How Do I Tell Someone His Book Sucks? - Page 2 - Writers Forum

lin · 05-10-2008, 10:59 AM

Wait a minute... what can a character speak in, if not first person?

Ungood · 05-10-2008, 11:26 AM

My advice is critique the hell out of it.

Slap him with the skinny, the Good, the Bad, the Bland and the Great. Don't go skimpy, break out the big ass red marker and go to town on the shit he gave you.

Make sure to point out the Good and the Suck with equal vigor and enthusiasm. If the plot is good, tell him, if the events rock and it flows as a story line, tell him. if his grammar sucks hard and his MC is stiffer then a ceramic dildo tell him.

Don't go into this with the idea that you have to "be a friend" you need to get your mind down a gear and think: "What would I want someone to tell me"

Then go to town on it.

He will admire you for your honesty and because you were willing to be open about the suck parts of it, it makes the prise worth that much more.

If you say "this is good" right along with "This is bad" he knows you are not hiding things from him or patty caking the critique, your not glossing the bad parts and your not making up the good. He might hate it, but in the end, he will trust it.

It might take a year or two and then he will be like "Man your the only one I trust" had that happen to me. Be blunt and be honest.

If he is too thin skinned to take that, then he was never meant to be an author in the first place, you gotta be able to take it to be survive in this world.

Ungood.

mi is happy · 05-12-2008, 06:23 PM

Maybe they just talk about themselves El Gallo(Lin)!
"Guess what I did this weekend? I went to the park with my boyfriend and we made out all over the benches."
"Well I went boating down the Colorado River and my best friend died. It was pretty sweet!"
"Well I....."
And it goes on and on and on. Ugh! My description sounds like these boys who keep trying to brag to me. "I lifted 10 pounds today because my arms have no muscles."

lin · 05-12-2008, 07:06 PM

I'd suggest sublety in dealing the the guy whose book sucks. Let's call him "Jones".

Next time your in your writing group say, "Anybody here whose got a book that doesn't suck raise your hand."

"Not so fast, there, Jones."

mi is happy · 05-12-2008, 07:08 PM

Haha!

Tiamat10 · 05-12-2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

I'd suggest sublety in dealing the the guy whose book sucks. Let's call him "Jones".

Next time your in your writing group say, "Anybody here whose got a book that doesn't suck raise your hand."

"Not so fast, there, Jones."

LOL!

HarryG · 05-13-2008, 03:00 PM

I will try anything to avoid being asked to review someone's book in the first place, and explain to them that I'm a writer, not a critic, or reviewer. If forced to by family or friends, and it's happened a lot, then I'll praise it if I think it's good, or give a nondescript answer.

I have had books published and I have been paid for selling a decent amount of them, but who the hell am I to tell someone new whether or not he or she will be a successful writer?

I couldn't even read more than the first page of some recently released books that have sold in their millions, so how could I rubbish someone's work? I wouldn't because I simply don't know enough.

lin · 05-13-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

or give a nondescript answer.

Interesting.

I can see you've put some real work into this and it shows.

Cool, so what's your next project?

Look, isn't that Hailey's comet up there?

Katastrof · 05-13-2008, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

I'd suggest sublety in dealing the the guy whose book sucks. Let's call him "Jones".

Next time your in your writing group say, "Anybody here whose got a book that doesn't suck raise your hand."

"Not so fast, there, Jones."

I just gotta say, you made my year lin.

HarryG · 05-13-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

Interesting.

I can see you've put some real work into this and it shows.

Cool, so what's your next project?

Look, isn't that Hailey's comet up there?

You're making them too strong, Lin. It fucks up your joined-up writing.

Remedy · 05-13-2008, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryG

I couldn't even read more than the first page of some recently released books that have sold in their millions, so how could I rubbish someone's work?

That's around what I was thinking. There are some very successful books that I absolutely can't stand; I think they really suck, but apparently the masses disagree.

Unfortunately, there's no way to get out of that situation without feelings being hurt and/or coming across as more positive than you really are. I have a friend who writes badly as well, but she's passoniate; she asked me to review her works once, but then she forgot, which was fortunate, because I would have had to tell her what I really thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

Wait a minute... what can a character speak in, if not first person?

I was thinking it might be one of those ones where all the narrative is written first person from different characters. You know those ones that change who's the viewpoint from chapter to chapter? Either that or it's something along the line of (quick, sucky example, but it gets the point across):
I felt sick. "Why did you do it?"
I smiled; I knew he would feel that way. "Because I wanted to."
I jumped in. "You're lying!"
I still felt sick. "No, he's not."

You get my point, I hope. Three different characters all narrating in first person POV.

starseed · 05-14-2008, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

"Maybe your talent isn't in writing. Maybe it lies in the area of committing suicide."

I just almost died laughing. Thank you.

Raging_Hopeful · 05-15-2008, 12:52 AM

Quote:

"Maybe your talent isn't in writing. Maybe it lies in the area of committing suicide."

Lin let's have babies. Lots of angry and hilarious babies.

I almost spit up on my boss.

edropus · 05-15-2008, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete_C

Sadly, soft-soaping the issue is not only lying to him, but you're further adding to the delusion that one day he might make it. You're increasing the pain for the time when the inevitable fall comes, and then he'll know you were bullshitting him anyway then.

I've seen people destroyed because they've been led on by friends and family. They waste their lives on some misguided mission, and those that shied away from telling them the truth can't give them their time back. They're responsible for wasting someone's life, and you only get one of them. Is that what you want to do?

Often, people keep quiet to "support" their friends, but it's actually because they haven't got the balls to be a real friend and front up with the truth. Instead, they lie and mislead them to make themselves feel better.

You won't like it, but the fairest thing to do is to say: "Your book, it's shit. Give it up." Sometimes it needs to be said; it's fairest all round. No one ever said life was fair, or nice all of the time. You (and He) have to accept that; either that or you can just yank his string because it gets you off the hook.

If he doesn't like it, he won't talk to you again. That's life. It's better to be honest and disliked than fuck with someone's head and make them believe something that won't come to fruition.

If you're looking for an answer that'll help you, I seriously consider you listen to the above. Best advice I've seen on this forum so far.

I don't necessarily agree with the part where you should tell him to give up, but if he's really that bad, you need to be completely honest. If he has the nuts to take this personally and use it as motivation to keep writing or rewrite the whole thing he might have a chance in the long run. If this makes him just give up, he was never going to make it anyway.

starseed · 05-15-2008, 12:16 PM

I read a "book" (ugh) by a guy, it wasn't published or anything but he was sure it was going to be published and he would be set for life.

It was written like:

I saw Susie and she had some drugs so we did the drugs and then the police came and I ran and she got arrested so I had nowhere to stay and was out on the street.

Two weeks later I saw her again I guess she got out it was weird.

Then a couple months later I started hooking up with this other girl and it was really crazy and the whole thing just made me realize I loved Jesus.

Jesus is Lord Jesus is Lord!"

^Seriously thats how his whole "book" was. He told his life story in like 10 pages, just like that and the whole thing was interrupted with random preaching about Jesus.

I walked around terrified for awhile that he was going to ask my opinion on it. Luckily for me he seemed to think it was so good he didn't even consider someone might not have liked it, and he never asked.

He claimed it was being published. Interesting.