Why did you write that book?
Because I wanted to read it, but I couldn’t find it. *tell the story of Blurred Reality and the library*
Is there a difference between reading and writing a book?
I feel like writing a book is the same as reading a book, except that I’m driving.
My biggest pet peeve is when a character *could* be really good, but the author chooses to keep them surface level. I want to stick my hands inside that character and grab everything I possibly can about them and soak in it. It’s creepy. But I want depth. I want to literally live her life — as her — if only for a moment.
What is it like reading a book you didn’t write as an author?
Reading a *good* book as a writer is a lot like going to an old friend’s house and crawling into bed. I don’t have to drive. I’m the passenger princess.
Reading a *bad* book as a writer — I don’t waste my time. I’ll put it down. Or, if the genre is good but the writing is bad — I’ll stick with it, but i’ll verbally get annoyed and speak my opinion.
A lot of times, as I mentioned in last week’s episode, I’ll read a book and start to analyze the fundamentals of how it was written. Like when I watch Hallmark Movies, I’m just analyzing the plot and trying to guess what happens. It’s really easy once you figure out the formula. But every author has their own formula, and once you figure it out, you can always guess the murderer.
What advice would you give to someone writing their first book?
Just make sure you’re doing it for yourself. You’re having fun with it. The best part of writing a book is actually writing the book. You should enjoy editing, you should enjoy plotting, and characterization, and finding words to make you vision come to life on a page.
Thank you for listening. I’ll catch you next week for the next episode.
Love,
Maggie Ann