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schmericaThere's something faintly vexing about reading a mediocre story and coming across something really good in it. It's more annoying than just reading a not-great story, definitely. The witty line or perfect snatch of dialogue or beautiful characterization description isn't enough to make it a good story, most of the time, so you're just left with a faint sense of frustration.
What a waste, you think, being stuck in the middle of an unremarkable story like that. They could have done real things with that, bringing the rest of the prose up to its level.
Of course, at least part of that reaction is probably annoyance at not having thought of that piece yourself. My jealousy is much less profound when those perfect moments are in excellent stories, somehow; those authors know what to do with their lines, I suppose.
What a waste, you think, being stuck in the middle of an unremarkable story like that. They could have done real things with that, bringing the rest of the prose up to its level.
Of course, at least part of that reaction is probably annoyance at not having thought of that piece yourself. My jealousy is much less profound when those perfect moments are in excellent stories, somehow; those authors know what to do with their lines, I suppose.
