Nitpicking on Sanderson

[Shayaan]

I know Sanderson's writing's been criticized to death but I haven't yet seen anyone on any forum mention how he CONSTANTLY uses the words "suspect" and "certain". It's always "You are certain of this?", "I suspect that it is so" etc. instead of "Are you sure?" and "I expect".... It irritates me - a lot. There are situations where these words work better but he uses them in every single situation, obsessively. He probably does it to make the characters sound sophisticated; his dialogue is for the most part antiseptic and formal.

[dawnflower8]

I never noticed this. Is this in all his books or just WoT? *goes to look at a random Sanderson book to see if this is true*

[mb]

I have not notice this either.

which books and which chapters?

[JenniferL]

It's his version of sniffing or arms crossed beneath the breasts. I'm sure he's aware of it. 

[Shayaan]

You notice it more in the Wot books - especially in Egwene chapters - but yeah, it's present in the Way of Kings as well (the only other Sanderson book I've read). 

[mb]

from what I recall of Sanderson's Egwene chapters, it was not frequent.

could you give exact chapter references?

[ssgcmwatson]

My biggest gripe, and perhaps because I am going off the audio version, is using "said" almost exclusively.

 

Rarely ever "replied"

or "exclaimed"

or "retorted"

or "mused" 

or just about any other word that would often fit at least as well.

[fionwe1987]

My biggest gripe, and perhaps because I am going off the audio version, is using "said" almost exclusively.

 

Rarely ever "replied"

or "exclaimed"

or "retorted"

or "mused" 

or just about any other word that would often fit at least as well.

This, at least, is good writing. The best writers use said, and then let the context of the dialogue, and the words spoken themselves, take care of the rest.

 

As for what the OP said, yes. Antiseptic and clinical are good descriptions of Sanderson's dialogue. People quote lines, don't have realistic conversations, when he writes.

[Ace Sedai]

Sanderson writes as Asexual ,across his books.

Jordan was to put it mildly,kinky.

This manifests itself not just in 'adult'interactions but all interactions with the opposite sex come across as leaden and throws the characters 'dynamics' completely off IMO.

 

[Spider Spence]

Sanderson's line-level prose is pretty dull. He's just not a word guy. Jordan could fill a page--or a book--with those lush, powerful descriptions and Jordan really made everything seem so big and immersive in his world.

 

But Sanderson has a good sense of plot. I think that if Jordan had lived to finish the series, his version of A Memory of Light would have been slower-paced compared to the one we got. Just about everything in those last three books hits where it should.

[Manel Rochaid]

As others have said in this thread and others, the differences between Sanderson and Jordan are so huge as to make comparisons unfair. The thing they had in common was a love of world building.

 

Yes, Sandersons dialogue often comes across as unrealistic, however at the same time people complain about characters being left out. One of my personal favourites was Dobraine, but where is he in the Sanderson books? I don't hold this against him, as there was simply too much to be getting on with without worrying about secondary characters. Jordan wouldn't have seen it this way. Had the great man lived, I firmly believe the series would still not be completed.

[Finnssss22]

As others have said in this thread and others, the differences between Sanderson and Jordan are so huge as to make comparisons unfair. The thing they had in common was a love of world building.

 

Yes, Sandersons dialogue often comes across as unrealistic, however at the same time people complain about characters being left out. One of my personal favourites was Dobraine, but where is he in the Sanderson books? I don't hold this against him, as there was simply too much to be getting on with without worrying about secondary characters. Jordan wouldn't have seen it this way. Had the great man lived, I firmly believe the series would still not be completed.

 

Agreed.

Regardless of what one thinks of BS's actual writing style, prose ect, ect. He is a noticeably faster paced writer than RJ and takes less space with descriptions.

And it's funny too when you read certain "critics" that believe that these last 3 books should have only been 2. You will then see these exact same "critics" in other threads pointing out and complaining about what and/or who was missed.

 

Now don't get me wrong, there are more than enough fair critics that understand the strengths and weaknesses of BOTH writers but there are also quite a few that are more Fox News fair whether it be because, being high profile members of the WoT community, they felt slighted by not being "consulted properly" or whether they simply can't accept the series being finished by anyone other than RJ himself. To also be fair, there's the other side of the coin too where certain critics will blindly defend BS as well. 

 

If you find yourself in a debate with someone that is more concerned about being "loud" than staying on point, chances are you are talking with someone belonging to one of the secondary groups described above.

[szilard]

 

This, at least, is good writing. The best writers use said, and then let the context of the dialogue, and the words spoken themselves, take care of the rest.

 

Read more Joyce, Faulkner , Bulgakov etc. Read widely.