I'm a person who hates to know what is going to happen before it happens. I don't sneak to find out what my Christmas presents are or struggle not to give others their presents early because I can't wait for their reaction. I don't have to know everything everyone else knows and I often forget to tell friends things that they consider a big deal. I was born, by some strange twist of fate, without the nosey gene. (This often gets me into trouble as what I consider minding my own business, others assume is a lack of interest or me not caring. Which is not the case, I assure you.)
In surfing around some blogs last week, I came across a little snippet about the book Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have this book in the TBR and even started it once. However, I was also trying to write and this woman is so darn good, she was killing my confidence. So I put it down. I'll get back to it when I think I can handle the awesome that is SEP.
What I didn't realize is that the blog I'd found was about endings. I'd read the entire bit about how the book ended before I realized it. Now, it didn't really spoil the book for me, I mean, I know they get their HEA. But still, it was more than I prefer to know ahead of time.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last eight months or so, you know Stephanie Meyer is the latest publishing superstar and her Twilight series about Bella and her teen, vampire love-interest, Edward, is the smash, must-read of the year. Recently, a version of a book Ms. Meyer had been writing, a re-write version of the first book from a different character POV, was leaked through the internet. The fall out has been interesting. I've heard everything from Ms. Meyer leaked the book herself (which I don't believe) to one of the stars of the upcoming Twilight movie leaked the pages. No matter who leaked them, they got out and now Ms. Meyer is supposedly not going to finish or publish the book (based on what she wrote on her website last I checked. Sorry if that has changed since I last looked.)
My question is simple – how do you feel about spoilers? Are you one of those people who read the ending first (and should be flogged!...lol)? Do you scratch and claw to get a much anticipated book as soon as possible? And what would you do if something you poured your heart into, that you loved and couldn't wait for readers to enjoy, got hijacked before you were ready?
47 comments:
I am a heathen and will regularly read the end before the beginning. That's because the ending isn't nearly as important to me as the journey.
Mostly, I want to see what names are still mentioned at the end so I know to follow them more carefully at the beginning. I want to pay particular attention to their evolution as characters.
And if my book got hijacked before I was ready...
That's a tough one. My angry self might want to walk away from it, but my vindictive self might very well take the book and rewrite a whole new story out of the characters.
I think romances end in a rather obvious way, so it's not really cheating to skip ahead. But regular fiction, mysteries---it's important to read chronologically. When I write, I often write the ending well before I get there, so I've spoiled it for myself, LOL.
I think it depends. I agree with Maggie that romances are fairly predictable, so I don't usually feel bad reading the end. In fact, most of the time I don't read the end because I know what's going to happen (in a general way).
I admit to reading the epilogue to Deathly Hallows first. I needed to prepare myself for the worst case scenerio. Besides, JK Rowling is so wonderful, it's in her ability to write an entire epilogue and still give nothing away in what happens in the story.
I didn't read the end of any of the Twilight series. But, I am sad she won't be publishing Midnight Sun. I read the beginning of it and it was awesome.
I don't usually read the end as much as I skip ahead chapters once in a while. I used to be very conscientious and read in order like a good girl, but since I've gotten older and wilder I'm really getting the hang of this "breaking the rules" thing. LOL
It's funny too cause as I'm writing this I'm thinking to myself I would never skip ahead in a SEP book. And I think that's because I trust her to make it worth my wait and she makes the journey so much fun. I skip ahead when I get distracted, bored or worried it's not going to turn out like I'd like.
As for the Stephanie Meyer's situation. I just think that's sad. I would feel very violated if someone took something I'm not ready to make public and released it to the masses. It's also how I feel about photos taken of celebrities looking like death warmed over. What's the point?! Well, I know what the point is - the almighty dollar. But still... it lacks decency and respect, something this society is sorely lacking these days.
I'm a very linear person. I don't read ahead. Ever. I don't fast forward movies. I don't even write out of sequence. I feel for Ms. Meyer's situation, although in that case, I don't quite understand why she wouldn't write the book anymore. Even if the pages hadn't been leaked, if it's a "re-tell" of book 1, even in another POV, then everyone already knows how it ended, right?
Maria! Thanks for hopping aboard the ship. And that may be the worst type of heathen. The unapologetic kind. LOL! I guess I can live with you reading the endings first, but it's still fundamentally wrong. :)
Maggie - It's okay for you to write the ending before the rest because it's working for you. Goodness, don't mess with the system!
It depends on the book and how much I'm emotionally invested in it already.
People were really upset when in book 6 of Harry Potter, it was revealed (before they got to read it) that Dumbledore died. I already knew he died. Not because I had an inside leak or I skipped to the end either. I had the book in my hands; my best friend Holler was looking at it with me--and we scanned the titles to the chapters. One was titled the Pheonix's Lament--and I went, "Dumbledore died." PLUS, the mentor of every Hero of a Thousand Faces Hero has to die. Obi Wan. Gandalf. The bearded old wise guy always bites it.
