Maybe it Was the Enormous Red Bull I Was Drinking, but I Doubt it.

[create_destiny]

Dear Cormac McCarthy,

If you want me to read your National Book Award-winning trilogy that begins with All the Pretty Horses, then in the beginning, when you are introducing your characters to your readers, do not make it so freaking difficult to figure out who is telling the damn story. Because, look, when you introduce new characters, and don't give the reader any threads of comprehension as to how they are related or who the frell is speaking, then your average Mtv generation reader will give up about 10 pages in. Life is too short to read books that frustrate and bore me. For you, and for superhappytime and 1gr8poetess and for the sake of my own damn ego and love of great literature and also for my budding love of the Texas/Mexico border I gave you a second chance. I went back and re-read the first 10 pages right after I read them and was still confused and bored. If that's all part of your style or whatever, then that's fine. Just know that one girl in Northern California is gonna quit your book and talk smack about you in her Attention Deficit-addled blog.

Comments

[raingirl26.livejournal.com]

Being married to a poet I have all sorts of opinions about all kinds of writers, BUT you have to go with what works for you. I'm not against things being confusing (though I do have to be in the right mood to confront it) but I am against being bored for many pages. My guess is that the boredom kept you from being able to deal with the confusion. No sweat, there are plenty of authors out there. (But I'm not sure one should be against someone as a writer just because one doesn't like that style of writing, just be against it for you.)

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

I'm not even against the style, it's just that there needs to be something that draws me in, even if I don't know who is talking or if things are confusing, I'm fine with that, just draw me in.

[raingirl26.livejournal.com]

Now I'm feeling like I want to read the first 10 pages myself to see if there is anything that would draw me in. Hmmm, is this how that saying of 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' works?