Eldon Farrell's Blog: The Writer's Craft - Posts Tagged "writing"
Book Talk - What do you prefer?
This week I thought I'd take a stab at sparking a discussion here on The Writer's Craft.
We all read books (or else you wouldn't be here right?) but the question is what type of narratives do you prefer in your fiction reading? Do you love reading the ultra-detailed, incredibly accurate story or do you prefer a little more imagination in your reading?
Obviously your answer will depend somewhat upon the genre of book you read but no matter the genre, every story can either be described as realistic or unrealistic. Even with sci-fi and fantasy, stories are either grounded in scientific theory or plainly the territory of the author's wild imagination.
As a thriller fan I personally prefer stories that have enough realism to be believable but are not full of technical jargon and procedures that may be factual but add little to the overall story. For example, it's enough for me to be shown the CSI working a crime scene...I don't need to know each step they take in processing the scene.
The book I'm currently reading falls into this category. Shari Lapena does a masterful job writing her lead detective in The Couple Next Door.
Reading the scenes involving Detective Rasbach you're left feeling as if Lapena were an insider; owning a complete understanding of police procedure. This may or may not be the case but either way the minutia of police procedure never fully takes center stage in this book; the details never get in the way of the narrative. You're provided with enough detail to believe in the realism of the story but not so much that it overwhelms you. It's a novel after all...not a procedural handbook.
In the end I guess I'm just a big believer in the old adage; never let the truth get in the way of a good story :) If an idea works for the story that is being told I don't think it should be tossed out simply because it doesn't accurately reflect the real world. If I'm reading fiction, I give the author a little creative licence.
But that's just me and my opinion; I'm far more interested in your opinions. So I put it to you my followers...details or imagination - you decide!
We all read books (or else you wouldn't be here right?) but the question is what type of narratives do you prefer in your fiction reading? Do you love reading the ultra-detailed, incredibly accurate story or do you prefer a little more imagination in your reading?
Obviously your answer will depend somewhat upon the genre of book you read but no matter the genre, every story can either be described as realistic or unrealistic. Even with sci-fi and fantasy, stories are either grounded in scientific theory or plainly the territory of the author's wild imagination.
As a thriller fan I personally prefer stories that have enough realism to be believable but are not full of technical jargon and procedures that may be factual but add little to the overall story. For example, it's enough for me to be shown the CSI working a crime scene...I don't need to know each step they take in processing the scene.
The book I'm currently reading falls into this category. Shari Lapena does a masterful job writing her lead detective in The Couple Next Door.
Reading the scenes involving Detective Rasbach you're left feeling as if Lapena were an insider; owning a complete understanding of police procedure. This may or may not be the case but either way the minutia of police procedure never fully takes center stage in this book; the details never get in the way of the narrative. You're provided with enough detail to believe in the realism of the story but not so much that it overwhelms you. It's a novel after all...not a procedural handbook.
In the end I guess I'm just a big believer in the old adage; never let the truth get in the way of a good story :) If an idea works for the story that is being told I don't think it should be tossed out simply because it doesn't accurately reflect the real world. If I'm reading fiction, I give the author a little creative licence.
But that's just me and my opinion; I'm far more interested in your opinions. So I put it to you my followers...details or imagination - you decide!
