Doomed Hero, Damned Writer

Photo by Chen Hu on Unsplash

Amazon sells several new books at the very reasonable price of $0.99 to $2.99.  Some of these books are real gems and provide a terrific read for pennies. Others are poorly written and should never have seen the light of day. 

Occasionally a title or a synopsis will get my attention. I can often tell if the book is worth reading by paying attention to the reviews of other readers. Out of the twenty reviews I read, nineteen were very much equivalent. The book was categorized as Young Adult fantasy adventure. Both writing and character development was excellent until the last twenty-five pages when it all turned to crap. That consistency amongst reviewers fascinates me so I spent the $1.99 and finished the book in a day of reading. I’m not quoting author or title but those reviews were both accurate and justified. Picture this (my creation….not from the book). Our hero is hanging from a loose root over a deep drop from which there are neither ledges nor cracks to hold fingers. He can’t call for help, he can’t help himself.  When suddenly, seeming to fly from a cloud, is a beautiful woman with golden wings and hair as red as fire. She rescues our hero who is now nestled in the arms of true love. 

While the true ending of the book was not quite that bad it was not too much of an improvement. I will not degrade or belittle the concept of “saving the day by an act of God”. It is piss poor writing that does not deserve to be in your lexicon. It leads to two noteworthy conclusions.

 This Situation should never have happened.

Today it is common to publish your own book. This puts the onus for editing on your shoulders. Several years ago the writer would find a literary agent who would work with the writer to ensure such things as plot integrity and strong character development. They would also serve as the last bastion against bad grammar. A good agent would work with the author to ensure a logical and coherent book.

Some bad endings are salvageable.

The flying angel may be the perfect escape for our hero. She’s beautiful, she’s strong, and she is eminently qualified to save the hero. What is missing and what kills the book is how she was first introduced to the reader.

The writer should have shown the female character as a warrior from another race or time.  The hero might have first seen her jogging, seeming to be running with such grace and agility that her feet barely touched the ground. Her long bright red hair flowed behind her as if balanced on powerful wings.

With every interaction occurring between hero and female love interest we build her as not only an equal but a superior individual whose powers and skills become clear as the plot unfolds.

 With a little work bad endings can be reworked into plausible endings. Don't let your rush to publish kill your story.