My Crack Habit

...is a "A Song of Ice and Fire."  That's why I haven't posted lately. Seriously these books are crack and I can't stop reading them.  I've had to take a break after the second one, however. I do have children to feed.  Also, I've come to the realization that I will have to read every book in the series twice because they are so dense. At approximately 1,000 pages each, that's alot of reading.  And these books are dense, yet easy reading all the same.  Which left me wondering, as a writer: How does he do it?

So I am taking a break from all things romance and trying to analyze what makes these books so seriously addictive.  Here's what I have been able to figure out:

1. That old trick of ending each chapter on a cliff hanger really, really works.  In Martin's case, the next chapter is another point-of-view and takes place somewhere else in the story. So you have to keep reading to find out how that particular cliff hanger turns out. And then the next chapter has another cliffhanger that gets resolved elsewhere...repeat, repeat repeat. Never gets old.

2.  Good people sometimes do bad things and bad people sometimes do good things.  Just like real people. Nobody's one hundred percent good or bad.  Even the really, really bad guys have some redeeming quality.

3. Vocabulary, good descriptions, lots of strong action verbs, lots of showing, almost no telling.  All those things they tell  you to do in writer's workshops, yeah they really work.  My only (minor) criticism is sometimes the pace is a bit  too breathtaking.  There are times I would appreciate a pause in the action and they just don't come too often.

4. Character development out the wazoo.  See number two. Martin is not afraid to reveal layers of complexity in all his characters.  And just when you think you have a handle on someone, a secret is revealed from his/her past or the character does something unexpected. But it never feels like the characters are going off the reservation and acting "out-of-character." Often times, the reader's perception of the character is formed from the observations of other characters, based on too little information.  Just like you or I form expectations of people in the news based on other's perceptions and comments. So when a bad guy displays some sympathy or is shone in a better light, it never feels weird. Its just new information.

I could go on.....but these books are so rich and well developed.  Sigh.  Wish I could write like that.  So....what book have you read that had you sighing and saying "I wish I could write like that?"