tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post5239028774962208673..comments2024-02-12T17:59:33.534-06:00Comments on RAZORED ZEN: First ImpressionsCharles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-45164285477022512612009-08-23T17:27:10.053-05:002009-08-23T17:27:10.053-05:00Alex, I feel the same way. There are so many book...Alex, I feel the same way. There are so many books that I want to read that I can and will avoid a whole bunch of books based on a bad first impression. I do usually finish what I start, but now days that might just mean a scanning.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-88374412570463303102009-08-18T14:18:07.320-05:002009-08-18T14:18:07.320-05:00hmmm...well, right or wrong, i let first impressio...hmmm...well, right or wrong, i let first impressions sway me. i've too little time and there are far too many books to read. so if the one book i've picked up by an author sucks, i don't read anything else...there are a dozen ready to take its place. <br /><br />and although i used to read whatever i picked up through to the end, anymore i haven't time for that either. if the first couple of chapters don't hook me, i'm done. time is precious little these days ;)Alex Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08019131858093764715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-46212342623869184572009-08-14T00:59:41.288-05:002009-08-14T00:59:41.288-05:00jennifer, great story about your boy. I love that...jennifer, great story about your boy. I love that, "how'd I do?" lol. I've read two of Siddons' novels and enjoyed them both, "Fox's Earth" and "the House next door."<br /><br />JR,trying to build a writing career is fraught with so many pitfalls and booby traps. I wonder sometimes how many folks I've offended here and there who might have made a difference in my success. But of course such worry is really useless. Still, I'm a natural worrier.<br /><br />Travis, I've had that problem of finding a series I like and not being able to get some of the other books. Seems like there's always one book in a series that wasn't produced at such a high numbers or something. Thanks for your comment on the Talera books. I'm very glad you enjoyed 'em.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-61823842061409478102009-08-13T20:53:25.164-05:002009-08-13T20:53:25.164-05:00That can certainly happen. As I'm sure you...That can certainly happen. As I'm sure you're well aware, you can't please everyone.<br /><br />I can report that I was hooked on the Talera series from sentence one. So naturally I got the other two books as soon as I could.<br /><br />I've got about two dozen or so books in my library that I thought were promising, but couldn't seem to get through. There are so many because if it's book one of a series, I often buy the whole series at that time because it can be tough to find the rest of the books. That's a rotten feeling to know that you don't like the first part of the series and you already bought the rest of the books.<br /><br />Of course, I've found it's worse to love the first book but not be able to find the rest!Travis Codyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06192526507760146748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-4982227476145689822009-08-12T19:38:47.556-05:002009-08-12T19:38:47.556-05:00Sounds like Hard Case Crime thought they'd get...Sounds like Hard Case Crime thought they'd get more readers by showcasing Stephen King. First impressions are indeed very very important. <br /><br />As for myself, with the little bit I've published, I'm sure no one will remember me for some God awful story I wrote; easier to forget than to remember, or at least that's what I'm hoping.JR's Thumbprintshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10479324326541901987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-654687773761285322009-08-12T14:22:57.968-05:002009-08-12T14:22:57.968-05:00THIS comment is about writing...
I LOVE Anne Rive...THIS comment is about writing...<br /><br />I LOVE Anne Rivers Siddons. She is my favorite southern writer.<br /><br />If I had read her non-fiction book, John Chancellor Makes Me Cry (which I was not able to finish zzzzz), I would never have read EVERYTHING else that she has published.<br /><br />It appears that I like her fiction better than her truth.jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547226679311827501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-88348188577882327822009-08-12T14:16:27.076-05:002009-08-12T14:16:27.076-05:00This has nothing to do with writing...
