Last week, in the midst of my massively crazy photo shoot during which I had literally NO time for anything else, I managed to read the entirety of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone. If you haven't read this book--stop what you're doing. Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore and buy it. Then read it. Right now. I'll wait.
OK, now that you've read it, you know what I mean. BRILLIANT, right? The imagery, like a Dark-Crystal-inspired macabre-beautiful dream from the depths of your subconscious, where everything has a twisted and personal meaning. The sheer creativity of this world and this concept. I just wanted to weep. And I had one single, overriding thought after finishing it, comprised of equal parts envy and awe: I wish I had written this.
I get this feeling rarely. And when I do, it always rocks me. It can be either good or bad. When it's bad, it leaves me a trembling, angsty mess. When it's good, I want to rush to my keyboard and get out the voices that are speaking to me. Sometimes both of these things happen at once. As you can imagine, that's confusing.
In this case, it was both at once. I spent a night lying on my no-tell-motel bed (don't ask), wondering if my world-building will ever be this genius. I also pounded out 3,000 words in three hours on my own manuscript. Nothing reminds me of the joy I find in writing like reading a book that makes me forget my own name for a few hours.
What books do you wish you'd written?
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I TOLD you to read that book. It's incredible. Nothing short of brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI love reading books like this. it just makes you want to be a better writer. And any story that grabs me and doesn't let go is a story that as a reader I just want more of, regardless of who tells it!