A mistake

[jethrien]

Chuckro's at class, so I was reading the new Audrey Niffenegger over dinner. I think that this was perhaps an error. I'd been planning on going back to novel revisions after dinner, but I'm having trouble actually making myself work now. I don't think I'll ever be able to write like her - three lines in, and her characters are people. While I'm not sure one of my characters is actually a person after a whole book. Sometimes reading a really well-written book makes me itch to try, and sometimes it just makes me despair - I'm not sure I could ever be that good no matter how much I try, so why am I doing this? I suppose I wish future me would come back and say "totally keep practicing, you'll get better" or "you're deluding yourself, go play Katamari instead". Since future me has not yet put in an appearance, I suppose I'll try to finish my clumsy effort at a chapter instead.

Comments

[maydove.livejournal.com]

I know how that feels. Seeing what's possible in literature both inspires me and makes me frustrated with my own writing when I feel it's not "perfect" (which makes it really hard to even get through a first draft).

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

True, her characters are great in that book, but other authors write great characters in completely different ways. And some of them may not have such strong characters, but the plot and the world and the depth, etc make up for it.

That said, I know exactly what you mean. :)

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I think I'd feel better if my plot, world, or depth felt stronger.

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

So I should bump up the Time Traveler's Wife? (It's on my shelf, haven't gotten to yet.)

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to say you have to read it now now now, but it definitely deserves the reading. Her writing deserves its hype. (Though the movie looked awful.)