In the world of semi-automatic firearms, when a pistol or rifle fails to move a round into the chamber properly, causing a malfunction, we call this a “failure to feed.”
Not to be confused with my cat Iris, who, if I fail to feed when her dish is empty, will whack me alongside the head when I pass the kitty condo.
But I digress. Failing to feed has consequences.
I’ve blogged about this topic before, but sometimes, as a writer, I have this instinctual need to read, and if I ignore it, my creativity suffers. But there is always the “time thing.” I have a job, I have kids, a dog and the Wife Unit who loves to play video games with me (how awesome is that? It’s awesome, I tell you). There are so many hours in the day, and I when I get tired, I go to bed.
I never suffer from writer’s block (anymore), but yet again, I’ve caught myself slowing down in my editing and writing.
That is, until I increased my reading. It was fuel to the fire.
I love books. Sometimes, even bad ones are inspirational. I just finished a book, from a much respected author, and the ending was so terrible. So very bad. We’re talking I will probably never buy another one of his books without reading a review again, and I have every single one of his hard covers in my library.
But it had value, to me, as a writer. Creative value. It fed the mechanical side of the narrative, sacrificing the entertainment. Indeed, if I wasn’t a writer, I would have stopped reading right when I saw The Big Lazy Cop-Out.
But this book fed me. It made me think about the mechanics of storytelling and how vital the contract with the reader is. There are many ways I draw inspiration, I will never lack it, but the core of my literary soul is a book in my hands and a good story, and failing that, inspiration to not fail in the same way.
Feed me Seymour!
Feed me Anthony!!!
I’ve been waiting ever so patiently…..
I should have seen that coming!
I’ve actually changed the novel a bit because of that one bad book I read.
Right now I am debating if the debauched kissing scene should stay or go. It’s way over the top.
You really should have seen that one coming
You’re the master of making a girl wait! But I would rather read a novel you’re happy with than one you’re not, so I’ll keep waiting…
What’s interesting is that your writing benefits even if you read crap. You read something mediocre or lousy and think, “Ugh, this guy just , and then compounded it with .” It often makes me move on to the corollary thought, “He should have , and that would have made this thing a lot better.”
Then, when I find myself doing X or Y, I can apply a fix I’ve already thought of.
I find that on the days when I dont feel like writing I can pick up a book or short story or magazine or even a cereal box and before I know it Im ready to write usually in minutes
*this concludes my test of writing a comment without punctuation
Oh, boy. Have I got a book to send you. Actually, as I was reading it, I was thinking “Anthony Pacheco would have done this SO much better….”
Oooooo.
BTW, I re-wrote Bunny Trouble. It’s darker and more focused. I’ve also changed the title to “Bunny Noir”. I’ll send you a copy when I’ve finished with another round of line-editing. This version may be agent worthy.
Eeexcellent!
FWIW, the author of this particular book mentioned to me that it was originally 500+ pages and it got hacked to ribbons — almost half its original length — by the publisher. The printing was paid for by an “angel” so the author didn’t have any say in the matter. I can’t say whether the missing stuff would have fixed the book’s problems, but in this particular case more characterization would have helped. You’ll see. Lemme see if I can dig up your address, or shoot me an email.