Fire and Fury *cough*

[jomar]

So I’m about a third through and I’m rolling my eyes at the writing style...mostly obnoxious and pretentious and unnecessarily convoluted. All those complex sentences with commas, commas, commas and hyphens and parentheses ad nauseum, not to mention the 50 cent words.

Is the author purging from his days at USA Today and the Hollywood Reporter?

I get it. You’re smart and Trump’s dumb. This is important work!

I dunno. Fun content, but for me his style distracts and undermines any credibility he brings for no other reason than it seems he’s trying too hard...should read like a research paper, but then, you probably wouldn’t read it on the beach.

Your mileage?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Link to the story?

The thread might run better in Story Feedback - even though the writer possibly hasn't asked for it ??

 

[Bramblethorn]

Link to the story?

The thread might run better in Story Feedback - even though the writer possibly hasn't asked for it ??

"Fire and Fury" is a published book about the Trump administration. (I haven't read it, so can't comment on the prose.)

 

[NotWise]

Here's the cameo of Hillary Clinton reading from "Fire and Fury" at the Grammy awards. Hillary's lookin' good.

Maybe the book suffers from inadequate editing because they forced it to print so fast.

 

[ElectricBlue]

"Fire and Fury" is a published book about the Trump administration. (I haven't read it, so can't comment on the prose.)

Missed that. I didn't expect anybody to bring politics to AH.

AHMod, please make this thread go away.

 

[NotWise]

Missed that. I didn't expect anybody to bring politics to AH.

AHMod, please make this thread go away.

The OP wasn't about politics. It was about the writing style used in the book.

I had a similar reaction to "Cadillac Desert" which you Aussies probably know nothing about, but PBS made it into a television series that was instrumental in demolishing a Federal agency. The vocabulary and structure used by the author were really over the top.

As much I disliked reading the book, the author did invoke images (especially the "blond" grasslands of the US west) that rang true for me, and which I'm likely to use in my own writing.

 

[yukonnights]

The OP wasn't about politics. It was about the writing style used in the book.

I had a similar reaction to "Cadillac Desert" which you Aussies probably know nothing about, but PBS made it into a television series that was instrumental in demolishing a Federal agency. The vocabulary and structure used by the author were really over the top.

As much I disliked reading the book, the author did invoke images (especially the "blond" grasslands of the US west) that rang true for me, and which I'm likely to use in my own writing.

And maybe even throw in an alluring line about... the Mexican Thread Grass waving feathery green in the spring breeze, expectantly alive and awakened in the warming sun...knowing that time is short and soon the lush green of life will fade into a blond ocean reflecting the relentless summer sun.

Ooops; about Fire and Fury...sorry, I only read about it in the news.

 

[NotWise]

the Mexican Thread Grass waving feathery green in the spring breeze, expectantly alive and awakened in the warming sun...knowing that time is short and soon the lush green of life will fade into a blond ocean reflecting the relentless summer sun.

Yeah! Just like that. Its beautiful prose that wears thin after not very long. I went to the dictionary way too many times while I read that book. But then, I learned.

 

[SamScribble]

You know, people write the way that people write.

Many years ago, I took part in a course that included writing a really long - but totally readable - sentence. My sentence - at something like 160 words was declared the winner. That was the last time. Up until that point - and, again, up until this day - if the cat sat on the mat, my inclination is to write: The cat sat on the mat.

 

[Hypoxia]

Moral: If your subject is marketable, your style is irrelevant.

 

[yukonnights]

Yeah! Just like that. Its beautiful prose that wears thin after not very long. I went to the dictionary way too many times while I read that book. But then, I learned.

Upon the endless sea of bleached blond grass, I wandered lost upon my faithful ass..and my soft white skin being done so wrong, and rubbed quite raw after not very long... and me wished my wishes that we were already home. (excerpt from; A Tale of Asses )

 

[ChloeTzang]

Missed that. I didn't expect anybody to bring politics to AH.

AHMod, please make this thread go away.

LOL. It's hard to separate writing style from politics with this one. Now if it'd been written by Hunter S Thompson it would've been waaaaay better.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ef/Campaign_trail.jpg/220px-Campaign_trail.jpg

This is how to do this sort of writing really excellently. Wolff fails on pretty much all counts.

Really, I'm with EB here, this belongs on the politics board.

 

[jomar]

Missed that. I didn't expect anybody to bring politics to AH.

AHMod, please make this thread go away.

Notwise is right. Not about politics, but writing style.

You know, people write the way that people write.

Many years ago, I took part in a course that included writing a really long - but totally readable - sentence. My sentence - at something like 160 words was declared the winner. That was the last time. Up until that point - and, again, up until this day - if the cat sat on the mat, my inclination is to write: The cat sat on the mat.

Years ago the AH had a one sentence story challenge thread that was a lot of fun. Tried but couldn’t find it in my post history, but this story was one long run on sentence before I cleaned it up and “published” it here.

https://www.literotica.com/s/dirk-hammer-private-dick

Moral: If your subject is marketable, your style is irrelevant.

