I often go to Amazon’s Best-Sellers List to find free Kindle eBooks.(Not anymore; local library beats Amazon any day). The problem is, as I explained in my article on the supply and demand of writing fiction, that there is simply too much noise out there. That is, too many mediocre works.
“Hang on!” someone might say. “How on earth can you tell a book is mediocre simply by reading its description?” Well, you can if you’re experienced enough. A long, divulging description usually tells me that the author is preoccupied with the plot. But plot is overrated, grossly so.
Furthermore, bear in mind that long descriptions usually reveal something else, too. A long description is usually a sign of an author who has concocted a plot so convoluted, that it requires a long description to make sense to the prospective reader. Too complex a plot is hard to write and harder to read. Here’s what most inexperienced authors don’t realize:
All plots have been devised already. There is nothing new under the sun. There is no original story by virtue of its plot.
So, if a writer shouldn’t place too much emphasis on the plot, where then? If plot is overrated, what are good novels based on?
