I’ll Never Be Laini Taylor
I met real, live authors last weekend! Alethea Kontis (Enchanted), Brigid Kemmerer (Storm), Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars) and Elizabeth Scott (Miracle) hosted an author panel and signed books at the totally awesome Hooray for Books.
They described their books, their process, their publishing tales, and shared the bits of wisdom they’ve gleaned. Something Diana Peterfreund said has been bouncing around in my head for a week (unfortunately, this is not an exact quote):
After I finished Laini Taylor’s LIPS TOUCH THREE TIMES, I remember setting it aside and thinking, ‘I’ll never write again.’
Guys, Diana has eight published novels and she’s a great writer. I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars (think a futuristic Persuasion). But she gave me a great reminder that even those authors who have arrived, still have self-conscious, self-doubting moments.
We have to write the best stories we’re capable of and learn to make them better. Writing is a process and it requires practice.
With that said, I’m going to go finish my first draft of my secret, still-nameless WIP.
Happy practicing, y’all!
They described their books, their process, their publishing tales, and shared the bits of wisdom they’ve gleaned. Something Diana Peterfreund said has been bouncing around in my head for a week (unfortunately, this is not an exact quote):
After I finished Laini Taylor’s LIPS TOUCH THREE TIMES, I remember setting it aside and thinking, ‘I’ll never write again.’
Guys, Diana has eight published novels and she’s a great writer. I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars (think a futuristic Persuasion). But she gave me a great reminder that even those authors who have arrived, still have self-conscious, self-doubting moments.
We have to write the best stories we’re capable of and learn to make them better. Writing is a process and it requires practice.
With that said, I’m going to go finish my first draft of my secret, still-nameless WIP.
Happy practicing, y’all!
30 Comments
Kristen Wixted
I feel like that all the time when I’m reading. But conveniently, it goes away. Thank goodness for that!
Jess
Woo-hoo!!! Finish that draft, lady!!
prerna pickett
I thought the same thing when I read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Glad to know the greats feel or felt the same way at one point.
Carrie Butler
I’m jealous, but I’m glad you had fun! 😉
Lexa Cain
Yeah, there are some literary novels I’ve read excerpts from that make me feel like I’m not a writer at all. Surprisingly, many of those books haven’t sold well, while other badly-written things are bestsellers. So you never know… I guess you just have to do the best you can. Good luck on your WIP!
Lindsay N. Currie
Glad you had fun and I think it’s totally normal to have those feelings. Good to know we aren’t the only ones though, right:)
Diana Peterfreund
Oh my goodness, did I say that? The things that come out of my mouth sometimes… I think it may have been more along the lines of that I will never write LIKE Laini Taylor, who has such a poetic gift. I recently read a short story of hers that will soon appear in the anthology FORETOLD (ed. by Carrie Ryan, and I’m in it too!), and it’s just as lovely as her stories in Lips Touch 3 Times.
William Kendall
I think being creative people, we’re always going to have those moments of doubt.
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