Ernest Hemingway:

As Ernest Hemingway once said...
'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.'

Friday, June 08, 2012

I couldn't put it down!

I'm going to take a break from the 28 day writing challenge prompts to pose a question. Recently, a few lovely folks finished reading my novel. Not only am I extremely grateful for the feedback, and to know people enjoy it, but I'm happy to have shared this bit of my life with them. They knew I wrote, but never saw anything. So that feels good.


Anyway, here's my question.


When people read your novel in a few days, saying they absolutely couldn't put it down, how does that make you feel?


Obviously it makes me happy. To have someone read and enjoy - devour, actually - my work, it's fantastic. I'm a fast reader, so I know what it's like to read a book really quickly. Of course I read everything like this so I can't really answer the second part of my question.


If it reads that fast, is that a bad thing? Does it mean my novel is too simple? It's contemporary fiction, so it's based in the real world, so there aren't any new worlds to learn or new vocab or anything like that. There really isn't much to pore over other than the decisions made by the characters. So does that mean it leads itself to quicker reading?


I'm torn. On one hand, of course it makes me happy to get this kind of feedback. On the other hand, I worry it's too simple, too straightforward.


What do you guys think? Anyone have this experience?

2 comments:

R Chazz Chute said...

Funny, just wrote on this in my blog. Can't put it down is a great thing.

Julie Frayn said...

I think 'can't put it down' is exactly what I want to hear. One beta reader told me he was gulping down the pages just past the 1/3 point. Fantastic! Gulp away...