In college, I read The Thorn Birds. I'd never read it before; it'd only been out a 100 years--and I hadn't even seen the miniseries to know much. Only that the love affair was forbidden, which was all I needed to read the durned thing. I was 30-40 pages from the end, feverishly reading it right before start of my history class, on NEEDLES--and some chickie-poo waltzes between my desk and the one next to me and says, "Oh, the Thorn Birds. Wasn't it just tragic when their son died at the end?"
I threw the book at the chaulkboard. Chickie-poo never again volunteered endings to novels to me. Though she was flabbergasted I didn't know. "What? Have you been living under a rock?"
Marn - In Romance, it's not that reading the end gives anything away, it's the emotional punch you lose when you read the ending before reading the rest. And I'm pretty sure you weren't alone in reading the end of DH. LOL!
Irish - You're such a rebel! LOL! Skipping ahead when you get bored. Hmmm...I can see that. I've been reading stuff lately that just isn't capturing me that well. Only instead of jumping ahead, I just give up.
JK - great point about Ms. Meyer finishing that book. It's not like it was a new story and there were spoilers revealed. And I've heard from people I know who read all the books and read what was posted of this one that they loved it. Maybe she'll change her mind and finish it.
Captain - that's the worst spoiler of all - when a character dies. I think I could even take someone telling me who dun it in a mystery before them telling me that someone dies. And to be honest, I'm surprised that chickie-poo is still breathing. LOL!
Oh, but sometimes it's better to warn a person. I took a friend to see PS: I Love You and assumed she knew the dude dies at the beginning as they advertised it that way and everyone was talking about it. But she didn't and from that point on, she bawled through the entire thing. She still gets mad and yells, "I can't believe you didn't warn me!" LOL!
I can see that about a movie, Ter! I asked Hellion about "The Notebook". Everyone kept telling me I should watch it but wouldn't tell me anything about it - my family is really weird! They wouldn't give away an ending under torture.
Anyway, Hellion explained the whole movie to me and said it was worth watching and she was right. I knew what to expect going in and I thoroughly enjoyed that movie. Now if I didn't know it probably would have delivered a bigger emotional punch but not in a good way. I'm not into having my heart ripped out and stomped on anymore. So if I'm wary at all about a book or movie I ask for the ending. I don't know if I'm being wild and breaking the rules or being really wimpy and chickening out on the hard stuff. LOL
*Off topic* Has anyone seen The Duchess yet? My sister is suppose to take me this weekend for my birthday (cause I can't threaten or bribe the DH to see this!)
Yeah, I will tell people the endings to movies if they ask--but they have to be serious about wanting to know the ending. I hate being told endings to movies in which I didn't ask--and had wanted to find out myself though.
Glad you enjoyed it, Irish!
I *SO* want to see The Duchess, but it says it's not opening in wide release until October 3rd. (They'd said Sept 19th, but it wasn't available anywhere where I lived. Not within a 200 mile radius. So I'll have to wait until the wide release date.) I've been jonesing for that movie since they showed a teaser trailer LAST YEAR. It has everything I love about tragic period pieces. *LOL*
Irish - I've gotten to where I just assume someone's going to die if I know the movie is from a Sparks book. LOL! Though I watched The Notebook in the theaters at a time when I was going through emotional hell and I really don't recommend doing that. I cried buckets!!!
And since I did the big move this weekend, I didn't get to see The Duchess yet. Though I did watch Keira Knightly on the Charlie Rose show talking about it. I've heard some say it's not very accurate but I don't care. It's a beautiful period piece which means I'm there.
But if anyone has seen it, is there stuff in it that would be too racy for my 9 yr old? She loves this kind of stuff, but I haven't checked the rating yet.
I can't wait for the Dutchess either. So I guess that means we're not going to see it on Thursday. LOL
Since I am the infinite rule breaker, I have to anarch myself and not just read the endings. I never read the ending before I've read the rest of it. So if I open to page 2, I read from page 2 until the end. The only time I break my own rule of breaking the rules is when the book is boring the hell out of me. I'm very OCD about finishing a book I've started to read no matter how horrible it is.
Most books just end the same way. *shrug* Usually you can guess what's going to happen within the first 50 pages. If not less than that. Especially if you know the genre well.
Hellion - The movie isn't playing anywhere?! Bummer. I'm hoping to see it this weekend, but that'll depend on the babysitting situation.
Sin - I used to be total OCD about finishing every book I started no matter what. It's only been in the last year or less that I've started putting them down if I don't care what happens. I got well over 200 pages into a book at the beginning of the year and something happened that pissed me off. I thought, "I could care less what happens in this story" so I gave up.
