A few years back I continually bugged a Barns and Nobel representative asking when a new Dan Brown novel would be coming out. I gave up after two years.
For those of us who enjoyed the "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angles and Demons" (they came out in reverse order, but gained popularity in the order I stated them), the wait is over. On September 15th, 2009, Brown will release "The Lost Symbol." The title seems apropos given Brown's character, Robert Langdon, is a symbologist.
With the exception of "Deception Point," I've read most of Dan Brown's books. I like his writing and look forward to "The Lost Symbol." How about you? Are you a mainstream reading as I am - at least most of the time.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dan Brown's new novel: "The Lost Symbol"
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4 comments:
I can't believe you liked Angels and Demons. I almost ruined The Davinci Code for my wife as I was reading it because I kept mocking the Writing 101 details in his writing. Never call a car a car. Always refer to it by a name. Watch for that one - it's one of his favorites. Albeit, he has a published book and I do not.
I don't understand "never call a car a car."? Please explain.
Sorry about that - I realized what you were talking about while I was out and about last night.
Writing basics generally include a rule that says never refer to a thing by it's generic name when you could refer to it by a more specific name. You get the benefit of imagery without having to describe something. So don't say "He got in the car", rather say, "He got into the Citroen." Don't refer to the gun. Refer to the Remmington 10-Gauge 1998 Model XXXX. That seems like solid, practical advice. Calling a cat a manx instead of a cat changes what a reader is thinking about. But like anything it can be overdone to the point where the author's use of it shows through the writing/story. If you reread one of his earlier books, you'll see that he uses Citroen with car in a way that almost makes it feel like he hit search-and-replace on the word processor rather to fulfill that bit of writing wisdom, rather than to achieve a point.
It may seem picky, but he does a few other writing things that bothered me while reading his book and pulled me out of the story long enough to be annoyed with the writing.
Sorry - just started my coffee - that wasn't quite as clear as it could have been.
"If you reread one of his earlier books, you'll see that he uses Citroen instead of car in a way that almost makes it feel like he hit search-and-replace on the word processor to fulfill that bit of writing wisdom, rather than to achieve a point."
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