I’m reading The Mask of Mirrors by A.B. Carrick right now.  It is a very well written fantasy novel right and I plan to do a review on it once I’ve finished it.  Reading is an important part of writing.  It’s kinda like watching the tapes before playing an opposing team in sports, though less competitive.  It gives exposure to what is out there, hints at what trends are popular, and where I get the most value is how it gives me an opportunity to see things that other writers do really well.  An interesting way to describe things, a unique approach to world building, or just a way to make the repeated use of “she said” less jarring.  I’m not to the point where I’m marking up or putting  sticky notes within a book noting and commenting on things that I like or don’t like but it honestly wouldn’t be a bad habit to start.

Also, reading is just plain fun.

However, this is a difficult side to reading that I run into especially when I’m reading a well written book.  That is my habit to make comparisons.  Making note of what I like about a book very easily leads to the “I’ll never do it that well,” comparison which can be discouraging in keeping up a writing habit, and possibly detrimental to one’s mental health.  I’ll admit that in the past I would sometimes forego reading because I didn’t want the comparisons to result in me hitting the point where I didn’t want to write because I felt inadequate.  However, I don’t want to give up reading and so the question has become: What do I about this tendency to make comparisons?

The earliest approach I have used has been when I recognize I’m making comparisons is to stop myself and shift from my emotional brain (which greatly enjoys telling me how bad I am) and get into my rationale brain.  My rational brain will normally remind that there’s a big difference between a published work, especially when it’s had an editing process and some extra eyes via a publisher, and what I’m writing as a first draft with nothing more than a quick self-edit.  Writing is a continual learning process and I like to think by the time I had finished a story, and then had put in the time to clean it up, I’d have a much higher product both because of what I learned along the way and because of what a good edit brings to a story.

However, there are also times when I do have to admit that what I’m reading is simply better than what I’m currently capable of, and possible will ever be capable of.  That’s not a bad thing though because writing is a large art with many parts.  I’m not going to be great at all aspects of it, but there are aspects I am good at.  Possibly better at than whatever author I’m reading at the moment.  What I can recognize from that realization is that my skills may make me more suited to write certain stories than others, and growing into my crafts both means improving my skills but also harnessing my skills where they are going to be best used.  Which is to say, writing stories that I only I can tell.

Those two things, recognizing the difference between the first draft verse the final product and remembering that we all bring our unique talents to this craft, have helped me avoid being discouraged when I read something that seems just so much better than what I can write.  There’s also one last thing worth remembering: We’re all our harshest critic.

If you have any thoughts, or things that have helped you from letting the quality work of others get you down I’d greatly enjoy to hear about them in the comments or at feywarrior@hotmail.com.  Otherwise, if you’re looking for a good fantasy novel give The Mask of Mirrors a try.

Part 3 of Crossing the Halls of Falden got away from me a bit.  I’d intended to take that scene to Quartes breaking camp and moving on but it took longer to get there and I found an earlier point that seemed good for stopping.  The Last Landian got a bit of a reprieve from both his external and internal darkness and I look forward to this weekend’s part as I think I’ll get to dive a bit more into some history of Illithiust and it’s more magical side I haven’t explored, while also seeing Quartes continue to struggle with his isolation both in the moment and as the last of his kind.

For now, I’m going go get back to that book I’ve been reading.  I hope you all have a good week.

Go forth and do good things,

Sean

P.S.

Couldn’t resist sharing another screen shot from Baldur’s Gate 3 as I head into the final act of that game.  Nice to see the Fey and Bard enjoying a quiet moment.