Should authors care about writing craft?

My wonderful critique partners and I pull each other’s writing to bits. At the big picture level we examine plot issues, character traits, and pace, while at the micro-level we angst over commas (they more than me LOL), too many uses of ‘but’ and ‘that’ (me more than them), filter words, echoes (the same word used close together), and are manic about grammar and punctuation.

Why? Because we want to give our readers the best experience we can. It’s hard work, and we believe it’s worth every second.

Therefore it’s disheartening when you see something like this –

I won’t name the book, and good luck to the author. She had her book published by a vanity press, and whatever editing it received clearly didn’t cut the mustard. While I readily confess to being jealous of the success, if that went out under my name I’d be mortified.

The reason the author got away with it? Apparently it’s a really good story. I won’t ever know. I couldn’t bring myself to read past the first few pages where the writing set my teeth on edge (highly subjective, I understand). So I checked the 3-star reviews (where I generally find the most honest opinions), and found numerous comments about the lack of editing and how the reader pushed through that because the story had them hooked.

here’s the nub

The majority of the readers didn’t care. They loved this book. Sixty-one percent gave it five stars.

Which leads me to ask: Should other authors and I not care either? Should we throw our work out there and expect the story to carry it? In my book, believing our readers are sufficiently indifferent to good writing not to give a damn is pretty insulting, both to the readers and to the authors who work hard to offer their best.

not every writer can afford an editor …

… I hear people cry, and I completely understand this. In fact I’ve only ever paid for editing once in my life and was so disappointed I never paid for it again. (PS I offer much better editing services than I received.)

You can teach yourself

I taught myself. Everyone else can too. It cost me the price of a few relevant books, and time over years spent reading articles and blog posts found through respectable sources like Jane Friedman. When I had a newsletter, I researched and wrote monthly posts on writing craft in order to teach myself. I still do occasionally, and my Writing Tips page remains very popular.

I take craft sufficiently seriously that in 2018 I rewrote my Guardians of the Forest trilogy books because I was too embarrassed to keep putting out the original 2014 versions, from when I knew nothing about the topic.

Learn from others

The other critical learning for me was listening to what other writers had to say about my work. I wasn’t precious about what I’d written and took on board all advice as objectively as possible. While you can’t be defensive, neither should you implement everything willy-nilly, however. That way lies madness. Ask yourself (honestly): Does it makes sense? Will it improve the reader’s experience?

Learning how to write so that readers love sinking into your books and can’t put them down is a process which never ends, but when a fan comments that they can see the development in your writing, that’s affirmation.

Has all this effort been worth it?

So readers – the verdict please. Should authors not bother and put up with the odd 3-star review which complains about grammar and punctuation? Should we be happy ignoring what’s considered good practice in writing these days? Or should we learn about craft and strive to write our best work?

Personally, I’m not remotely tempted to head down the not bother route, and will edit my books at all levels for as long as I write. I want to keep the reviews of my own work which mention beautiful writing. I’m proud of that.

There’s one positive in all this. At least with the book I’m referring to, we can be confident it wasn’t written by AI🤣

For writing tips, take a look at the blog posts HERE. There’s a search bar at the bottom if you’re looking for something specific. If you think it’s worthwhile …:D