My son was...This has nothing to do with writing...<br /><br />My son was TERRIBLY nervous the first day of school (he is a puker when he gets a case of the nerves - lots of dry heaving Monday morning and NO breakfast). He was pacing in the driveway waiting for the bus. He said "I'm scared." I asked him what he was scared of and he answered "I'm scared I won't make a good first impression." I told him "Son, you met your teacher last week - you've already made a first impression."<br /><br />He said <i>"How'd I do?"</i><br /><br />God love him! He had a great first day and the nerves are OVER.jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547226679311827501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-28248683547416754052009-08-12T09:58:27.951-05:002009-08-12T09:58:27.951-05:00Angie, I have heard that saying down here but not ...Angie, I have heard that saying down here but not in quite a while. I remember a story a friend of mine told me, who is quite a bit older than I am, and also black. She was stopped by a cop for speeding when she was a pretty young and then he asked her out. When she sort of hemmed and hawed the cop said, "come on, you're free, white, and 21." I haven't thought about that saying in a long time and it would certainly be strange to have a modern young person use it. would be interesting to know the reason.<br /><br />BernardL, I think I just read the title of that one and decided it wasn't for me. ;)<br /><br />Lena, thanks for visiting. Covers can catch my eye but other than that they don't influence me much at all. I usually first read the back cover blurbs, then open and read the first few paragraphs or so. I have a tendency to immediately put down books that start out with dialogue.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-67535923638797751132009-08-12T08:34:14.767-05:002009-08-12T08:34:14.767-05:00When i come to the bookstore, I first look at cove...When i come to the bookstore, I first look at cover.. Honestly, if the cover does not appeal to me, I won't even take a look at the book. <br />Apart from this, first lines matter. Then I might go through the book and see if some phrase would catch my attention. <br />Usually I have luck with choosing books and new authors for myself, but you never know... Though most probably I will never give a second chance to the author who didn't meet my expectations. <br />Competition is high enough to find other books and discover new authors after all.Lenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09787400183444796423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-32681062786262268432009-08-12T08:14:30.095-05:002009-08-12T08:14:30.095-05:00I read 'Valley of the Dolls' long ago by J...I read 'Valley of the Dolls' long ago by Jacqueline Susann. That first impression kept me from ever reading another of her novels. Just not my idea of reading entertainment.BernardLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09722619048888613647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-83576301017353790822009-08-12T02:03:29.061-05:002009-08-12T02:03:29.061-05:00I'm the same way. [nod] If I can't get t...I'm the same way. [nod] If I can't get through the first book of Chris Author that I read, I won't try another one unless someone whose opinion I trust pretty massively rants and raves and twists my arm and holds a gun to my head.<br /><br />Just recently I read a book that was really good except for one thing. There was a conversation between an older character and a younger one, with the older one grouching about something the younger one had been doing, and the younger one said, "I'm free, white and over twenty-one!"<br /><br />Umm, what?? I'm sorry, but that's not only an archaic expression for someone who was like eighteen or nineteen to use, but it's also horribly racist in its basic assumptions. (That being white does or should give him special privileges about what he's allowed to do.) The older character didn't call him on it, the character's casual racism wasn't a plot point or ever brought up again -- there was no particular reason for him to have used that expression. It was put in casually, no big deal. And the book wasn't set in the deep South (not that that would've given it a pass, but it might've been some sort of explanation, if he'd grown up hearing his grandpa say it or whatever). But it was set in Southern California, and in all the years I've lived here, I've never heard anyone use that expression.<br /><br />Heck, the TV series <i>Fame</i> dealt with the racism behind that exact expression in one of its episodes back in the eighties -- general awareness of racist issues showing in casual conversation has been around at least that long -- so this shouldn't be news to anyone.<br /><br />Which leads me to assume that this is a reflection of the <i>writer's</i> racist attitude (whether or not the writer is aware of it) and not just something the writer was indicating about the character.