Dear
Carmen Maria Machado: Show, Don’t Tell
By Giezelle Cruz
By Giezelle Cruz
I’m not
going to lie and say that I have never picked up a book because of its book
jacket. When choosing books, I either go by specific criteria before even
considering to open the book, or I just go by random criteria like color
schemes. Of course, I’ve also read books that were from recommended by friends.
In fact, I read my first book when my friend recommended The Lightning Thief to me.
Yes, you’re correct--I was in 5th grade when I picked up my first book (I
didn’t speak English until then, but that’s for another blogpost).
Today as I write this blogpost, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew
Quick sits atop my desk and I remember exactly why I bought it. I remember
being attracted to its bright red cover with the black, white, and gray
lettering. Along with this, I have also bought books based on how they end. A
few years ago, I developed a bad habit of reading the absolute last line of
books to determine whether I’m buying them or not. Why? Because if a book had
an intriguing last line, then I would want to know the context in which the
plot got to that point.
However,
when it comes to picking fantasy books, I am very strict with myself in that I
only read series. My process is usually reading the synopsis and seeing if it
sounds like another book that I’ve read and enjoyed, and then seeing if it is
part of a series. Don’t think I’m joking when I say that I have an addictive
personality. With every book that I end up falling in love with, I usually dive
into the deep end for months, or even years, until I’m slightly less obsessed with it. When I first read the Harry Potter
series, I finished all the books in six weeks and proceeded to read the entire
series SEVEN more times. This is why throughout the years, I’ve learned to pick
up mostly series when it comes to fantasies. This way, I get to spend more time
with the characters that I adore and get the opportunity to delve into their
world even more through each book.
Now that
the author has gotten me to pick their book, the challenge is to keep me intrigued
enough to finish it. To keep me interested throughout the book, I usually rely
on the first couple of paragraphs of each chapter. To me, those sentences hook
you in enough while simultaneously keeping up the mysterious atmosphere of the
plot. When the world building part of the book takes too long, I end up getting
irritated. The reader should not still be lost on the logistics of the
fantastical world while the climax is already happening. Normally, I will put
down a book when I don’t feel invested enough within a quarter of the way
through.
Part of
what draws me to reading books is the investigative aspect of it. I absolutely
love the sleuth persona that I get to play when I’m trying to get to know the
characters in the books. Through reading bits and pieces about their lives and
piecing them together, I get to analyze and break down their actions. With this
process, I truly understand the characters’ motivations and how to see the
world through their lenses. So, I detest when authors begin to tell me about
what drives the character instead of showing it through their actions. When an
author explicitly tells me what the character means with every piece of
dialogue, my favorite aspect of reading gets taken away from me.
Dear Giezelle,
ReplyDeleteI love that you cast yourself in the role of a sleuth as you read! That's such an apt description, in addition to sounding wildly fun.
I'm torn between being charmed and horrified by your habit of reading the last line of a novel first (oh, wow, what that might give away!), and actually really interested in how you test out chapters by reading the first few paragraphs. If every chapter can kick off strong, I can see how this would compel you to continue reading.
Thanks for responding to Carmen's question!
Best,
TT