Melina On Writing: Intro {The Standard of Books}

[Ishta5]

the book is good if it fits into your rules thus the best book would be made by computers programmed with these. The book made me think, dream and smile but did not follow these rules thus it is shit. These rules make stories predictive. Knew how HP would end from book two and was certain by book four but enjoyed everything.These rules are the future cliché and exceptions to the rule original.

[MelinaPendulum]

@Ishta5 My rules are not mandatory nor do I think they are the only way or the right way, they are just guidelines I follow that help me. :) I have enjoyed your input, btw and I mean that honestly.

[SacredCarvings]

i've watched several of your video Queen. i'm sure you heard this before...but you are decisively intelligent. Black women who read like you are so Kemetic :)

[cherub4eva2]

Wow; i love most of the books you listed. I enjoyed all of them, but reading books really gives mme doubts about my own writing ability. I'm working on my own series! :)

[Mimi2591]

Ele. and middle school I started to become an avid reader and borrow books all the time from the library. I have no idea how or why, but when I picked up Twilight I was just reading text. It was almost like an out-of-body experience for me, I would read the book, it would make sense, but nothing really registered of the events. Nothing *jumped out* for me to be excited. Looking back now, that is really weird and did not help me think critically. Looking at these new books, it is disheartening.

[nekonya96]

Sad to say, this whole video is the same message Fahreinheit 451 gives.

[crazygreen89]

What would you think of Pretty Little Liars then? Even though it looks like a teen trash novel that has readers because of suspense, it does have a reoccuring themes and ideas concerning karma, the human desire for perfection, and lies

[Gawaine687]

i agree the standards are falling and crap is flooding the market. however, we should at least encourage people to explore different possibilities. that is not to say that as a child you should not be exposed to stuff with symbols and more substance behind it, but just because a book does not have those things does not make it bad, even if it is enjoyable.

[BriannaNLC]

I love 1984; actually I hated when I was reading it, but when I was done I liked it...don't know why that happened.

[handmiadenofgod]

@BriannaNLC 1984 is my favorite book. Or at least the one I enjoy the most. I dedicate way too much time to rereading it, haha.

[traffictragedy03]

Same thing with music. There's good music and music we like.

[Nades129]

I disagree. I didnt read when I was a kid, now I read a lot. Generalizations doesn't work well.

[MelinaPendulum]

Not always, but sometimes their are exceptions

[Nades129]

U should make a video about books worth the read. Skip the classics if possible.

[ambereyes93]

@MelinaPendulum

Ahem. "THERE are exceptions" :pp

[SquekyMice]

Oh, thank god, you understand that aswell! I'm talking about the "a book can be good, but you can till dislike it" part. I just finished reading "Ondskan" or "Evil" by Jan Guillou, a swedish author, and I think it's kick-ass and worth reading, but I wouldn't mention it as one of my favorite books, or a book that I really like. It's good, but I don't like it because of the brutal content and some other things. My friends gave me weird looks when I said this. D:

[Blandishment]

However, I think people should read whatever they want even if it's not "good." Literature is just not a priority for many people. And I really do believe that it's better for people, both children and adults, to read crap than to read nothing at all.

[MelinaPendulum]

I disagree, if people only read crap then all they are doing are are perpetuate the trend of second-rate books that have been flooding the market and are being eaten up by young people who have no desire to read anything stronger than a romance.

[celestialcity9]

Hey I'm a writer too and I'm pretty impressed by your points of view. I agree about the standard of books these days; I think publishers have a responsibility to think twice about the crap books they foist on the young. Well done and keep writing! :)

[EMG2011]

I call books like Twilight and Gossip Girl and other clones like that "brain candy". It lacks any nutritional value and is bad for you over all but it tastes good anyway and it can be addictive.

[EmpressJudge13]

That's got to be the best analogy I've ever heard relating to this topic. I definitely agree

[witbeyondmeasure7]

@EMG2011 So it's like McDonalds.

[Aoife379]

You are definitely my favourite youtuber at the moment. Please keep making videos!!!

[AimeeViolette]

your videos are wicked cool!! I actually want to read your work...keep em vids coming!!!!

[CastlesintheClouds]

Your videos are great, they've helped me a lot. :D

[DarkKendall]

I'm following you on Twitter.

I love Vampire Accademy, but it's not a really great book. I enjoy it.

[writter1211987]

i like this, i hope you get published one day and as an apisring writer i feel your pain about the Meyer stuff.

[CastlesintheClouds]

Same here :D

[snowwhite86904]

Continuing, since there was a character limit...

(I'm following you on Twitter btw...I'm camoulton on there!)

Anywho. My agent has told me how she sees just about the same book submitted to her every day. Writers are really jumping on whatever's popular at the moment, aka Twilight clones and post apocalyptic dystopian novels. No to mention, just about every published paranormal/urban fantasy author has a YA project in the works. That makes it tough for debut writers like myself to sell a book!

[snowwhite86904]

Again, I just love your videos. Have you ever thought about being an English or writing teacher, as well as an author?

I have definitely read some YA fantasy books lately that left me wondering how the hell they got published. What's funny about this is that it is freaking next to impossible to get published. Agents read 30,000 queries on average each year and sign only a couple clients. And then once you have an agent, there's still no guarantee that an editor will offer.

[Biancatheredhead]

You are so right about enjoyable vs good books! I like to read alot of meg cabot or melissa kantor as enjoyable books, but these are not works of literary merit. I also like twilight they are horrible books! Im so glad you are doing a writing series because I am writing a book and want to make it as good as I can. :3

[MelinaPendulum]

I had a blogger lol

[GoldenPairEiji]

Looking forward to more of these and you made a good point on how some people like bad books and are entitled to that. I happen to like romance novels for the occasional fluffy lulz, but other than that they can be rather superfluous

[Littlelindarose]

Hooray for writers with real plot and character! :D

*Favorites* >:3

[HugWhore]

Have you ever read an essay called, "Murder Your Darlings" by James Patrick Kelly?

[MelinaPendulum]

No, I haven't what is it about?

[HugWhore]

The sacrifices an author must make in regards to the characters. I'll PM it to you. It's fantastic.

[MelinaPendulum]

Oooh, thank you so much.

[sarahewright9]

yay, the old intro's back!

it's very true that parents need to be involved in their kids' reading. i was read to a lot when i was a baby, from a wide range of books, and now i enjoy an eclectic variety of books, many supposedly "above" my level.

and i echo redatpct when i thank you for dividing enjoyable vs. good. well done.

[LucySanchez90]

I can't wait to see more of these. You rock.

I understand exactly where your coming from, my thirteen year old sister refuses to read anything that isn't "urban fiction" or twilight related.

[Mermann87]

These videos are extremely helpful.

I hope others will find them to be compelling also

~Pau

(I'm a MelinaPendulum fan!!)

[redatpct]

YAY GOSSIP GIRL! love the show! ;)

i love you for explaining the "enjoyable vs. good" literature. gotta get it through their heads.