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I have feelings about Cory Doctorow's writing style For context, my first book of his was also my first book in english, which is great because i was 12 and he

I have feelings about Cory Doctorow's writing style For context, my first book of his was also my first book in english, which is great because i was 12 and he hapens to write relatively simple english. The book was Little Brother. The story or the specific book isn't really important here, because from i can tel from reading his other available work now that i am fluent in english, in my opinion Cory isn't that great of an author. He just happens to write checkout-line pocket-format quality books that happen to be tangentially related to IT. Specififcally, he writes about common fears (often grounded in reality) sysadmins have about the future, but turned up to 11 and always somehow involving the US gov and agents from three letter agencies. My point isn't that he's wrong, that's a matter of opinion and truth be told, the events he describes are good fiction even if they had 0 chance of happening. My problem is that Cory is, at best, just a mid author that has good ideas but doesn't know how to write well enough to articulate them in a manner that is entertaining to read. He also happens to be one of the only authors that writes for the sysadmin crowd, which is i guess what has given him his popularity. Personally, i enjoyed reading him when i was a teenager who thought i was a Hacker for downloading kali and who was bad at english, but i fail to see the appeal for anyone who is an adult. Maybe he's justv not for me. I don't know.

erellsworth 4y ago
A lot of best selling authors are very mediocre writers. Look at James Patterson.
pwinnski 4y ago
Writing "approachably," in your case so approachable that the book can serve as a sort of introduction to English, is an underrated and under-appreciated skill. I am not a fan of writers like Dan Brown or James Patterson, who seem to write badly, but I think Doctorow is making a choice to write approachably, not badly. His non-fiction writing on his blog seems to demonstrate mastery of the language, and his books work very well as audiobooks, which is a mark (in my opinion) of a stylistic choice. In my opinion, his zealotry sometimes overpowers the stories he tells, but usually I find the stories engaging and the writing good.
panarky 4y ago
Depends on what you're looking for. Do you want standard English syntax, grammar, punctuation and capitalization, with simple words, short sentences and coherent paragraphs? Cory does this well. Or do you appreciate an eccentric, experimental style where structural idiosyncrasies complement the text? Do you want a straightforward, linear transcript of the plot? Cory does this well. Or do you want a meandering exposition of the inner lives of the characters, where the plot emerges from a faceted exploration of multiple perspectives, not all of which are accurate or reliable? I read Cory's stuff for the ideas more than language or technique. For example, his book "Walk Away" applies concepts from open-source software development and extends them to the physical world. If you don't like the features or direction of a project, fork it and make it what you want. If you don't like your town or neighborhood, walk away and build a new community the way you want it. No need for stress or conflict or violence, no need for coercion, just walk away.

erellsworth 4y ago

A lot of best selling authors are very mediocre writers. Look at James Patterson.

pwinnski 4y ago

Writing "approachably," in your case so approachable that the book can serve as a sort of introduction to English, is an underrated and under-appreciated skill. I am not a fan of writers like Dan Brown or James Patterson, who seem to write badly, but I think Doctorow is making a choice to write approachably, not badly. His non-fiction writing on his blog seems to demonstrate mastery of the language, and his books work very well as audiobooks, which is a mark (in my opinion) of a stylistic choice. In my opinion, his zealotry sometimes overpowers the stories he tells, but usually I find the stories engaging and the writing good.

panarky 4y ago

Depends on what you're looking for. Do you want standard English syntax, grammar, punctuation and capitalization, with simple words, short sentences and coherent paragraphs? Cory does this well. Or do you appreciate an eccentric, experimental style where structural idiosyncrasies complement the text? Do you want a straightforward, linear transcript of the plot? Cory does this well. Or do you want a meandering exposition of the inner lives of the characters, where the plot emerges from a faceted exploration of multiple perspectives, not all of which are accurate or reliable? I read Cory's stuff for the ideas more than language or technique. For example, his book "Walk Away" applies concepts from open-source software development and extends them to the physical world. If you don't like the features or direction of a project, fork it and make it what you want. If you don't like your town or neighborhood, walk away and build a new community the way you want it. No need for stress or conflict or violence, no need for coercion, just walk away.