<br /><br />I enjoyed the story very much, the book was well written, but despite a lot of people I know raving about how awesome this writer is, I'll probably never buy another one of their books. It's possible that this is the one and only place in the writer's entire body of work where a racist expression slipped in, but it made a very bad first impression on me.<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-75425983362526872152009-08-11T20:11:36.635-05:002009-08-11T20:11:36.635-05:00Randy Johnson, I think too King's writing chan...Randy Johnson, I think too King's writing changed. And I'm not sure of the cause but it did coincide with his accident. I haven't read his collection but I almost certianly will. I've liked a lot of King's short stories.<br /><br />Cloudia, sometimes it's no doubt a mistake to skip on something. Other times it's the correct choice. It's never easy to be sure which is likely.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-74499701816778476872009-08-11T17:39:45.167-05:002009-08-11T17:39:45.167-05:00Yes, I've been (wrongly) turned off to somethi...Yes, I've been (wrongly) turned off to something by my prejudice that later turned out to be beloved. What a fool I am sometimes - a salutory lesson!<br /><br />Aloha, Charles-<br /><a href="http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Comfort Spiral</a>Cloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-15607406993965554442009-08-11T17:08:49.883-05:002009-08-11T17:08:49.883-05:00The Colorado Kid was certainly my first beg disapp...The Colorado Kid was certainly my first beg disappointment with King(and it was godawful). It's seemed to set the tone for my feelings on his novels since then. Haven't read one that was fully satisfying after that one(I've had one novel for a year and a half that I keep putting off. I did enjoy his Just After Sunset collection though.<br />His writing changed after his near death with the idiot van driver. I don't know whether he had a compulsion to get these books out quickly after realizing his mortality.Randy Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04738462837640721126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-59200447423116791572009-08-11T16:38:26.099-05:002009-08-11T16:38:26.099-05:00Erik, If I’m enjoying an author and then really re...Erik, If I’m enjoying an author and then really read a clunker I have a tendency to stop for a long while too, although I’ll recover eventually and try them again.<br /><br />Mark, I will give HCC another chance at some point. It’s not an active avoidance, more a when I have a choice between known commodties and unknown ones. Tommyknockers put me off King for a bit too, but I did like Pet semetary. I’ve only read one Grisham.<br /><br />Pattinase, I had heard somewhere it was their introduction but I guess I heard wrong. Maybe the other person assumed it was because of the King name.<br /><br />Wil, so is “bookmobile” a code word up there for something? Like strip club or porno mobile?<br /><br />Writtenwyrdd, yes, maybe I should talk about something more than just first impressions.<br /><br />Rick, lol. I couldn’t have written it before I met “my” ex-wife.<br /><br />Avery, you are a most tolerant person. I give restaurants one chance at most. I’ve walked in restaurants and walked right back out again without even ordering. Such is my level of pickiness.<br /><br />Mary Witzl, that’s my point in a nutshell. There’s so much to read and it’s hard to take a second chance on something that may prove sucky. I’ve seen that happen to several writers I really liked, who started out with great books but then in the heat of trying to write 3 books a year they fall down on the job. I hope I don’t ever do that either.<br /><br />Michelle, that’s interesting. I don’t think I ever give people much more than one chance. I should definitely be more tolerant. I’m probably missing out on some really cool folks.<br /><br />Natasha, or maybe they’re out there looking for more, more, more!Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-77086873117016120792009-08-11T13:58:13.179-05:002009-08-11T13:58:13.179-05:00Unfortunately, my pseudonym got her first story pu...Unfortunately, my pseudonym got her first story published. And several after that. In fact, the first ten are out there.<br /><br />Every day, I imagine people deciding I suck and moving on, LOL.Spy Scribblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299551957327543491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-90069632731869077532009-08-11T10:45:48.559-05:002009-08-11T10:45:48.559-05:00Hey Charles,
