So, I did go back and check out Tapestry on that lexile analyzer, and I was relieved to see a 1200 (versus that whopping 1340 for Silk’s first chapter). Truly, I was a little stressed about the situation. Dan Brown and JK Rowling hang out around 850 or so, and thus what they do must be pretty darn optimal, right? Stephenie Meyers hangs out even lower than that.
Anyhow, though, Michael reframed the situation for me in a light that made me feel a little better. He called my writing ‘literature’. Literature? I hadn’t even considered it as such, honestly. I was goin’ for that even more enviable title—‘bestseller’! I scoffed at the idea at first, but my ego sort of likes the idea, so I’ve been reconsidering the matter a little bit.
Jane Austen and Nathaniel Hawthorne have these 1200-ish lexile scores as well, and, you know, they deal with romance and psychological issues as well. Not bad company, except they’re in their graves, of course! Not sure any modern popular author has such a cumbersome rating, though I obviously haven’t checked on everyone! That said, I haven’t checked on book 3, Homespun, either. I do realize that Silk begins with a more refined air, and each book becomes a bit more vernacular and down-to-earth, so to speak.
No, I don’t want to give the lexile scores too much importance, but it’s rare to have an objective measurement for your text—and I think I tend to cling to those few objective elements. So far, those word counts outline my writing days, giving me some hook for gauging my progress, so forgive me if I seem a little hung up on my lexile score—a new parameter and tres interesante, oui?
P.S. I submitted the Homespun sample and received a 780! Yikes! Or maybe Yay?!!?! There certainly are different ways to look at it, and I had anticipated a lower reading level on this one…overall, perfectly great, as that’s a perfect range for successful novels!
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