I dislike tossing books aside even when I don’t like them. Sometimes it is out of loyalty to the author, particularly if it is someone I have loved in the past. Sometimes it is because I need to know how it ends, even though the story or characters are disappointing. Sometimes it is simple stubbornness to finish what I have begun.
I don’t like to quit things.
Then again, there are times I find a book that is so painful to read I have no choice but to toss it aside or, more likely, against the wall.
But not before I figured out why it failed me.
This is a habit I learned while studying at the Folger Shakespearean Conservatory. I had an acting coach who encouraged us to watch bad television—grade B SciFi movies and soap operas. He insisted that watching bad acting would teach us how to avoid similar mistakes. He was right. There is nothing like watching someone breaking a line in the middle to stare into space to teach pacing and sincerity.
These days, when I find books I cannot finish no matter how headstrong I try to be, I apply his lessons.
Why did this book fail me?
Were the characters flat?
Were they written in a way that made them unsympathetic?
Were they stereotypes?
Was the pacing too slow or erratic?
Was the plot illogical or confusing?
Was I drowning in details for no reason?
Was there no point to the story?
Why did I not care?
Why could I walk away from the story, especially when it’s something I am loathe to do?
The next time you find a book destined for your “Did Not Finish” pile, take a little time to analyze why it didn’t work. You’ll be amazed what you will learn about how to do it better yourself.
If you want to have a bit of extra fun, take the author’s premise and write your own story. Write an outline, a blurb, a summary or even a short story, if you have the time. Write out what you would have done differently and better. The caveat is that you cannot do anything with your work unless it is vastly different from the original. I am not advocating stealing ideas. I am encouraging writers to use poor books as a teachable moment. Try to do better. Figure it out. Then walk away. The idea is not yours.
Besides being a great exercise, it’s a constructive way to feel better about spending money on a book you couldn’t finish.
Luckily, I do not find many books like this. Most authors do a great job in creating characters and stories that keep me glued to the page. But when they don’t, watch out. I will pull out my red pen and mark up the pages. In the case of bad movies, I just yell at the screen. It’s cathartic.