[{(Bracketed In)}]

I read a book recently, I'm not going to give a title because I [sorta] know the author and I always think its difficult [and sometimes dangerous] to be critical of people you [sorta] know, particularly writers. [The pen is mightier than the sword and all that.]

Anywho, the book was ok, an easy read.

The story was a little lax but enjoyable all the same.

One thing about book, or maybe more so the style of writing really got to me -the author's overuse of brackets! I felt it totally took from the development of the story.

She used them alot, and not to great advantage.

They were used to offer further explanation, thought or expression. All perfectly acceptable uses I know, but it was so over done that it got to the point where it was like the bracketed points themselves where the story, or at the very least several confusing mini plots.

Despite this I finished the book in a weekend and it will sit on my shelf until I either lend it to someone or donate to charity, or something of the like -am very doubtful I will ever read it again, it just wasn't that type of book.

So the book is finished, a good number of weeks at this point, and what do I notice [to my horror]??? That I too overuse brackets!!! So I am hoping [probably without much luck] that I do it to greater advantage, but how random is it that I should be guilty of something that I detested in a book?!

I was so shocked, [once I realised] that I was sure it must be some perverse result or reaction to my distaste and so I checked back over older work and sure enough, there they where. Grant it, I have progressed on from the traditional curvy ( ) pair onto [what I consider] a more contemporary pair [ ] but there is no getting away from the fact that my work is also [over] bracketed in! [oh the shame!] :)