Apparently to write well I just need to be reading the right things. Dry computer magazines and straightforward prose doesn't cut it. I need something a bit hysterical and half-spoken, with a tone that energises my brain and gets my thoughts bubbling. Something with descriptive, poetic phrases that make you linger for a second and take it in, not because it's so beautiful but because you're absorbing the subtle imagery, good or bad. Shadow of the Mothaship by Cory Doctorow is like that.
Mokalus of Borg
PS - I think part of the appeal is the non-standard vocabulary.
PPS - But that trick has to be done well to work properly.
2 comments:
That's interesting, because that's exactly the kind of writing I've become interested in recently - particularly since coming home from Kenya.
It's not enough anymore to have a good solid story - there has to be some subtext, and it has to be interestingly written.
The Time Traveller's Wife is my ultimate in terms of that kind of book - plus it's an interesting story. I'm currently reading 'The Alchemy of Desire' which isn't as good, but still good, if you know what I mean.
Maybe I'll check them out sometime.
I agree (of course) that writing is more engaging if there's something under the surface to pull out. It's harder to write, but that's to be expected when you're aiming high.
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