I could not agree with you more, Liza! I have been complaining about this for years, and have DNF on every book I've tried that's written in present tense. You explain the motivation behind it so well. How do good stories begin? What made me want to write "a tale," from the time I was a little girl, reading Heidi? "Once upon a time" are …
I could not agree with you more, Liza! I have been complaining about this for years, and have DNF on every book I've tried that's written in present tense. You explain the motivation behind it so well. How do good stories begin? What made me want to write "a tale," from the time I was a little girl, reading Heidi? "Once upon a time" are four of my favourite words. Best sellers follow the same formula; it's so obvious. Why not just go AI? What's the point of developing a unique voice, if no one accepts your work? A historical fiction novel takes years to complete. My new book took a decade. It's in past tense, because that's the way I feel it, like a film reel from the early 1900's. I finally found a publisher in 2024, after so many rejections I almost hit delete. My books appeal to mature readers of literary fiction. My novel is deliberately old-school, to evoke a by-gone era. That's not in vogue. I'm 67 years old, so I'm lucky: I can always re-read classics like Anna Karenina and The Great Gatsby, which inspired me too. I devoured them as a young person. Now there's no way of making a living writing books, anyway. After everyone takes a cut, some more than 55%, the author is left with less than $1.00 per copy. The industry wins. Art loses. There is no desire for critical thought, just sales. It's sad for young people, who, like I once did, have the dream of being a published author. Thank you for this brave piece. It feels good to know someone has recognized that the emperor has no clothes. Such a well-written essay, too.
I could not agree with you more, Liza! I have been complaining about this for years, and have DNF on every book I've tried that's written in present tense. You explain the motivation behind it so well. How do good stories begin? What made me want to write "a tale," from the time I was a little girl, reading Heidi? "Once upon a time" are four of my favourite words. Best sellers follow the same formula; it's so obvious. Why not just go AI? What's the point of developing a unique voice, if no one accepts your work? A historical fiction novel takes years to complete. My new book took a decade. It's in past tense, because that's the way I feel it, like a film reel from the early 1900's. I finally found a publisher in 2024, after so many rejections I almost hit delete. My books appeal to mature readers of literary fiction. My novel is deliberately old-school, to evoke a by-gone era. That's not in vogue. I'm 67 years old, so I'm lucky: I can always re-read classics like Anna Karenina and The Great Gatsby, which inspired me too. I devoured them as a young person. Now there's no way of making a living writing books, anyway. After everyone takes a cut, some more than 55%, the author is left with less than $1.00 per copy. The industry wins. Art loses. There is no desire for critical thought, just sales. It's sad for young people, who, like I once did, have the dream of being a published author. Thank you for this brave piece. It feels good to know someone has recognized that the emperor has no clothes. Such a well-written essay, too.