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 like Dan Brown too. I never read the Twilight series or 50 Shades of Grey, but I hear both of them are very poorly written.
I separate lit into difficult reads and easy reads. The difficult reads are for during the day (like learning some technical thing) and the easy reads I like late at night before bed. I found a couple of good easy read small authors that way, but so many shitty purchases to find the diamond in the rough.
Krayon sexually assaulted his sister.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Twilight has absolutely top tier writing when it matters, especially descriptions that bring you into the story. When it describes how Bella physically feels as a new vampire it's rather gripping to read even out of context, because it's plain good writing.
I hate the book thematically because it's basically a Mormon allegory, and also because it's le heckin' toxic relationships , but I just can't call it "garbage writing " when I just don't like what the book is about
A lot of the shit people take out of context to feel smug about how bad it is... flows so much more in context even if it's inherently a bit cheesy because the book's POV is melodramatic teenage girl . It's just nowhere near as bad as what the smug writers who can't sell or finish their books say.
"I'm so much better than this, lol"
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Great “Twilight” efforpost
Love reading some actual unpopular opinions
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
here's an actual effortpost I wrote a few months ago
https://rdrama.net/h/lit/post/148881/are-you-an-aspiring-writer-marseychudnotes/3634230#context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Never thought of Bella this way but yeah, while most YA novels have Mary Sue’s as main characters she’s just a normal albeit melodramatic teenage girl, she’s relatable because she’s realistic. There is some parallel with Sansa Stark (didn’t read the books but watched the show), and she also got lot’s of hate
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I agree with you on people hating Sansa in the first few seasons, but shes legitimately a bad character in the last few imo. It was very strange that they made her r*pe basically empower her to be le strong woman, and then she starts publicly undermining Jon and her feud with Arya was bizarre. She also hated Daenarys for reasons that werent really well established (and of course she ended up being right). Like i get why she would be apprehensive about her but in the show she comes across as just being a mean girl b-word, lol
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Later seasons Sansa is a poorly written cardboard character. The scene where she tells The Hound that Ramsey made her strong while smiling is eye rolling
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Its weird because in the books she is actually well on her way to becoming a legitimately savvy politician-type character, im really not sure why they made the change to have her marry Ramsay.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
People complain Bella doesn't have any power in the story and I'm like...yeah, that's how most teenage girls feel all the time? 🤔
It's also plain wrong, even in human form Bella has psychic powers to resist vampire psychic powers, but from a character standpoint she does make choices. They're just not the choices the non-target audience want her to make
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
@Certifiedkongussyoperator
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
yeah, i've heard the same - she apparently writes the milieu well. Most of the hate is it being YA (valid) and also not being aimed at adult lorestrags.
For its demo it's apparently decent.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
I tried 50 shades of Grey years ago and gave up after a couple hundred pages. For me it was just terrible, an unironic foid r*pe fantasy.
Good advice, a few months ago I started Nabokov’s “Pale Fire” and used to read at night before sleeping, couldn’t handle it and put it down, don’t know why. I guess I’ll start again from the begin someday as a day reading
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Tried watching the movie and couldn't get more than 15 mins in. lol
This is what happens to me if I try to read "difficult reads" at night, but I read at night to wind down so if I read difficult reads then I can't retain it or pay attention.
Krayon sexually assaulted his sister.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context