# Worst successful writers and authors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077 "2015-04-07T22:13:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077/161 "2015-04-17T19:19:06Z")
Huh–Marcinko! Had apparently succeeded in suppressing _this_ author (proofread one of his tomes a few years ago). Yes–monumentally godawful writing! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077/162 "2015-04-17T19:43:58Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Former SEAL Richard Marcinko who writes at the 8th grade level despite having a masteral degree and (according to him) is fluent in at least three languages. I don’t mind an 8th grade level. Elmore Leonard wrote at that level or even lower, and I love his writing. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077/163 "2015-04-30T19:02:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Harry Turtledove is . . . uneven. At his worst, his style is incredibly clotted and tedious and “then another locust came and took away another grain of corn, and then another locust came and took away another grain of corn . . .” I like Turtledove overall; but am, by a narrowish margin, on the side of “when he’s good, he’s good – when he’s bad, he’s…” . In the main, I tend to consider his “stand-alone” novels better than his series, which are apt to become extremely repetitious and, as BG says, clotted. (I have a perverse liking for his _Darkness_ series, which most people – whether Turtledove lovers, or haters – seem to consider “beyond dire”.) _Darkness_ excepted (it’s been around for a good few years), I have renounced anything at all recent by Harry, having anything even remotely to do with World War II – IMO, he has done that conflict to death and far beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077/164 "2015-04-30T19:12:36Z")
Elizabeth Wertzel. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077/165 "2015-05-01T06:26:38Z")
Just came here to second the vote for Lisa Scottoline being the worst contemporary writer of English and I find that I am the first to make the charge. This in no way alters my opinion. I have never read her newspaper column but the two mysteries I did read (all of one and part of another) are god-awful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-successful-writers-and-authors/717077.md?page=8)