Activity

I read the first book of that series twice, and both times just…meh. I love mythology! So it should have been a shoe-in for me, but I just really struggled with getting through the book. I was so bored! The story was okay, the characters were okay, but I got so tired of reading it. Every time I picked it up, I felt like I was trudging through muck and mire, going against the current. I think it may have just been the writing style. I’m not sure. My sister says she thinks they picked up and got better later on in the series, but I just haven’t ever given them a third chance.

I’ve read a few of Shea’s books now, and I like her! She isn’t my favorite, but I really do enjoy what I’ve read and very much look forward to reading more by her.

I think devouring books is a must for writers, books of all kinds: non-fiction for growth, fiction in your genre, fiction out of your genre. It’s exposure. We need models of both good and bad fiction, well and poorly written stories. The greatest teachers always model their practices for their students. We can draw so much from what we read! We need examples of what not to do and examples of what to do. We need to know what good character development looks like as well as how to create it ourselves. We aren’t going to get that, as an example among many different aspects of writing, unless we read and learn and grow ourselves. I think it can also give us a good sense of the kind of books we want to write ourselves, not just technically speaking. For instance, I love Ella Enchanted. And I know I’d love to write something that has a similar tone and audience one day, so I need to know exactly what makes Ella Enchanted such a lovable book. Plus, reading for fun is what gives us inspiration to keep going, to get better, and for our own ideas.