Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnHAdams
I often wonder what is happening to the life of a best selling author that may affect whether they write a masterpiece. Or a stinker. Are their studies on this? Theories?
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If an author is famous enough, you'll find out a lot about him / her on the internet. Often times, the reasons are deeply personal yet they affect their writing significantly.
There's one author that I have faithfully followed since her first published book. She's still writing but her recent books have been hit or miss. The 'old' voice is still there but I could tell something is off (sometimes it's the characterization, sometimes it's the plot, sometimes it's the pacing of the story, etc). Then I found out that this author has been battling some sickness (thyroid or something, can't remember exactly), that's affecting her creativity so badly that she almost quit writing altogether.
Then there's another author whom I also love because her books were my ultimate comfort read: light read, witty, and often laugh out loud funny. Then all of a sudden she changed her style. Her books are now dark, depressing, and heart-wrenching. I found out through a recent interview that this author has lost her husband suddenly in a tragic accident, so I guess her recent books are reflection of her grief.
Then there’s an author who simply switched genre and it’s as if the newer books were written by a different person using the same name. Maybe they were written by a different person since ghost authoring is so common these days. Who knows? I simply stopped reading and stopped caring.