How to tell an author you don’t like their book

Mette Harrison wrote a blog about how various authors respond when they read a book, don’t like it, and then the book’s author asks them directly what they thought of the book.  Here’s my response. As an author when I ask someone, especially another author, about their experience with my story, I’m looking for a data

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Read and report for effect, not rule compliance

At a recent writer’s conference I was on a panel and someone asked what the pros and cons of writing groups were.  Writing groups can save AND kill your writing. So beware. Workshop Benefits Writing groups are great for: Encouragement Deadline motivation Having fun with other authors Getting a chance to think about and discuss craft Testing

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Is 90% of everything really crap?

Whenever you talk in speculative fiction circles about quality writing you will inevitably hear someone cite Sturgeon’s Law. Theodore Sturgeon, a science fiction writer, defended science fiction against critics of the genre who said that 90% of science fiction was crap by saying that 90% of everything–film, literature, consumer goods, etc.–was crap. Therefore, pointing out that

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