This morning I finished reading a
novel, the ending of which had such a powerful impact on me that I haven’t been able
to concentrate on anything since. It’s one of the greatest joys in my life to
read something so mesmerising that once I’ve finished it, I feel that my world
has been changed and that the writing will stay with me forever.
But this wasn’t the best-written
book I’d ever written; far from it. In fact, as I began reading, I felt that I
wasn’t going to enjoy it, and this disappointed me as it was part of a series,
the other books of which I’d read several years ago and loved. As I’ve become
more skilled as a writer, I’ve lost some of the pleasure in reading because I
no longer read uncritically. And this particular book was filled with
fundamental writing errors. So much telling and not showing! Clichés
everywhere! Unconvincing dialogue! Lack of subtlety! But as I became engrossed
in the story, none of that mattered any more. Because I cared about the
characters and was immersed in their world. And that, for me, is the key to
great writing. The characters don’t have to be loveable, but they should make
the reader feel something. Yes, you can follow all the rules and write
sparkling prose, but if your writing doesn’t have heart, it’ll never achieve
greatness.