True in this case!

Maybe the book suffers from inadequate editing because they forced it to print so fast.

Man, I hope so, but they only moved it up a few days, I think.

 

[jomar]

I agree. No-one seems to have read it, but all of us have an opinion. Let's not clash about this in the AH

LOL, you guys are missing the point. I’m simply commenting on writing style - a topic fit for the AH - not baiting about politics.

 

[yukonnights]

LOL, you guys are missing the point. I’m simply commenting on writing style - a topic fit for the AH - not baiting about politics.

Writing style...politics...I'm still stuck on "blond" grasslands of the US west" Whew, you guys move too fast for me to keep up

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Hunter S Thompson! Now there was a man who could write. I do miss him - and Uncle Duke.

 

[SimonDoom]

The chances of my paying the money to get a copy of this book and read it are somewhere in the vicinity of the chances of my being elected Pope. And I'm not Catholic.

So, I have nothing to say about it.

 

[lovecraft68]

Cheap way to try and talk politics here.

Talk about it on your cup of liberal tears threads on the political forums.

But I do feel compelled to make one comment. If 50 Shades hasn't taught is that people will buy and rave about a book written at a thirteen year old level or just flat out poorly written in whatever method, nothing will.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

I don't see any cheap shots except in this post. The OP is talking style, not content.

But since you brought it up, it's worth pointing out all the sources in the book (if you believe them) are insiders, not "liberals." That's the point: it's people within the organization making these comments. That's why people read it, to hear them being nasty and catty. If we want the "liberals" take, we just go to MSNBC.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the narrative style, even if he's not the greatest write. Who cares? He had good dirt.

Cheap way to try and talk politics here.

Talk about it on your cup of liberal tears threads on the political forums.

But I do feel compelled to make one comment. If 50 Shades hasn't taught is that people will buy and rave about a book written at a thirteen year old level or just flat out poorly written in whatever method, nothing will.

 

[jomar]

Cheap way to try and talk politics here.

Talk about it on your cup of liberal tears threads on the political forums.

But I do feel compelled to make one comment. If 50 Shades hasn't taught is that people will buy and rave about a book written at a thirteen year old level or just flat out poorly written in whatever method, nothing will.

Et tu, LC? Surprised you missed the point.

 

[someoneyouknow]

Moral: If your subject is marketable, your style is irrelevant.

On a somewhat related note, once you make your mark, your shit smells great.

I happened to come across a photography book a few years ago (yard sale I think), and there was a picture of a stop sign on a street in a residential neighborhood. The photo looked like something out of the 70s: somewhat washed out with a tint.

I read about the picture and here it's some well known (not to me) photographer and the description talked about how this showed XYZ about his work.

I looked to my mom, showed her the picture, and said something to the effect, "If I had taken that picture and wanted it put in a book, people would have laughed their heads off."

Same with this. The natterings, the backstabbing, the nonsensicalness (yes, that's a perfectly cromulent word) of this administration as written by someone who is well known in the industry. Thus, people buy it, regardless of how it's written.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Cheap way to try and talk politics here.

Talk about it on your cup of liberal tears threads on the political forums.

But I do feel compelled to make one comment. If 50 Shades hasn't taught is that people will buy and rave about a book written at a thirteen year old level or just flat out poorly written in whatever method, nothing will.

It appeals to its target market and is written for them and with them in mind. From that point of view, the author's done an outstanding job and he obviously knows his readers and what appeals to them.

 

[NotWise]

It appeals to its target market and is written for them and with them in mind. From that point of view, the author's done an outstanding job and he obviously knows his readers and what appeals to them.

So what do you think about the writing style?

 

[ChloeTzang]

So what do you think about the writing style?

For the type of book and the audience, love the style. Personally, I think it suits the book and the topic admirably, my only regret is the choice of subject. If it was about the loser, I'd be the biggest fan you've ever seen and praising it to the skies.

Looking at it neutrally, as it stands, it's a classic piece of politically motivated gossip, sensationalist slander, overheated innuendo and outright falsehoods interspersed with enough snippets of truth to give it some credibility for those credulous enough to treat it seriously. He overdoes the outrage a bit but only overdoes it for those who take it seriously and who don't swallow it whole. It's not exactly factual and Wolff has a reputation for "dramatic reconstruction" where he leaves out the sourcing so it's probably better to look at it as semi-fictional / written with a lot of dramatic license.

Writing style = sensationalist and highly effective - and look at the publicity he's getting for it. The guy's gonna retire off of this one. Can't argue with that. If it sells, the style's effective, and effective = good. Sort of National Enquirer style and it's NOT boring. And I do love the Bannon quotes. Bannon's always good for a good quote.

Writing style, right. NOT politics. Coz ... ... not going there. Not going there. Not ....

https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.376926477.0429/ra,womens_tshirt,x1000,322e3f:696a94a5d4,front-c,190,200,315,294-bg,ffffff.u2.jpg

 

[NotWise]

For the type of book and the audience, love the style.

I stopped my quote there because that was the last thing you said about writing style.