I'm back from a week at the cottage and, like every year, I planned on doing a lot of reading and, hopefully, some writing as well. Alas, I failed miserably on the writing front and I blame it entirely on my current reading obsession with George R.R. Martin's SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series. Most everyone knows it by the title of the first book A Game of Thrones.
I have been completely OBSESSED by this series. I devoured the first book, kind of went 'meh' on the second book, LOVED the third book and trudged through the fourth book. I am taking a pause before beginning the fifth book. My obsession may be waning - much like a torrid love affair that's run it's course. I still have interest, I'm still curious but ... I need a break. Reading four books with that many characters, that many story lines, that many PAGES ... well, I'm an avid reader, yes, but I'm a bit burnt out.
After finishing the fourth book and reading the first line of the author's acknowledgement page I wonder if his obsession wasn't getting to him too. The fourth book was a bit meandering, bringing in new characters, remaining totally silent on others and just seemed to have less, I don't know, spark? than the previous three books. In his acknowledgement page, Mr. Martin said "This one was a bitch." I had to laugh because I figured he suffered through it more than his readers did. He explained why he wrote the book this way and promised our old, faithful characters would be back in the fifth book.
The fourth book was written in 2005. His fifth book only came out this year. SIX years. That's a long time to spend with a book. You kind of need to be a bit obsessed to stay with a story this long. Which leads me to the question in the title of this post: is obsession with a story always a good thing for your writing? I know that when writers start off with a story idea that initial burst of obsession doesn't always stay. I know I can get tired of my story after working on it for a few months. I can't even imagine working on it for years! I know it's different when you build a world as complex as Mr. Martin has. But I wonder does he ever feel like chucking it all and writing a completely different story set in another world with other characters? Is he still obsessed or does he even need to be to write a good story? Can the passion for your story come through when you are sick to death of it?
A lot of questions I pose and I have no answers. What about you writers and readers out there? What do you think - is obsession with your story necessary to make it good?
I don't know if obsession is necessary. I've often thought that with RL Stine writing so many Goose Bumps books or Mary Pope Osborne with Magic Tree House. But I'd hope some excitement in the project would be good or it might show up in the writing. Not sure. Interesting questions.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observations! I've always been jealous of series authors, especially those epic fantasy authors. How lovely to have one idea that you can just play with for years, and fans keep coming back for. But I never thought about the flip side, how sick of it I might become! I'm finishing a book now that I've been working on for a solid year, and that's enough for now! Good thing it has NO sequel potential! ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura -- I don't think you have to be obsessed, but I think you have to stay excited about your characters and their world if you want to keep it fresh for the readers. If it becomes drudgery to write, I suspect it will be drudgery to read.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura: I think you're right - you need to have some excitement in a story to keep it interesting as you're writing it. I think Mr. Martin was burnt out writing the fourth book and it showed. Hope he got the spark back in the fifth!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna: Hey, great news that you're finishing your book! Kudos! And in comparison to the Game of Thrones series one year writing is a blink of an eye :) I'm sure you are relieved to see the end of it though.
Hi Linda: Yep, I agree too. Which makes me a little worried that I'll have lost the spark when I start revising my wip. Gulp.
I sure hope excitement is enough, because even when I start out feeling obsessed, the craziness soon fades. But I think "real life" demands that sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHi inluvwithwords! Sometimes I wonder if I could keep up with writing if I was in 'obsession' mode all the time. At some point, a writer needs to step back and read their words with more objectivity. But there always needs to be that certain something to keep you intrigued or else we'd never finish our stories, right? :)
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine how JK Rowling must have felt? I mean, granted, HP was AWESOME, but that's a darn long time to spend with one character. Yes, I do think some level of obsession is required, but then I'm not one to speak about the requirement of obsessions - I'm as obsessive as they come about my work (whatever it is)! This is why I have a hard time reading fiction while I'm writing (one obsession at a time).
ReplyDeleteHi Susan! And now that HP is over ... what next? I wonder whether she'll find a new obsession or if you can only handle one obsession like HP once in your life? :)
ReplyDeleteWell she's doing Pottermore, so the obsession continues... :) I would think that HP would always be a part of her life. Me, I can only handle one major obsession at a time, but I keep finding myself coming back for new ones. It's part of the personality. :)
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