It was nowhere near as bad as I expected. I found it a bit dull through the middle and found it easy to put to one side while I read half a dozen other books and a few comic series. It got a bit confusing in the middle, probably due to my lack of application and just not giving too much of a monkeys how things went.
In the end, as is usually the case, I steamed through the last third and got into it, but still didn't feel too much about it, one way or the other.
Rather than rattle on about it, I'll just say that I wouldn't advise avoiding Dreamcatcher, I'd just recommend blasting through it and not taking four months.
Black House is next. I thought The Talisman was a bit shit. Wish me luck.
Tuesday 26 August 2014
Friday 7 March 2014
On Writing: 26th Feb - 3rd Mar 2014
I wasn't exactly dying to read this. The last of King's non-fiction that I read, Danse Macabre, didn't set my world on fire. While I dig his conversational tone, it didn't take me long to lose interest and succumb to the desire to press on with the fiction.
Similarly as with The Plant, I was in two minds whether to bother reading it at all. Laura - Devouring Texts helped
sway me towards reading it with her positive review and position that anything that delayed moving on to Dreamcatcher is a good thing.
So, On Writing... It's nice and short, split into two parts (autobiographical highlights that may explain how he ended up being the type of writer he is and advice on how to be a better writer). As I
said earlier, his conversational tone is eminently readable and his advice makes sense. Having tried my hand at writing before now and giving it up, I wasn't approaching it with a 'yes!!! give me answers so I can be an awesome writer and get paid/laid'. It did convince me that
I'm not cut out for it though, which is helpful in a different way. Quickly getting fed up of the sound of your own voice isn't a winning
attribute.
The section on editing gave me pause. I've written half a dozen or so short stories with the following process:
Longhand first draft, type up second draft/edit, let my wife read it and make any changes based on her comments. They were then 'published' in an online magazine and read by no one. After reading On Writing, I've considered giving them a proper edit using the -10%
rule and the approach King takes in the example extract. We'll have to see if I can be arsed though.
Dreamcatcher is next. I've heard almost nothing but bad things (also about the film). I know nothing about the book so am harbouring a secret hope that it's not that it's actually bad, but rather, it just isn't to everyone's taste and I'll be one of the few who love it. Don't worry, it's only a glimmer of a hope.
First things first, though, I'm reading Dan Rhodes' new book, When the Professor got Stuck in the Snow. I love him. I'm also still on with working through Joanne Harris' works. She's lovely.
Similarly as with The Plant, I was in two minds whether to bother reading it at all. Laura - Devouring Texts helped
sway me towards reading it with her positive review and position that anything that delayed moving on to Dreamcatcher is a good thing.
So, On Writing... It's nice and short, split into two parts (autobiographical highlights that may explain how he ended up being the type of writer he is and advice on how to be a better writer). As I
said earlier, his conversational tone is eminently readable and his advice makes sense. Having tried my hand at writing before now and giving it up, I wasn't approaching it with a 'yes!!! give me answers so I can be an awesome writer and get paid/laid'. It did convince me that
I'm not cut out for it though, which is helpful in a different way. Quickly getting fed up of the sound of your own voice isn't a winning
attribute.
The section on editing gave me pause. I've written half a dozen or so short stories with the following process:
Longhand first draft, type up second draft/edit, let my wife read it and make any changes based on her comments. They were then 'published' in an online magazine and read by no one. After reading On Writing, I've considered giving them a proper edit using the -10%
rule and the approach King takes in the example extract. We'll have to see if I can be arsed though.
Dreamcatcher is next. I've heard almost nothing but bad things (also about the film). I know nothing about the book so am harbouring a secret hope that it's not that it's actually bad, but rather, it just isn't to everyone's taste and I'll be one of the few who love it. Don't worry, it's only a glimmer of a hope.
First things first, though, I'm reading Dan Rhodes' new book, When the Professor got Stuck in the Snow. I love him. I'm also still on with working through Joanne Harris' works. She's lovely.
Wednesday 26 February 2014
The Plant: 9th Jan - 25th Feb 2014
What a surprise, I took my sweet time with a book, got distracted by others, lost momentum and ended up not caring for it all that much.
It didn't particularly help that, with it being unfinished, I was in two minds whether to bother reading it in the first place. My mind was made up after tweets from fellow Stephen King reader/blogger extraordinaire Laura, of Devouring Texts fame, where she offered the perspective that anything that gets in the way of reading Dreamcatcher must be worth a look.
I didn't dig it. I was so much more interested in embarking on a long overdue Joanne Harris binge and also finally got around to reading my favourite author, Dan Rhodes' last book This Is Life. I suck. On all fronts.
It's no that The Plant was shit. There were a few flashes of awesomeness, just not many.
The 'unfinished' element doesn't really bother me because it does stop at a logical point and I've read stories with intended endings that were much weaker than this.
It didn't particularly help that, with it being unfinished, I was in two minds whether to bother reading it in the first place. My mind was made up after tweets from fellow Stephen King reader/blogger extraordinaire Laura, of Devouring Texts fame, where she offered the perspective that anything that gets in the way of reading Dreamcatcher must be worth a look.
I didn't dig it. I was so much more interested in embarking on a long overdue Joanne Harris binge and also finally got around to reading my favourite author, Dan Rhodes' last book This Is Life. I suck. On all fronts.
It's no that The Plant was shit. There were a few flashes of awesomeness, just not many.
The 'unfinished' element doesn't really bother me because it does stop at a logical point and I've read stories with intended endings that were much weaker than this.
So, smashing my way through On Writing is next, followed by Dreamcatcher, a book about which I've heard nothing but bad things. Exciting.
Tuesday 18 February 2014
S is for Stephen King...
This blog makes me wish I'd kept up with learning Greek :'(
http://sfstephenking.blogspot.gr/
http://sfstephenking.blogspot.gr/
Thursday 9 January 2014
Hearts in Atlantis: 28th Aug 2013 - 8th Jan 2014
I really don't know what took me so long. The first story (Low Men in Yellow Coats) didn't really grab me but I made my way through it and just sort of stalled halfway through the second (Hearts in Atlantis).
Considering that this was around two-thirds of the way through the book as a whole, you'd have thought I'd just power on and get through it. But no...I'll just read a few comics...oh and maybe a series of novels too. Oh, and then I spent a few weeks catching up on Dexter, wrote and rough-recorded some acoustic tunes. Altogether, no real excuse. It just didn't set my world on fire.
Next up is The Plant. The fact that it's unfinished sways me towards thinking it's probably a bit shit. I almost want it to be, as it would be easier to deal with the lack if conclusion. Let's find out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)