We all know about hack writers. Their work is of poor quality and some are quite prolific. But hack writer =/= writer I don’t like. What are some hacks you enjoy and which one’s you can’t stand?
My favorite hack is Dan Brown, his Robert Langdon series are a guilty pleasure of mine (though Origins was too terrible with the recycled plot). Langdon is a Mary Sue and his plots are so over the top I can’t take seriously while also being a page turner.
One I can’t stand is Paulo Coelho, who is unfortunately Brazil’s most famous writer abroad. So pretentious, and some people take it way too seriously, the alchemist reads like an YA novel. Another one is Reddit’s darling Neil Gaiman.
Let’s discuss the best and worst among the Terrible and Untalented
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I still enjoy Stephen King I find hes good at doing quick characterization (which helps both in his short stories and getting you invested early on in his longer books) and always has some bat shit stuff going on. I used to like Chuck Palahniuk but he's basically written the same book for most of his career minus a few odd balls like Haunted. I find Bret Easton Elli's total writing career to be better.
Its funny I've never read a Neil Gaiman book and have only read his comics. That's what I think of him as, a comic book writer. Hes finally gotten around to finishing his Miracleman series and its pretty disappointing. One issue of 6 he's doing for this miniseries was a reprint of a classic miracleman story which took up 80% of the issue, which is so lame when gaiman had bragged about the last 12 issues of his Miracleman fun being fully planned out before the book was cancelled. You'd think that would mean he'd just have to write the scripts or edit the concepts a bit, but he can't even be assed to write a full 22 pages. I guess Gaiman was smart to jump from comics when he did as now he's know as a novelist rather then a comic book writer whereas despite Alan Moore being a way better writer he'll always be a comic writer even as he's jumping fully into novels.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Your pulitzer's in the mail
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
from what I've gathered, Gaiman is pure ideas guy with much worse execution. If you read a Gaiman synopsis, you get the best version of his writing and should leave it there.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context