In a post on Writers Unboxed, Kathryn Craft identifies six ways reading bad novels can help a writer improve their skills. “Writers benefit from reading widely,” she writes. “Period.” Instead of lamenting the time you lost reading a book you didn’t enjoy, embrace it as a learning experience.
- Before setting aside a DNF, consider what lessons the book has to offer. Examine why the story didn’t engage your interest or why you couldn’t relate to the protagonist. Was there something about the prose that annoyed you? At what point did you decide to set aside the novel and could anything have rescued it?
- We’ve all read big bestsellers that disappointed us, but we can learn from them, too. “Publishing is not a meritocracy. It’s commerce,” Craft says. Before you put down that bestseller, examine the elements that may have appealed to the agent, publisher, and marketing department, all of which helped it hit that bestseller list. Can you do it better?
- Was the novel nothing like the book you expected? “Asking why the story didn’t meet your expectations will further deepen your understanding of how books are sold—and why genre determinations are still important,” Craft writes. “Did the cover mislead you? Did the back cover copy raise the wrong question? In an attempt to grab attention with your opening pages, did the author inadvertently set an expectation for a different type of story?”
- Anachronisms, continuity errors, and story world rule-breaking can throw us right out of a novel, even one we might otherwise like. Use this experience as a cautionary tale about the accuracy of your own writing.
- Sometimes a novel pushes our boundaries too far, whether with language, violence, sex, or even theme. What are your limits? If you encountered such a story, write down what crossed the line and examine why. Was the story poorly written or did it challenge you unexpectedly? If the former, analyze the offending parts and consider ways you would have smoothed it out.
- And sometimes a great book is simply too ugly to enjoy. Inaccurate or vague cover copy, hard-to-read fonts, poorly chosen artwork, and bad design can make it difficult to finish a book. Examine these flaws, especially if you intend to self-publish.