I'm guessing it's a combination of age, exhaustion, and guilt over how many books are staring at me waiting to be read. In my life, guilt is a very powerful force. LOL!
I don't skip ahead usually, but I don't mind terribly knowing how a story ends before I start (but having someone tell me right before I finish = UNCOOL). In fact, if I really like a book, I'll read it twice in a row--the second time to appreciate the subtle hints and nuances and clues and progression. Sometimes knowing the ending allows me to skip that second read, though.
If I got "leaked" (a really weird and not unfamiliar thing for a nursing mom to say...), I don't know that I'd shelve my project, but I'd definitely be tempted to do like Maria and change it drastically. (In addition to being deeply hurt, of course, since this was her friend/trusted confidant that did this.)
I thought SM was just putting her project on hold indefinitely, though.
And you have the guilt because you grew up Catholic. You have to grow up an unruly heathen like me to escape all that.
I find myself reading despite even when I want to throw it against the wall. This is the same OCD compulsion to pick everything off the floor too. I've gotten better after years of being with the monkey, Mattycakes, but I still can't sleep if I think there are socks on the living room floor.
I guess my reading OCD is because of my dreaming. If I don't finish it my mind makes up the ending of the story and it's always gruesome and in my dreams. I'd just rather finish it and get it over with. I'm a speed reader so I can just skim over it.
Irish - I'm really rebelling against the "emotional punch for the sake of emotional punch" element in a lot of shows. I still cry when a child dies or is in danger, for example, but I'm both sad and ANGRY that the writer/director/whomever is trying to manipulate me into feeling that way just because I have/like children. Emotional blackmail! Sort of.
Sin - Your OCD sounds a bit more severe than mine, but I can tell you there's a chance it will relent in regard to books as you get older. I NEVER put a book down before this year. NEVER! Now, it doesn't bother me at all. LOL!
Sorry, Sin, we won't be seeing it Thursday, but only because it's not here.
I think I will be getting a massage instead, so it's not a complete loss for me.
Jordan - I read the bit that SM posted on her website a while ago and it sort of leaves the door open I think. I admit, I didn't check last Friday when I wrote this to see if anything changed. But as great as the internet is, that's the bad thing about it. EVERYTHING gets leaked ahead of time.
And I too hate to be manipulated in that way. If it's heartache, I can take that. If it's real physical danger or damage, especially with a child involved, I get angry so I avoid that stuff like the plague. Someone told me Gone Baby Gone is really good, but I'll tell you right now, I'll never watch it.
Irish, I don't think you're being wimpy--I don't like being emotionally hijacked either. I watch movies for ESCAPISM, not to have my heart torn out and set on fire before me. If I want the latter, I have plenty enough resources to make it happen without doing it synthetically.
Writers and directors take the easy way out too much of the time. It's easy to make people scared or sad. It's not near as easy to make them laugh or fall in love.
Hellion said:
It’s easy to make people scared or sad. It’s not near as easy to make them laugh or fall in love.
What scary about this statement is those are the two things I try to accomplish with my books. LOL! Do you think it's easier in print than on film?
OMG! You're right, The Duchess is nowhere around here. Sheesh! I was so looking forward to a night out. My daughter's birthday is a week after mine. So, Saturday night is going to be a sleepover with 6-10 13 year olds! I thought I'd console myself with a trip to the movie theater Sunday night. I guess that's not gonna be happening.
You're right Sin - the guilt stuff is definitely the Catholic in her. LOL I think I had a little of that OCD stuff with books but I'm too busy these days to waste my time on a wallbanger. If it's not doing it for me I just stop reading. A couple of years ago I was just like you - I had to know how it ended. I couldn't leave a book unfinished. Not anymore!
I don't get it either. I'm super busy to the point I bring work home and spend my nights going over work email and writing out record requests and payment information but once I start a book, crappy or not, I don't put it down. It helps that I speed read. I might not know every minute detail but I know the premise. If I like it enough, I'll read it again so get more details.
Irish - My sister in guilt. LOL! I do sometimes wonder if I'd feel this guilty about everything without that upbringing. Like maybe it's just part of my personality. But then I say, "Nah" and blame the nuns. LOL!
Sin - I had a friend in HS who could speed read. It worked great until we'd talk about a book and I'd say something like, "That part where he did this was so amazing" and she'd say, "I didn't catch that part." LOL!
I put down books I don't want to finish. I don't feel bad about it either. Mostly I feel: This got published. I should SO write on my book right now because I'm clearly going to be the next big thing.
