Predictable and ordinary
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway
I am here to dispel the myth that you have to be a literary genius to become a beloved author or to even finish your books.
Now before I begin I want you to understand that some of the books I am quoting are considered great masterpieces of literature. Their authors are world renown and I have no qualms about that. Now from each of these three books I am going to list two quotes.
1. "Hullo," said Polly
"Hullo," said the boy. "What's your name?"
"Polly," said Polly. "What's yours?"
"Digory," said the boy.
2. The Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song. It was softer and more lilting than the song by which he had called up the stars and the sun; a gentle, rippling music. And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool. It ran up the sides of the little hills like a wave. In a few minutes was creeping up the lower slopes of the distant mountains, making the young world every moment softer.
Hopefully by now you've realized that these two quotes are from C.S. Lewis' the Magician's Nephew. Quote 1 is hardly the epitome of literary excellency. Quote 2 however has a tendency to draw you in until you forget you are reading at all. Which did you like better? I'm guessing if you're like most people you said quote 2, but take a closer look and you'll find that Mr. Lewis broke many of the rules we impose on ourselves as writers. He has three sentences that start with the same word, he starts a sentence with 'and', and in comparison to what we imagine, the writing itself is very detached. Now I am in no way saying that C.S. Lewis' books are any less because of this fact, what I am trying to explain however is that you don't need to spend so much of your time worrying about how you word things. Lets try another book.
1. "What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscious, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"
"No, Mom."
I felt bad for lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.
She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.
2. In a way, its nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have someone to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus thats just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lighting, and its raining on top of everything else, most people might think thats just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.
Rick Riordan is pretty popular right now... If you enjoy danger, sassy teenagers, and hearing you're heart shatter at the end of every other book. These particular quotes are from the Lighting Thief. Again, as utterly immersive as these quotes are they probably wouldn't be considered literary genius. First off in the first quote he tells, not shows, Percy not wanting to lie. "I felt bad for lying" is normally considered very different from "I felt slightly sick to my stomach, I didn't want to lie to her but it seemed like the only option I had." Then he goes on to use the same word to start the last two sentences.
The second quote has an extremely long sentence in it. Not that readers actually notice, but as a writer it can feel like you're dragging something further on then it should be.
1. The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it "the Riddle House," even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some if its windows boarded, tiles missing from it's roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over it's face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied.
2. "I always thought he had a nasty look about him, right enough," grunted a man at the bar.
"War turned him funny , if you ask me," said the landlord.
"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn't I, Dot?" said an excited woman in the corner.
"Horrible temper," said Dot, nodding fervently. "I remember, when he was a kid..."
"Said is dead." or at least that's what creative writing teachers keep trying to convince us. However according to J.K. Rowling, 'said' is neither dead nor an amateur word. These two quotes are taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a wonderful book if I do say so. And while I quite honestly can't find anything other then that, J.K. Rowling still helps illustrate the point that writing teachers aren't alway right when it comes to dialog tags, or anything else for that matter.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that your writing seems boring and predictable because you wrote it and have re-read it a hundred times. You don't have to be the world's greatest wordsmith to publish a book. You simply need to be you (though a good storyline and developed characters don't hurt.)