an eye-opener

The first few days on a new job are always a bit disorienting and tiring, so I have had no real time or energy to spend on my novel. What I have made time to do instead of write is read. It takes that much less brain power to read what someone else has written, and it's quite enjoyable.

I chose some books in my own genre, or nearly my genre, and I've managed to finish several books over the last couple weeks. And I have to say, I got a little worried.

When you write paranormal there's going to be some overlap with other stories - even in the world of the weird there are some accepted 'truths' about supernatural beings. Sure, the fun is in breaking the rules, making the characters stand out and do surprising things. But if you want them to be real and believable, there has to be at least one or two things that resonate with a reader so they feel connected to the particular supe you write. Vampires need to consume blood in some form, werewolves are bound to lose control once in a while. Those are just facts everyone knows about those characters, a touchstone to their worlds that you can then expand upon and recreate. As long as there's something, even one thing, to make them seem, well, themselves.

What has me freaked out is that these books that I've just now read have circumstances that I thought were unique to my mind, my views, my perception of what certain beings could do. Things that I thought would make my characters stand out...someone else had the same thought. And published it. Bummer. Or not, really.

Taking this time out to read, not write, has not only opened my eyes, it's inspired me. When I read someone else's description of a particularly painful consequence that is nearly the same painful consequence I dreamed up, a sudden shift happens, and I see my scene in a whole new way. A new painful consequence comes to mind. A new use of the same old power - or a better power altogether - reveals itself to me.

At first I felt kind of bad. Like, maybe I'm not very original or creative. But you know what? A famous published author had the same creative idea I had. How bad can that be? There is very little new under the sun, after all. I don't have to abandon my whole plot and characters. I simply have to find a way to write it, to get the point across, that is different. Something that makes someone sit up and say, "I wasn't expecting THAT!" Doing so is getting my mind churning again, making the entire novel look fresh.

I will read a few more books, then get back to work. It's inspiring me, it's opening my eyes. And dang, reading is just plain fun, isn't it?