What's Your Favorite Part?
Dear Writer,
If you’ve listened to my podcasts, you may know my “What’s your favorite part?” story. Basically, it boils down to my eldest at 12, asking me to read a story and when I started giving critical feedback, she simply said, “No. I just want to know your favorite part.”
For many reasons, I found this to be a brilliant response, and ever since, I have used the “favorite part” question at the end of every podcast. I ask it when I’m interviewing someone, or sometimes just when conversation lags. “What’s your favorite part?” is truly a magic question.
Then last week, when I wasn’t sure about how I was going to get back into reading again, Writer Melissa commented on the Dear Writer website and told me that she got back into reading by picking up her favorite books and reading only her favorite part, then moving on to the next one. It was an easy way to get back into the habit, and then once the habit was formed, it was easier to read other things.
WRITER I AM TELLING YOU.
My whole brain lit up. Such brilliant advice and it’s WORKING. I’m pulling out my favorite quotes from my favorite scenes in my favorite books as I go and it’s just been so much fun.
One of the books I’m going back to is The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold, a favorite fantasy/detective novel in which the worldbuilding is so intricate and beautiful that I always find myself excited when I start reading it.
I’m also going to hit up the “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you” scene from Pride and Prejudice; Claire and Jamie at the stone circle from Outlander; and “He loves you all he can, but he can’t love you very much” from Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer’s Wild Ride, which honestly might be my favorite Crusie novel. Just the idea of reading all of this is making me excited, and I’m so grateful for the brilliant suggestion from Melissa.
The more I read, the more inspired I get to write but I have to say… I’m more than a little nervous about doing Nano again this year. Writer, I haven’t written for real in so long. And I’m not sure what to write. I don’t think I’m a romance writer anymore; or at least, not the way I was. As you can tell by my favorite scenes above, I’m still drawn to love stories, which are different from romances. Love stories are just about two people who love each other; whether that’s romantic love or not is immaterial. I love Aziraphale and Crowley’s love story in Good Omens (although I think there’s an argument to be made that it is romantic). I love Paula and Rebecca’s love story in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Meredith and Cristina’s love story in Grey’s Anatomy.
And I think I may want to write darker than I have in the past. Still funny, but dark. With a love story.
Aside from that… I have no idea what I’m going to do.
But first things first. Reading. Reading is the gateway to writing. If you came to me and asked, “I can’t get started writing,” I would tell you to read.
So here I am, taking my own advice. And Writer Melissa’s.
Everything,
L