March 28, 2011

I just finished reading “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold. It made me cry. It made me feel I’d shared in a life. It made me want to burn my own manuscripts. I’m ten years late in reading this masterpiece and I’m jealous. If I’d read it sooner maybe I could have done a better job in telling my own stories. I don’t wish to diminish Ms. Sebold or her amazing talent; I only wish I could be half as good. Like a lot of things in my life, I’ve spent a vast amount of time and energy researching and thinking things throught instead of just plowing ahead. It’s kind of suprising that with my writing I’ve never stopped to consider style or talent. I’ve just sat down in front of the computer and begun typeing. The basic story of “The Price of Living” was written in only six weeks; of course I’ve reviewed and revised it over the last two years to bring it to its current form. The same with “Learning to Live”. Again, the story was complete within a month with only revision over the last year.

I read “The Lovely Bones” in three days and within the first few pages knew it was a masterpiece. Now I realize I have to do my homework if I expect to ever publish my work. I’ve decided to do a “Julia & Julie” in order to improve my work and hopefully come to understand the art of writing. Beginning this week I am going to seek out titles that have made the New York Times List of Bestsellers and read at least one every month, more often if I can manage it. I don’t believe a book has to be a classic to make that list but I do believe that it has to have some reason, some talent to achieve that honor. Remember the list is “Bestsellers” and that is what I want my books to be.