Interesting Review
I know authors aren't supposed to respond to reviews, but there's a new reader-review up on Crossover's Amazon site that gives me a few talking points. It's actually a pretty good review, despite only giving three stars... from reading the text alone, I'd have thought it was a four-star. So I'm not going to trash the writer, I'm actually quite happy with it.
Anyhow, firstly something I'm not sure is my fault or not... he says he's fascinated that Vanessa Rice has a five year hetero/homosexual cycle. Um... she's kidding. This raises one of those tricky dilemmas as an author -- how much do you spell out? This is one of those problems that arises perhaps because people are reading in 'science fiction mode', and assume Vanessa's being literal. But I don't want to explain out the context too much, to explain that she's kidding, because if I did that with Vanessa, every second sentence would be followed by an explanation. Vanessa's joke is that she's bi-sexual, she's been married to a man for a few years, few of her relationships last, and she's putting her current relationship problems down to the fact that she's getting sick of men and wants a woman again. Thus, kidding about her hetero/homo cycle, as she calls it.
The reviewer also likes the holdovers, like paperback books... I never understood why some SF writers thought they would disappear, myself. In an infotech-heavy society like Tanusha, I see books as becoming stylishly retro, not just as ornamental furnishing (although full bookshelves are used for that purpose today) but also as a counter-movement against the excesses of too much fast data. Like how MacDonalds-style fast food is being countered in places like Italy with a 'slow food' movement, meaning... well, exactly what you'd think it would, in Italy -- pasta, wine, salad, good company and 'What's the damn rush?!' Societies are different from economies -- in economics, efficiency is everything. Society, however, often values the inefficient. That's not always a bad thing.
The reviewer then names some stylistic issues... I've noticed some people have an issue with my style, but luckily most seem to be cool with it. For example, he names 'fragments' as something he has a problem with here... a lot of that comes from writing from Sandy's (Cassandra's) point of view. How do you convey the experience of processing so much information at once, as Sandy does? When someone perceives twenty different sources within the space of a sentence, you have to leap around a lot, within the one sentence, to convey the sensation. Yeah, the grammar and punctuation can sometimes take a beating, but a lot of people have told me they like it, too, that it gets them inside Sandy's head.
The mirror. I've never been to writing school (save a bit of creative writing at uni a long time ago) and I don't think there's a 'rule' most good writers couldn't find a good reason to break. Yes, Sandy does look at herself in a mirror in the opening scene... but I don't really describe what she looks like, because that's not the point. The point is that Sandy looks in the mirror because that's what she'd do. She's new in town, she's looking at herself and wondering if she'll fit in, if anyone will pick her as something odd, and how she'll manage in this new life she's created for herself. And because she is, in human terms, young, naive, and somewhat visually fixated -- she likes looking at things, anything stimulating or curious, it's just what she's like, and hard to explain unless you know her like I do. This is why I hate 'writing rules'... if the mirror rule means characters have to flee shrieking at the sight of a mirror for the rest of literary history, that's a bit silly. There are many things one can do with mirrors besides annoy readers by having characters observe their faces in them.
And the reviewer says the opening chapter's a little slow... if that's his only pacing problem, that's cool. Others have told me they like the first chapter for doing what it does... it's just one of those things people will have different opinions of. But I think I had to open the story like that, because it demonstrates what Sandy's come to Tanusha in hopes of finding -- peace, and the hope of happiness. Thus adding to the power when it's smashed... and yes, chapter two is not for the squeamish. I'd explain why, but that would involve serious spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it. But it's there for a reason too.
Anyhow, as I said, I liked the review, and don't mind well intentioned criticism at all, because it encourages me to justify my creative decisions. Like this.
