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From: jcp.jhu%UDel-Relay@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: writing style
Message-ID: <2603@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Jun-83 15:12:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2603
Posted: Mon Jun 27 15:12:45 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jun-83 19:58:21 EDT
Lines: 31

From:  J.C. Patilla 

	Apropos of this discussion of style versus content or 
plot, my husband, who is a write of non-fiction, has asked that
I pose this question to digest readers:

"How important is writing style - vocabulary, sentence structure,
 narrative structure, word choice - to you as a science fiction
 reader ?"

If the the moderator indicates that this discussion would be better
held outside the digest, then please reply to me directly at this
net address - jcp.jhu@udel-relay.
	My personal feeling is that style is not the most important
thing I usually look for.  There are enough sf authors that I have
read that can actually write in at least a half-assed readable 
fashion, that I don't go out of my way looking for true stylists. It
is always gratifying to find someone who has something to say and
can express him/herself very well, and if a book is written so badly
that is hurts the brain to get through it, then I don't finish it.
Unfortunately, sf seems to have gotten the reputation (out in the
"real" world) of being very badly written.  I look at the "regular"
fiction being written these days and find that there are almost
no new ideas or well-discussed ideas out there at all, but because 
the authors are "names", they get all sorts of money and attention
whereas very few new science fiction offerings get any attention.
(The Washington Post, by the way, is one big daily which does give
some attention to sf reviews, and the reviewer even seems to know
something.)

j c patilla