books, writing

Let me say right now that I have not read Fifty Shades of Grey. I’m actually unlikely to read it because I have a very long to read list and that’s not really my thing. But never say never.

So why have I been following this trend? Other than being incredibly, seethingly, almost paralyzingly jealous of someone making that big of a hit in the erotic world, why bother? I don’t have an answer for that. It is interesting that something so genre is making such a big splash. It does shine a light in an area that may benefit everyone.

Anyway, it is my habit to watch the Today Show every morning and they had an interview with the author. She seemed very down-to-earth, just another author with a ready laugh and just about as mystified as anyone as to why this was all happening. Then she said it. She basically said she wasn’t really a writer.

This struck me as funny because while she may not have studied to write, or intended to write, or be the best writer evah, she sat down and wrote something, start to finish. Not everyone does that. Not everyone can do that. I know a lot of English majors who just can’t close the deal and finish a book. Maybe their phrasing is more elegant or their use of the language more mature, but not everyone loves literary fiction.

That’s the other thing that’s struck me. Twilight isn’t known for its awesome use of the language, either. As I see other authors fighting over bad cliches and other minor foibles of grammar, by and large, people don’t seem to care that much. This isn’t to say that we should all write poorly, but when I read someone talking about screaming over disembodied parts moving on their own, I think, “time for a bath and bowl, man.”

Okay, that was just some quick thoughts after the interview. Back to chapter 8 of the Black Gold sequel!