Inspiration #27: Reading Other People's Writing

No matter what kind of artist you are, it's important to look at other people's work.  This is what our college professors tell us, right?  "You can't create art in a vacuum."  I guess it's true, since I feel absolutely great when I spend time in a moving photography exhibit, listen to someone sing a song, or read a particularly engaging book. It all gives my mind something to chew on.

Today I finally made the four-block trek to pay my $6 library fine so I could once again request inter-library loans (a favorite pastime of mine).  While I was there I visited the fiction section and ran my fingers over the spines, pulling out books that caught my eye.  I made a point of visiting the young adult section, since I'm currently writing a novel with a teenage protagonist and could use a little reference material.  A thick novel called Absolute Brightness won me over with the flamboyant stripes on its jacket and mentioning of Spring Awakening on the back.

First let me tell you: I read the entire 472 pages after returning home from lunch today.  When I began the book I found the prose a little sparse, but I kept reading.  I started taking issue with the way gays and "theater geeks" were being portrayed, but I kept reading so I could at least write a proper review at the end.

But as the plot unfolded, things changed for the protagonist and, consequently, for me.  I cried a bunch toward the middle of the book.  I read the author's bio and found out he's actually an LGBT activist.  Then I realized I'd been seeing through his main character's eyes the whole time -- and no, I don't just mean it was written in first person.  I only put on my writer's hat for a short moment while I wondered how he was going to get us on her side when she was so snarky at the outset.  The rest of the time, I was experiencing everything as she was, prejudices and all.

While I do see how one might find the book a bit preachy and the message too obvious, that might be part of the "young adult" in young adult fiction.  However, I'm very glad to have read it even just for the study of a young person who goes from self-centered and judgmental to compassionate and grounded.  That's exactly what I'm trying to do with my main character, and it's just invaluable to experience how other authors treat that transformation.

I will say, though, that much reading can really make a person's eyes feel puffy!