This is a great question. I know f...Hey Charles, <br /><br />This is a great question. I know first impressions are powerful in life, but weirdly, some of the people that have really seemed awful to me upon first contact have become my closest friends in the long run. Given that dynamic, I suppose if a book is awful, I should give a writer another chance. I know I'd regret it in life if I went by my first feeling.Michelle's Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15769666862403600253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-38433639585207840402009-08-11T10:21:04.837-05:002009-08-11T10:21:04.837-05:00I know just what you mean: if you start off with a...I know just what you mean: if you start off with a book that is less-than-stellar, you're far less likely to go for anything else that author has written. Life is too short and there are far too many really good books to be messing around with crappy ones. <br /><br />My pet peeve is writers who lure you in with fantastic first books, then turn out a whole string of awful books, no doubt struggling to keep up with deadlines. I want to think I wouldn't do that if I became famous, but who knows? I never will.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-38268871149815720522009-08-11T10:19:52.193-05:002009-08-11T10:19:52.193-05:00I give restaurants three chances--maybe the chef&#...I give restaurants three chances--maybe the chef's having a bad night; maybe the chef is having another bad night; done. I don't see any difference with authors, especially if the book I've picked up is one of their first. A book has to really rub me the wrong way, in all ways, before I cut the author loose without another chance. Voice, setting, plot, tone, theme, it all has to create a perfect storm of suckiness.<br /><br />I had the opposite experience with Marion Zimmer Bradley. I read Mists of Avalon and fell in love, went out and bought three other of her books, and realized I hated them all.AvDBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16574481780173046619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-49558758913961872062009-08-11T09:24:57.566-05:002009-08-11T09:24:57.566-05:00I'm with you on this Charles. I just wished y...I'm with you on this Charles. I just wished you had written this before I met my ex-wife.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14546882686381428986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-81819195939863073602009-08-11T08:09:44.236-05:002009-08-11T08:09:44.236-05:00I do feel a reluctance to read something else by a...I do feel a reluctance to read something else by an author if the first book (or sometimes even the most recent) were truly awful.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-55978365241195470372009-08-11T07:08:43.760-05:002009-08-11T07:08:43.760-05:00Heff, Reading Is Fundamental. I gotta go, the Boo...Heff, Reading Is Fundamental. I gotta go, the Bookmobile is outside!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wilharrison.com/" rel="nofollow">Wil Harrison.com</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-62758753665241538452009-08-11T06:44:44.413-05:002009-08-11T06:44:44.413-05:00THE COLORADO KID wasn't the first book that HC...THE COLORADO KID wasn't the first book that HCC put out, just the one that sold the most due to the King name. I loved ROBBIE's WIFE. That's my favorite.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-4703202830759468492009-08-11T05:56:00.343-05:002009-08-11T05:56:00.343-05:00I gave a lot of authors second and third chances.....I gave a lot of authors second and third chances...with King for example. I read Pet cemetery first before anything else by him...wasn't thrilled by it but then I read Carrie and It and got into him and loved The Green Mile (despite the way it originally was marketed) Then I read the Tommyknockers...that was it for me...haven't read anything by him since. No interest<br /><br />Grisham...Read his first novel first "A Time To Kill" even though it was something like his third one published but after I found his formula stayed exactly the same with just clothing changes I stopped reading him too. His least popular novel "A Painted House" was my favorite. But I pass him up now, don't even look past the cover because I am convinced I know the story on the pages.<br /><br />BUT Dickens...Hooked from the start, even though he was the very first formula writer. Still will go back and re-read him.<br /><br />I don't think a poor story though is enough of a reason to bypass a whole line of books...maybe the second time but *shrug* not every hitter is going to get on base every time up to the plate.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-47644908994243056112009-08-10T23:56:09.498-05:002009-08-10T23:56:09.498-05:00I do know that there's a difference between wr...I do know that there's a difference between writers and directors -- the latter can get away with more disasters without audiences necessarily knowing the difference.<br /><br />James Joyce in reverse -- liked some earlier works, but couldn't really get through <i>Finnegan's Wake</i> without skimming.<br /><br />I'll usually give someone more than one chance, time permitting (might check out from a library first, though).Erik Donald Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332500850365598564noreply@blogger.com