Anyhow, firstly something I'm not sure is my fault or not... he says he's fascinated that Vanessa Rice has a five year hetero/homosexual cycle. Um... she's kidding. This raises one of those tricky dilemmas as an author -- how much do you spell out? This is one of those problems that arises perhaps because people are reading in 'science fiction mode', and assume Vanessa's being literal. But I don't want to explain out the context too much, to explain that she's kidding, because if I did that with Vanessa, every second sentence would be followed by an explanation. Vanessa's joke is that she's bi-sexual, she's been married to a man for a few years, few of her relationships last, and she's putting her current relationship problems down to the fact that she's getting sick of men and wants a woman again. Thus, kidding about her hetero/homo cycle, as she calls it.
The reviewer also likes the holdovers, like paperback books... I never understood why some SF writers thought they would disappear, myself. In an infotech-heavy society like Tanusha, I see books as becoming stylishly retro, not just as ornamental furnishing (although full bookshelves are used for that purpose today) but also as a counter-movement against the excesses of too much fast data. Like how MacDonalds-style fast food is being countered in places like Italy with a 'slow food' movement, meaning... well, exactly what you'd think it would, in Italy -- pasta, wine, salad, good company and 'What's the damn rush?!' Societies are different from economies -- in economics, efficiency is everything. Society, however, often values the inefficient. That's not always a bad thing.
The reviewer then names some stylistic issues... I've noticed some people have an issue with my style, but luckily most seem to be cool with it. For example, he names 'fragments' as something he has a problem with here... a lot of that comes from writing from Sandy's (Cassandra's) point of view. How do you convey the experience of processing so much information at once, as Sandy does? When someone perceives twenty different sources within the space of a sentence, you have to leap around a lot, within the one sentence, to convey the sensation. Yeah, the grammar and punctuation can sometimes take a beating, but a lot of people have told me they like it, too, that it gets them inside Sandy's head.
The mirror. I've never been to writing school (save a bit of creative writing at uni a long time ago) and I don't think there's a 'rule' most good writers couldn't find a good reason to break. Yes, Sandy does look at herself in a mirror in the opening scene... but I don't really describe what she looks like, because that's not the point. The point is that Sandy looks in the mirror because that's what she'd do. She's new in town, she's looking at herself and wondering if she'll fit in, if anyone will pick her as something odd, and how she'll manage in this new life she's created for herself. And because she is, in human terms, young, naive, and somewhat visually fixated -- she likes looking at things, anything stimulating or curious, it's just what she's like, and hard to explain unless you know her like I do. This is why I hate 'writing rules'... if the mirror rule means characters have to flee shrieking at the sight of a mirror for the rest of literary history, that's a bit silly. There are many things one can do with mirrors besides annoy readers by having characters observe their faces in them.
And the reviewer says the opening chapter's a little slow... if that's his only pacing problem, that's cool. Others have told me they like the first chapter for doing what it does... it's just one of those things people will have different opinions of. But I think I had to open the story like that, because it demonstrates what Sandy's come to Tanusha in hopes of finding -- peace, and the hope of happiness. Thus adding to the power when it's smashed... and yes, chapter two is not for the squeamish. I'd explain why, but that would involve serious spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it. But it's there for a reason too.
Anyhow, as I said, I liked the review, and don't mind well intentioned criticism at all, because it encourages me to justify my creative decisions. Like this.
4 Comments:
Man, I knew a cute, exotic Chilean-Iranian-American gal once who seemed to have a 5 year hetero/homo cycle. I was on the wrong cycle :(
But less disturbing than when the cycle switches just when she happens to meet you... :-}
I'm glad you found the review interesting, despite the three stars. I've had quite a few people say they're interested in reading your book thanks to that review. :)
And by the way, I'm a "she". :) Curious, though: what about the review gave you the assumption I was a guy? I've had this happen before, so curiosity is starting to get to me. :)
Hi Joel,
I'm just 1/2 way through Crossover now and really liking it. I have to admit that I had the same reaction as Calico Reaction - I thought the cycle thing was meant to be taken literally - and it was kinda bugging me because it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the world - ie its advanced but not switching-genders advanced. So its good to see the explanation here.
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