Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/34720
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

This will largely depend on the kind of book you are writing and your writing style.

Contemporary genre fiction is often rather focussed and almost concise. The rule that everything you write should either serve the plot or characterization is reflective of that. Many readers appear to be impatient with anything that isn't either action or provides an insight into why the characters act that way. They often skip all the worldbuilding, backstory, and philosophizing of the narrator and complain about this in their reviews. On the internet you apparently have four seconds to convey your information, and many readers read novels with a smiliar hecticness. They lead stessful lives and when they have ten minutes to read on the train, they want to get right at it.

Older fiction on the other hand, and non-genre or "literary" fiction (a distinction in style and content, not quality) often takes its time and allows itself to meander and philosophize. These books aren't usually about narrating a "story" or sequence of events, but rather their aim is to portray a way of life, a person and their circumstances, a society, and everything that is a part of that can (or even must) be a part of that book. A philosophic observation that would be an irritating detour to the reader of an action-packed thriller, is the reason to read a book for those who seek to be stimulated intellectually.

Of course, as always, there are many possibilities in between those extremes: philosophical action thrillers can and have been written, and where you want your book to fall on that continuum is completely up to you. Whether what you do works will depend on your craftsmanship and who you market your book to.

* * *

_But some concrete advice:_

The fact that you ask a question here is an indication that you have the feeling that there is something wrong. I have found that when I have such a gut feeling, it is almost always right. So very likely you are overdoing it. Maybe a few philosophical observations help flesh out your character and are fun for the reader to read, but when they become compulsive and your character can no longer utter even a single straightforward answer without drifting off into reflections on life, the universe, and everything, then maybe you have lost control of your writing and allowed your character to take over the story you intended to write. So rein them in.

Original score: 18