrepreneur and major benefactor of our university, his time is extraordinarily precious — much more precious than mine — but he has granted Kate an interview. A real coup, she tells me. Damn her extracurricular activities.
Priceless …
1 Like
I listened to a podcast a while back where the podcasters were talking about how various media companies decide which series they will commission.
Apple, apparently, is very selective; focussing (again, apparently) on quality above quantity. I probably watch more Apple TV regularly than any other streaming channel, with the exception of …
Netflix, apparently, is looking for series that people can watch while scrolling on their phones. … 
1 Like
Yes. Encountering books where every other line has at least one adverb on the first 3 pages tells me a lot about that book.
1 Like
All reading helps. Good books show you what to emulate, bad books show you what to avoid. Bad books are also a great defense against imposter syndrome.
This is also why critique groups can help. Seeing issues in other people’s writing can help you recognize similar problems in your own.
2 Likes
No less a personage than Alan Moore says it’s good to read terrible books:
“…a genuinely helpful reaction to a piece of work that you’re reading is: ‘Jesus Christ, I could write this shit.’”
Who am I to argue with him?
2 Likes
That’s a good point. Sometimes the biggest lesson isn’t in the prose but in understanding what keeps readers turning the pages. Even if the writing isn’t great, strong pacing or tapping into a specific audience can make a book hugely successful. There’s a lot to learn from that too.
1 Like
That opening has become a classic example of “telling” instead of letting the scene breathe. It’s memorable, just not for the reasons the author probably intended. I can see why it’s a favorite to read aloud.
1 Like
That tracks with how a lot of people consume media now. It’s an interesting shift; some stories are designed to demand your full attention, while others are built to be easy to follow in the background. As writers, it’s worth knowing which experience we’re trying to create.
1 Like
It’s amazing how quickly patterns jump out once you’ve spent time studying craft. Sometimes a page full of adverbs is enough to tell you the prose is doing too much explaining instead of letting the writing carry the weight.
1 Like
I like that distinction. Great books inspire you, while weaker ones sharpen your editorial instincts. And you’re right about critique groups too; it’s often much easier to spot a problem in someone else’s draft before you learn to catch it in your own.
1 Like
That’s a very Alan Moore way of putting it. Crude as it is, there’s a useful point underneath it: sometimes a weak book reminds you that perfection isn’t a prerequisite for finishing and putting your work out into the world.
1 Like