This is something I struggle to do across various forms of media, be it books, movies, shows, and so forth. But for the purpose of relevance, I’ll ask this question regarding books specifically.
I’ve always had trouble trying to analyze an author’s writing in regard to fiction to determine which elements were implemented well and which elements weren’t. Oftentimes, if there is a book/book series I thought was good, the actual general public consensus is that it was written poorly, and vice versa. As of now, I feel like most of my evaluations of fiction are solely based on my subjective preferences and not actual writing competence.
I don’t believe there is anything wrong with liking a book/book series simply due to personal biases. That being said, it would be helpful to know what skills I can apply to critique writing quality and gain a more objective sense on how well a narrative was written.
For those of you who are well-versed in analyzing fiction, what do you do? What do you observe when reading a narrative and what is your thought process? What questions do you ask yourself regarding certain elements (e.g. plot, characters, themes, worldbuilding, etc.)?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated!
by TheShozenMind