I R Old.

So, i was browsing through a blog today when i read of the Golden Quill Award for something like 'excellence in writing'. I went to the site to check it out, and oh my god for heaven's sake what the fish do i see but a copy of Kkrishnaa's Konfessions in the list of must-read books! I R appalled! What the freak has writing books come down to if some average nitwit gets away with crap writing and getting to the top of a must-read list, even if the list belongs to a maybe-not-so-popular awards page? No offense meant to the author with regard to the story - she has something unique there - but her writing SUCKS. Big time.

A writer, in case the world has forgotten and needs reminding, is not somebody who can string a sentence together and make a story out of several such sentences. NO. A writer is someone who can string several sentences together artfully, craft each sentence to evoke a reaction from the readers (okay, maybe not each sentence, especially if you're a Gabriel Garcia or Tolstoy kind of writer because then it'll be an overkill), and uses his/her skill of language to weave a wonderful, fascinating story.

Then i figured, most writing these days doesn't really follow that pattern. That style belongs to the veterans - the Amitav Ghoshes, Naipauls and R.K. Narayans of the world. So then are we really devalueing their skill and mastery by letting pieces of trash get away with publishing? Freedom of Speech and Opinion apart, why would anybody want to be an author known for his/her average writing? Even Chetan Bhagat - maybe he's improved in the last two books - what i remember from my reading of Five Point Someone, his writing was... average. Same thing - nice story, bad writing.

Maybe it's the new way of doing things. Maybe this is how new-age writing is going to be. But why? Why does it have to be bad even if it has to be simple and conversational? Why can't it be like, let's say...a Meg Cabot? She's simple and conversational. Or a Jodi Picuolt. Why does it have to be a terror for the reader?

And that's when i thought, maybe i'm old school you know. I'm fussy about my books and how i like the writing that i read, to be. That's just it i guess - I R Old. And ageing rapidly. But at least i can say that i grew up on books with character and good writing.