Hello, amazing fellow creatives! Here’s to more fun perusing the library’s new releases to see what strikes our fancy. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve retitled Story Cuppings to better fit the premise of the podcast.
As writers, we hear all the time that we’ve got to hook readers in just the first few pages or else. We’ve got to hook agents in the first few pages or else.
Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.JEFF GERKE, THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES
Well then, let’s study those first few pages in other people’s stories, shall we?
Today I snagged from the New Release shelf:
I’m not going to type up my little meandering to the question “Why I don’t read literary fiction” here for you, but I will say that the first pages of French Braid by Anne Tyler reinforce the feelings I describe in that meander.
If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the podcast here.
To be blunt, I like knowing what I am getting into, and genres give me that sense. Literary fiction can go to any old place, and for some folks, they just want to enjoy that journey. Good for them! Nothing wrong with that, especially with a writer like Anne Tyler. Her prose here is easy on the eyes and ears, and the personality of the narrator comes through in these little parenthetical asides that made me smile now and then.
This book, though, is a family drama with events spanning decades. For some folks, that’s all they want in a story. For me, not so much. And while the characters I meet in the first few pages are perfect fits for a family drama, they also, frankly, could fit into any genre fiction’s opener, and that kind of generic impression put me off as a writer.
As always, I love hearing what’s on the shelves of your own libraries. Libraries Rock!
Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!
Jean Lee's World 
Anne Tyler almost always writes about family drama. It begins to wear thin.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am with you there! Sometimes I like to immerse myself in stuff, but other times I just need a break. We all deserve that variety of storytelling, and as a writer, I don’t know how one can keep writing one kind of story without just retreading old ground. That would get stale, too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah, I think that’s why I can’t get into literary fiction (I have complete respect for it, and for the readers of literary fiction) but because a) it’s too close to real life and b) all the DRAMA. I just can’t bear it. Sometimes I even want to go in and make everything better for everybody, which sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it? I mean, what was that book by Sally Rooney? *goes off to look it up* Ah, Normal People. I mean, that book HAUNTED me for WEEKS. It just killed me. (I can’t watch TV/film dramas either.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes yes yes, I hear you! And it’s not like family dramas can’t play important roles in other stories that include adventure, mystery, fantasy, and so on. Relationship conflicts can be compelling, but when that’s ALL that’s present to compel us? Blech, no thank you. As you say, we deal with that enough in real life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes yes yes yes 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Often your own family is enough family drama for anyone. I reread a classic last night, The Gruffalo. No family drama there. Maybe a little in The Gruffalo Child.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, The Gruffalo! I’ve been missing Olivia lately, but we did get back into some Oliver Jeffers. He’s always a fun author to visit. 🙂
LikeLike