Escapism
I've been on something of a reading binge the past week or so, and am just starting to pull out of it now (I finished a piece of mind candy last night, and starting a new book doesn't really appeal) Whenever I get on these kicks, I begin to wonder what it is exactly that I'm trying to escape from. Because, make no mistake, I read to escape, to be swept up and away from this world into a totally different one. That's why I like fantasies and historical romances best--they sweep me far, far away. I think this kick may have been started by the sheer good fortune of reading three good books in a row, since it has been killed by starting two bad books and then succumbing to mind candy--it wasn't bad exactly, it was certainly entertaining, but that's about all I can say for it.
The good books though...
Mary Jo Putney has finally come out with a romantic fantasy that I like. The Marriage Spell was wonderful, which is a great relief, since I wasn't too impressed with her last few books. She's finally getting the hang of magic systems, and was able to focus on the romance, which is her true strength.
I've also been enjoying the Liar's Club books, by Celeste Brandley. They aren't great literature or anything, but they are fun historical romps, and oh so very sexy.
And then I recently discovered a new author. I got a Sharon Shinn book in my stocking this year, Mystic and Rider which was pretty good. From all accounts it was a fantasy with a romantic plot line, so I was interested in reading it for research purposes. I want to get my hands on as many books that are vaguely like mine as I can find, so that I can query the agents that sold those books and feel like I'm offering something they might be interested in. Anyway, Mystic and Rider was pretty good, enough for me to read the next book in the series. That book (The Thirteen House for those keeping track) was terrible. Absolutely a waste of time. Took me forever to finish, and I'm still not sure why I bothered. I'm also not sure why I then checked out the next book in the series from the library, but I did. And, wow, it was sooooo good. Dark Moon Defender is exactly the kind of book I want to write when I grow up (pause to realize I'm going to turn thirty this year and feel vaguely ill.) Now I want to read more stuff by Shinn, and am getting pretty excited by the idea of querying her agent, at least in the abstract.
Actually writing queries, on the other hand, completely freaks me out. I go back and forth on whether I believe that I can actually write good fiction. Some days I think I do a great job, and other days, generally in the throes of editing, I think it all sucks. Query writing, though, is a whole different game, one where I don't really feel like I know the rules. And so I procrastinate, and read entire novels for "research." And none of this is particularly good for my career (such as it is) but I'm also not sure where or how to find the motivation to do better.
And so I want to escape. To slip into a world of someone else's making. Because it is so much easier to read than to write, to consume than to create. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that writing has made my definition of a bad book much broader and my tolerance for such much less, so that even reading is not as easy an escape as it used to be.
The good books though...
Mary Jo Putney has finally come out with a romantic fantasy that I like. The Marriage Spell was wonderful, which is a great relief, since I wasn't too impressed with her last few books. She's finally getting the hang of magic systems, and was able to focus on the romance, which is her true strength.
I've also been enjoying the Liar's Club books, by Celeste Brandley. They aren't great literature or anything, but they are fun historical romps, and oh so very sexy.
And then I recently discovered a new author. I got a Sharon Shinn book in my stocking this year, Mystic and Rider which was pretty good. From all accounts it was a fantasy with a romantic plot line, so I was interested in reading it for research purposes. I want to get my hands on as many books that are vaguely like mine as I can find, so that I can query the agents that sold those books and feel like I'm offering something they might be interested in. Anyway, Mystic and Rider was pretty good, enough for me to read the next book in the series. That book (The Thirteen House for those keeping track) was terrible. Absolutely a waste of time. Took me forever to finish, and I'm still not sure why I bothered. I'm also not sure why I then checked out the next book in the series from the library, but I did. And, wow, it was sooooo good. Dark Moon Defender is exactly the kind of book I want to write when I grow up (pause to realize I'm going to turn thirty this year and feel vaguely ill.) Now I want to read more stuff by Shinn, and am getting pretty excited by the idea of querying her agent, at least in the abstract.
Actually writing queries, on the other hand, completely freaks me out. I go back and forth on whether I believe that I can actually write good fiction. Some days I think I do a great job, and other days, generally in the throes of editing, I think it all sucks. Query writing, though, is a whole different game, one where I don't really feel like I know the rules. And so I procrastinate, and read entire novels for "research." And none of this is particularly good for my career (such as it is) but I'm also not sure where or how to find the motivation to do better.
And so I want to escape. To slip into a world of someone else's making. Because it is so much easier to read than to write, to consume than to create. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that writing has made my definition of a bad book much broader and my tolerance for such much less, so that even reading is not as easy an escape as it used to be.