[From the Archive] Reading Writers You’re Friends With
As a writer, many of us (unless you are one of those hermit crab writers) end up becoming friends, acquaintances – as well as colleagues with other professional writers. And if you’re like me, and many other writers – you also like to read. Being a (very likely) social and supportive person, you will probably want to buy and read the books by those friends you’ve made in the industry. This can be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, you want to love the work of people you like and admire. After all they’re awesome, encouraging people, their work should be equally brilliant and awe-inspiring, right? And though that may be the case for most of our writer friends, it isn’t always. Sometimes we have to walk the diplomatic lines of having friends whose writing styles don’t mesh with ours.
Guess what? It’s OKAY. You don’t have to like the writing to like person and vice versa. Just because you’re friends with someone doesn’t mean you have to read them. However, as with most vegetables – or unusual foods – you should at least try. There’s always something to get out of an author’s work whether it speaks to you or not.
I am most fortunate. I enjoy reading most writers I’m friends with. Rachel Caine is an amazing person and writer. I like both her Weather Warden books and her Morganville Vampire books. They’re action and character packed with enough humor to make them quite entertaining. Rosemary Clement-Moore is another writer that I’ve known personally and professionally for over a year now, but I’ve just begun reading her “Hell†books. Now I’m hooked. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Rosemary, but Prom Dates from Hell has me not wanting to put the book down. I want to know what that bleepin’ glowy shadow thing is, darn it. I’ve commented on my blog about Shanna Swendson’s books being like reading “dessertâ€.
However, that’s not always the case. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series and Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series. Yes, I’m an action/adventure girl – have you noticed?
I haven’t been able to get into either of their High Fantasy Series (even though I’m sure they’re FANTASTIC and I know others who adore them). Then there’s another author whom I like as a person, but even though I’m sure his book is incredible, I haven’t been able to read it. I’ve tried. I tried until my husband told me to give up. It’s not my style, even though it seems like it should be. It’s a dense book, though, and that might be the issue. My life is incredibly hectic right now, I don’t have the time or energy to invest in “denseâ€, thick books.
I also need to apologize to Wildside Press while I’m doing this. I currently have two of their books in my phone’s eReader to review. I’m still half into one of them because my reading time is both sparse and erratic. I am thoroughly enjoying the reprint of Dinosaur Park by Hayford Pierce, but it’s just taking a darned long time to read it (and I’m GOING to get the review written when I’ve finished reading the book – I just haven’t FINISHED it). I’m one of those scary people who is reading 2-4 books simultaneously. Sorry.
The point is, regardless of your personal feelings, you have to be honest. If you don’t like something for whatever reason, it’s okay. Books are subjective. I’m not saying trash anything – there’s always something redeeming about a book. Even the author I didn’t finish reading, I saw the depth and value of his alternate history – it’s really authentic and detailed – it’s just not something I can read NOW. The High Fantasy series? Just not what I’m reading NOW. But it’s hard. I have several friends on my “to be read†shelf because I desperately WANT to love them, but I’m afraid I won’t, so I’m procrastinating reading them. So, I’ll make a deal – I won’t if you won’t. Don’t be afraid to tell me if something I wrote isn’t for you, and I’ll return the favor. Just don’t be afraid to READ.