A recent article on ebook sales led me to look up the 99¢ Amazon-priced “Donovan Creed” books self-published by John Locke. Compared to the $8-10 pricing for ebook editions with similar themes by “name” authors, the one I am now reading is probably priced appropriately. *heh* But then there are the absolutely hilarious things the author gets away with, like this:
I spent the next two hours running the perimeter of the Sensory Resources complex, which is far and away the most beautiful running course I’ve ever seen. I’d describe it in detail if I had the time, but I don’t.
I’m still laughing at that one. Most authors, having made the fist statement (“…most beautiful running course…”) would have felt compelled to actually describe the course. Not this guy. “Hey! I’m only charging 99¢ for the book. I’m not going to go to all the trouble to actually describe the thing! If readers want that kind of thing, let ’em read a book written by someone who gives a damn.”
The book’s just filled with that kind of backhanded, implied snark. Hilarious.
I like this though. Too much description eliminates the need for imagination and involvement in the work.
“Too much description eliminates the need for imagination… ”
Like almost everything by Charles Dickens or the 3,000+ words Melville used to describe “white” as it applied to Moby Dick? *heh*
Sometimes a balance helps a bit. Louis L’Amour’s good writing was his descriptive narrative material. I’d read a description of a place and say to myself, “Hey! I recognize that! I’ve been there,” or “Whoa! Deja vu!” when driving through an area I’d previously only “seen” through his description. Melville and Dickens wrote descriptive narrative that was often (and still is) boooorrring. John Locke has no use for descriptive narrative beyond “action” scenes. The parts I enjoyed about the book the most (yes, there were a few other enjoyable aspects making it worth just about a penny under a buck *heh*) were these little asides that said, “I can’t be bothered to write this part.” Amusing. Sometimes, as in the case I cited, invoking outright guffaws.
Not sure how much I’d want to spend to have more such laughs, nor do I expect ever to re-read this 99¢ book, but it was an amusing hour’s read. I was cooking dinner and “watching” TV with my Wonder Woman during much of that hour, so it was a simple divertimento, as it were.
Still, as I said, some funny stuff there.