In fact, I checked out 4 romances from the library last week, I think I discarded ALL OF THEM. One was an erotic-sensual, but the heroine was a puritan. A judging little puritan. I was done by chapter 2. The Victorian historical was just BAD. I stuck it out until chapter 4 or so, but it made me think, "Wow, they really are just publishing any historical because it's a historical. Interesting. And clearly POV switching is not an issue for this lady's agent." The Graham book was well-written, but I couldn't maintain an interest. And the McCarthy book would have been okay, I imagine, but it wasn't her typical funny stuff--so no dice.
Four books, all discarded. I'm currently rereading Eloisa James' stuff.
All four were bad? That's not good stats. Do you really think they are publishing any old story, or are we getting harder to please?
Jordan - I'm with you there. I think that's why I don't watch too much TV anymore. It's getting more and more graphic and they go for the shock value more than anything else. It's not entertaining for me anymore.
This year was the year I started putting books down, too! Must be something in the air. I ALWAYS finished what I started (see above regarding Catholic guilt), but not anymore. I just don't have the time.
Hellion I was thinking of you this weekend. They were running POTC-2 non stop it seemed. Every time I walked into the family room the kids were watching that movie - ALL WEEKEND LONG! They actually had the nerve to argue with me about bedtime - "Can't we just watch the end!" Like they hadn't seen the end about 4 times already in the past 24 hours!
I started re-reading Balogh until next Tuesday when some of my long awaited new releases are out!
I watched the POTC marathon too. *LOL* Even though I watch it about every day of the week. God forbid I miss it on USA.
Terri, I am not the problem. I am not that difficult to please. So it must be them.
Irish - my kiddo does that all the time. "Let me just see this part!" It's always something she's seen a million times.
I said "we". "We" might be getting pickier. Since Maggie, Irish, and I are also having a hard time finding good stuff. Then again, I think you're right. It's them.
Please don't throw rotten fruit at me. I always read the end first. Since Elizabeth George betrayed me, I even read the endings of mysteries first. As I have said before, if it's not a destination I want, I don't want to make the journey. Spoilers don't bother me, but I try to be careful in my comments because I know I am in the minority.
I am another who used to feel compelled to complete every book I started reading. About one fifth of the books I have started this year have been DNFs, and I don't feel guilty at all. Time is valuable. Why should I waste it on something I find unsatisfying, boring, offensive, and/or badly written? There are too many good books to read or reread to let unreasonable guilt make my choices.
I am bothered most not by the books I don't finish but by those I do that never fulfill their promise. I read so many books now that make me think that they were published too soon. The potential for a great book is there, but it is never fully realized.
Janga - I knew you were one of them. LOL! No fruit coming your way. You're good about never telling spoilers, so we'll let you slide. That's a good point about things being published too soon. Often I'll be reading and something will take me out of the story that I realize should have been edited out or something. You'd think considering how slow the publishing industry moves, things like that wouldn't happen.
Ah-harr, I be hatin' the hyjack! :-(
Spoilers don't bother me. If I'm going to read something, I'll read it whether or not someone has told me about it. Same with movies. Although, I would have been quite angry if someone had told me the end of THE SIXTH SENSE. I never saw that one coming, even though all the clues were there. :-)
Kathy - I've never seen the Sixth Sense. I have no idea why though as I love Bruce Willis. I guess I should rent it. LOL!
I never saw the SS coming either. I saw it opening night, real late, because it must have been almost 2 am when we left the theater--and I was completely spooked the hell out.
Oh, Terri! I'm not a big scary movie/thriller person but the Sixth Sense was good. You should see it.
I unwittingly spoiled the ending to that John Travota movie Phenomenon. I'm still apologizing to my brother-in-law for that one. Telling the ending of a movie is right up there with the deadly sins in my family. I pretty much don't care anymore. And if there is a book I'm dying to read I'll read anything I can get my hands on. That's how it's been with Lisa Kleypas' Seduce Me At Sunrise. I am on pins and needles waiting for that one.
Right - adding the movie to my netflix. I think someone spoiled Phenomenon for me back when it first came out and I was so bitter I never watched it. Then again, Travolta I can take or leave.
Argh, spoiling Phenomenon. Bad. :(
I highly recommend SS, Terrio. Add Stir Of Echoes to that one. Creepy!!
I abhore spoilers and can't stand when books are out mere minutes and folks have read it and feel compelled to share it with the world. No thanks, I'll wait my turn. The same holds true for any ARCs folks get, read and post about. I choose not to read them.
I've been fortunate to have won some ARCs in my time and feel it's a priviledge to get that sneak peek. Why would I want to spoil it for anyone else? Oh, and don't get me started about folks who sell ARCs on e-Bay.
Phew, I feel much better. Now, I'll go and see what you guys have been talking about.
Spoil away. In fact, grab a chair and tell me all about the book. If I don't want to know, I'll tell you so.
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