Jealousy, A Great Book, and Self-Pity
I just read a book called Professor Adorkable by Edie Danford and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. I admit, I’ve never read this author until now but I will definitely be looking at her other works. The way she captures a character’s unique voice and the incredible descriptions were mind-blowing to me. She does an amazing job of “showing, not telling”, something I often struggle with.
As I read the story, I admit…I was jealous. Jealous of her writing. Jealous of her effortless way with words. There were no stilted scenes. No “oops” in the timeline. No clumsy shift from one scene to the next. Everything was fluid. Beautiful.
Writing my love stories is something I enjoy, but I confess that I am still learning about simple things like keeping the POV straight (points of view), using the word “that” waaaay too often, and forgetting that the dog in the story is a male and referring to him as her (which I keep doing in my current work in progress!).
But her writing was natural, unforced. I was torn between loving the book (which I did!) and wondering why I write. Why do I even try when there is someone out there who writes like this??
Yes, I went there. I thought, I will never write like this. So I instantly had a self-pity party. Yes…I wallowed…for longer than I’d like to say. But I woke up yesterday with a clearer head and laughed at myself. I couldn’t give up writing, even if I’m never published again. It’s my passion. I realize I may never be a best-selling author, but that doesn’t change the fact that I put everything I have into my characters. Of course I’ll never write like Edie Danford—we have different writing styles. Like fingerprints, every author’s style is one of a kind. We may all have the same goal: write a great story, reach the reader, make them smile. (Well, at least in the romance genre!) But I once read a saying that puts things in perspective for me. This may not be word for word, but here it is: “Yes, every story may have been written, but it hasn’t been written by you”.
So, while I don’t promise to never get jealous over another writer’s amazing book again, I can guarantee I am happy I read the book and thankful that her writing gave me a little shove to work harder, try harder, get my words down on paper. Because I’ve been a writing fool since yesterday and slowing down isn’t in the near future.
And if you’re a fan of MMRomance, you need to check this book out. Professor Adorkable. Even the title is great! Here’s a link to it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Adorkable-Edie-Danford-ebook/dp/B07GNXXWSF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538587816&sr=8-1&keywords=professor+adorkable
