Books: what concerns you more “writing style” (strict Grammar adherence) or “just give me entertaining story” ?!?!?

Rather interesting exchange.

First, I wish to THANK that someone at/on The Online Book Club was kind enough to read and review my THE BOOK OF KENNEDY: PROJECT CARPE DIEM.

 

HOWEVER, it immediately raise the issue of THE TITLE OF THIS PIECE and I would really, Really, REALLY, love for some here at B4IN that are avid readers to chime-in via the comments and let me know your opinion.

Does indeed a writers STYLE vs their SUBSTANCE upset and perhaps harm the potential enjoyment you’re looking to gain from a manuscript?!?!?… Does one harm (hurt enjoyment of) the other?!?!?

 

Did your English Prof. ruin your ability to enjoy cuz (LOL, yep, word-choice, rather modern abbreviation intentional) he/she has you so hung-up on Grammar (Oxford, Chicago, or AP) Styling Guides that you find yourself rather than reading and trying enjoy the “STORY” there-in but instead/indeed now on a nit-pick hunt for what one deems “ERRORS” based upon very strict expectations that everyone try write like Shakespeare?!?!?

I am NOT going to share the READERS NOTES (that were PRIVATE) I will address via the response I gave flagged first as their “pick one” option of: The alleged errors listed by the reviewer are in the book, but most or all of them are not actual errors [question of STYLE in writing, modern versus old; some may still expect/want; old rules enforcements] in expounded response, free-form, reply section/option…

Seems the reader is hung-up on unnecessary use of the word “to” (as well as unnecessary use of an extra “a” (many places) where-as (again) STYLE difference when written like most SPEAK the unnecessary “a” not needed) where in modern parlance is implied and 99.9999% of modern readers could NOT CARE LESS about enforcing the old Grammar Rule that would DEMAND it unnecessarily be there (like you all even state about the OXFORD COMMA (which I am generally partial to actually using as IMO very important in distinctions between (this, that, and the other thing – meaning 3 separate things vs this, that and the other thing which is really TWO different things “this” and “that and the other thing”), “to” LOL pun intended here) – as stated in more than ONE SECTION of/in the book – I DO NOT even bother try enforce OXFORD, AP, or even CHICAGO, style guides – the book is WRITTEN about a MODERN GIRL, in MODERN TIMES, in MODERN AMERICAN ENGLISH. So perhaps the Reviewer may prefer SHAKESPEARE, he/she should stick to those WHO WISH WRITE LIKE SHAKESPEARE of which I go OUT OF MY WAY (again) to say THE BOOK IS NOT WRITTEN LIKE THAT. Indeed, an errant “space” is less than “desired” and I Thank them for pointing that out as well as I’d caught myself a missing closing Quotation mark (I know of someone with a first-edition of Stephen King book with errors, can happen to ANYONE, sadly sometimes things can/do get past several sets of eyes as it is never the same as seeing it in actual final print). Other than that, again, if I’ve not made abundantly clear, this is a STYLE issue and my/this writing (also state there-in NOT like my other writings) may not be everyone’s “cup of tea” and OH WELL that is “how it goes!”

 

Personally, I’m betting he/she an OXFORD adherence Editor who gets paid by the word – loves extra unnecessary verbiage.

I received ZERO feedback on the “STORY” itself. To me, in-my-opinion, at least when I read, it is the “STORY” that matters. Was THAT any good? Whether one agrees with any poinit and sub-points as part of the “STORY” or not was it indeed at least “interesting” enough to keep them reading.

This whole thing reminds me of another “STYLE” disagreement. Someone gave me an “official Amazon review” for TERROR STRIKES: COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU that they didn’t think there was enough dialogue in the book. See that review https://TerrorStrikes.info/reviews and as well someone else who felt compelled to leave a counter-review of that persons review about such – that nowhere had I ever “PROMISED” there was a lot of dialogue in the book so “SORRY” but that is a “STYLE” disagreement and if they (somehow, someway, have a valid thought on how/why they were expecting something never promised) WHAT DID THEY ACTUALLY THINK OF THE OVERALL STORY?!?!? The thing, at least IMO, I dare so many if not most others too, WAS THE STORY GOOD AT ALL OR NOT in someone’s opinion and WHY they think that way (not just some ad hom more personal attack devoid of real substance of/in the review itself)?!?!?

That review from TS concerned me so much that the Amazon description and back of the printed book addresses it – saying:

LIFE and LIVING.. Affirming all LIVES have meaning, purpose, value – whether one sees it oneself daily or NOT! Join KENNEDY as she navigates The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Life – and trying to maintain positivity through it all.

​From the book.. chapter 4..
..Dwelling on the mundane, or even clearly happens from time to time bad or negative days, or those good times – in the “math” of life so-to-speak were “good deeds and good days” perhaps worth a larger value in the overall equation getting to that balance-sheet sum-total? The day to day, a butterfly effect, the small smiles shown to another that made their day better..

Note from the author: I want to state as a warning: this book contains not one line of dialogue. I feel it important to say that because a reviewer of my “TERROR STRIKES: COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU” novel once wrote that she didn’t think there was enough dialogue in it. Well in all interviews I’d ever given regarding that book I never promised it to be a dialogue laden book. In fact that while having some dialogue it is heavy narrative style – as this book is entirely in narration style –   versus Plato’s Dialogues, Philip Roth’s “Deception,” Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” which known for extensive use of dialogue [courtesy of asking Google for that answer].

Therefore, it is with a heavy heart, I have to NOT RECOMMEND (and when does anyone ever anywhere want to NOT RECOMMEND their books?!?! LOL) my other latest novelette A SHORT STORY: A LASTING LEGACY? book to him/her – WHY? Well, that book too is “different” and while I am not the first (nor will be last) to us a “Journal entries” type delivery to portray that story and they’ll also not be “happy” with that style/delivery.

[A SHORT STORY: A LASTING LEGACY? images (as long as they will display, B4IN strips images from articles after 1 year and moving them to Archive Servers to save space) in order above: Kindle eBook version cover, Softcopy cover edition, and lastly Hardcover version/edition.]

 

https://JosephMLenard.us/shop 
https://tinyurl.com/JLDonAMAZON

 

As for the rest of you (I RECOMMEND) hope you’ll consider buying and reading TBOK:PCD and A SHORT STORY: A LASTING LEGACY? (again, despite “short story” in title, it is a novelette, unlike my very latest and REALLY STRANGE “Is ET Really Here?: A Really Short Story” book).

 

Let me know your thoughts about this article, the topic, any of the books mentioned here-in, or whatever, via comments here on B4IN and/or via my site: https://JosephMLenard.us/contact.