I am in a bit of a reading slump right now. I've read a few in a row that I haven't cared for and want to clear the decks and start fresh. Because I've never read it before (shocker, I know), I plowed through The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Of course it's an important narrative in American literature, but let's face it; it's a bore.
And I'm reading another book about narrative structure I thought would inspire me to get writing, but it's too hearts and flowers and unicorns and fluff for me. It does have some interesting sections of plotting, but for the most part, I don't need a cheerleader/life coach for my writing. I need someone to make me start and then tell me where my drafts work and where they suck -- honestly. The Plot Whisperer just isn't what I had hoped.
So I'm knocking them out now and looking forward to starting something new. I've been going back and forth between a couple of different ideas about choosing which books to read. I have lots of classics I'd like to get to in the next couple of years, and there are lots of great novels written in my lifetime I haven't experienced, either. Throw in all the good titles being published each year and I never know what to read next. I love systems and lists and I'd probably be a lot happier if I wasn't such a slave to them. But I've even got lists of books that include lists of books. It's ridiculous.
And I'm reading another book about narrative structure I thought would inspire me to get writing, but it's too hearts and flowers and unicorns and fluff for me. It does have some interesting sections of plotting, but for the most part, I don't need a cheerleader/life coach for my writing. I need someone to make me start and then tell me where my drafts work and where they suck -- honestly. The Plot Whisperer just isn't what I had hoped.
So I'm knocking them out now and looking forward to starting something new. I've been going back and forth between a couple of different ideas about choosing which books to read. I have lots of classics I'd like to get to in the next couple of years, and there are lots of great novels written in my lifetime I haven't experienced, either. Throw in all the good titles being published each year and I never know what to read next. I love systems and lists and I'd probably be a lot happier if I wasn't such a slave to them. But I've even got lists of books that include lists of books. It's ridiculous.
I have considered writing some kind of contemporary fiction guide. The best one I know of is now 20 years old, and could use a serious update. If I don't return to teaching next year, that's a project I might want to consider.
Then, of course, there is the novel I've kicked around for at least three years. I think it's time I either wrote it or stopped talking about trying to be a novelist. At some point, I'm the only person left that I'm fooling. (Wow, I didn't intend for this entry to get dark, but perhaps it's time....)
Then, of course, there is the novel I've kicked around for at least three years. I think it's time I either wrote it or stopped talking about trying to be a novelist. At some point, I'm the only person left that I'm fooling. (Wow, I didn't intend for this entry to get dark, but perhaps it's time....)
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