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Position:Home>Books & Authors> What makes a good author?Question: What makes a good author!? Anyone can write a book, but if it's a good book is a different story!. What makes great authors so great!? Their writing style!? The characters they introduce!? Or maybe a good intriguing plot!? What do you think makes your favorite author the best in your eyes!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I think that all of your points are correct!. Lets take writing style!. Most of the time, simple is better!. Long convoluted descriptions don't read well, but short concise ones do!. also, I tend to like writers who throw in a humorous line when you least expect it!. Stephen King does that!. So does John Steinbeck!. Characters!. You need to evoke emotion from your readers with respect to your characters!. Your hero and heroine's need to have flaws but possess the determination to succeed!. Your evil characters need to be loathed and hated, maybe even feared by the reader!. John Sanford comes up with truly evil characters!. So does James Lee Burke!. And who can forget the "Walkin' Dude" from Stephen King's "The Stand"!. For characters you love, try "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck!. Try not to feel a kindred spirit for Mack and the boys!. Plots!. Plots are important!. Without a well thought out plot, it is difficult to keep the reader's attention!. You must have a good story line!. There are other attention keepers such as suspense, intrigue, and the good side story!. By side story, I mean something like a budding romance between two characters that is talked about in one chapter, then not revisited till two or three chapters later!. It makes the reader keep reading to find out what happens!. A publisher would probably tell you that a good author is one who has a lot of books to write!. Publishers are not looking for the great American novel!. They are looking for the person who writes a pretty good novel, but already has the plots for several books that he/she will write in the future!. Publishers are looking for longevity!. Writers that can turn out, at least, one book a year!. Writing well, in my opinion, is a good way to live long after your gone!. You have to think awhile to remember who invented the printing press or the cotton gin, but you sure remember who wrote "Romeo and Juliette" or "Tom Sawyer" or one of the Harry Potter books!. Writing a good book is a noble endeavor!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Imagination and vocabulary The author has to have a wide imagination, and the ideal vocabulary of words for the age group and how to tell the story!. And of course, the imagination of a plot that makes each reader intrigued by the mysteriousness of the book they have to just turn the page and read the story themselves!.Www@QuestionHome@Com My OpinionWww@QuestionHome@Com *First of all your basic story should be your original and different one!. *Language is important!. *Your book should be liked by the readers to whose age group you want your story to reach!. *The readers must be able to relate themselves with the characters!. *Your view towards the story must be positive!. This makes a good author!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I myself write stories!.Www@QuestionHome@Com depends on the person reading the book!. Everyone likes different things!. But for me you have to pull me into the story like I'm actually there!. Dean Koontz does that for me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com voice!. you read one paragraph, and you say, "Ah, this is Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Hemingway" it's their unique voiceWww@QuestionHome@Com the meaningful or useful message behind the attractive story!. i think soWww@QuestionHome@Com A good writer is someone who knows what the public wants to read,like Stephanie Meyer!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |