Now this isn't to say that the RA books are not as good--they are--but it started me thinking about a writer's voice and style.
Riordan writes PJ in first person and he's an American, while Flanagan writes in third person and he's Australian.
You might not think their nationalities matter, but really it does BECAUSE this is the essence of who they are as people, how they are raised and taught. In other words, who you are helps dictate your writing voice and style . . . up to a point.
And in my opinion, Riordan's PJ books are the most engaging reads. They are full of action, full of fun, huge amounts of dialogue, AND full of Greek Mythology that isn't rubbed in your face. The things Riordan teaches the reader is so passive, and woven into the story, that the reader doesn't even realize he's learning anything.
This isn't to say that Flanagan's RA is bad, the books are just different. He tends to write more narrative with detailed descriptions of various aspects of his story. For example: archery. Flanagan goes into great detail about the long bow, arrows, how to shoot, how to line up a shot, how to account for wind and distance, etc. He doesn't do this in one lump info dump, but spreads it throughout the story. In other words, the reader KNOWS Flanagan is either a superior archer or he's very well read about the sport.
But as we all know, not every author is interesting to every person. Stories that excite me, other readers might find boring.
The best we strive for is to write in OUR own style and voice. Sometimes we hit it out of the park. Sometimes we struggle. But we ALWAYS strive to make our stories an entertaining escape.
Something to think about.
Later, Peeps!
