The art and weirdness of finding a book I'll like.
I've been a reader for way longer than I have been an author.
That didn't help me much with formatting the novel or understanding what you can and can't do in terms of whose perspective this chapter is from, or even simple things like foreshadowing. I just don't pay attention to those things; I suppose I just know what I like to read.
Which brings me to - how I chose a book to read from a new author and it makes me wonder how weird I am? [Don't answer that yet]
I am really REALLY fussy. My steps are outlined below. At any point, the book can fail. If so, I put it back and move on.
1. Do I like the cover?
2. Does the back blurb interest me?
3. Has any other author I read written a comment?
4. Page 1. Word 1. Do I want to carry on reading?
5. Page 1. Sentence 1. Does it interest me?
6. Page 1. Paragraph 1. Am I still interested?
7. Page 1: The rest of the page: Am I still interested.
8. I turn to the last chapter. Repeat the above for its first page.
Only if the book passes all of those, will I buy the book.
Writing it out like that even makes me feel like I must be crazy. But I know what works for me.
So how do I apply any of my madness to my book? What can I learn from it?
A lot, I hope. Getting all those bits right. Finding people who can help me do those things I am terrible at - the book cover design, the back blurb and so on - surrounding myself with people who know what they are doing without having to think about it. For steps 1 & 2, that is, I suspect the publisher if the trad route - or a designer/editor if the indie route.
The rest is up to me as the author.
I write in a way I like to read - sometimes my sentences are short; sometimes a bit longer. My chapters are short - I want to bring the reader in and not let go. I don't spend ages describing a character because, unless it matters to the plot, I'd rather let the reader decide what they looked like or sound like. I try to move the story forward as efficiently as I can, and then, if I then have a moment of reflection or sadness, I try to let it sit with a little time for the reader to absorb. Sometimes I know I fail. But I do the best I can.
I had one early beta reader who said she wanted a moment to just take a breath, but it wasn't a criticism. Another said it was nice to read a book where strong female characters talk to each other about things other than men.
And yes, that's the kind of book I like to read.
Hopefully, I haven't messed up too much, and in an alternative universe, Pandora's Secret might be a book that would pass all 8 of my steps above, and I would walk out of the bookshop with it.