Whatever You Can Do I Can Do Better…???
A couple of weeks ago I had dinner at a friend's house. She had invited her two cousins, both of whom have read my books and were excited at the idea of having "dinner with the author." It was a really lovely "girls night" with fabulous food and good conversation. Of course, one of the questions they asked me was how did I get started writing. I mentioned my lifelong love of writing, how I'd always kept diaries, written poetry and stories, long letters to friends…you name it, I wrote it. I also cited my fascination with history, probably beginning with the fairy tales I'd heard/read as a young child. I talked about how when a friend published her first novel, it really inspired me to sit down and give it a try. And then…
…my friend added, "Not to mention reading a lot of books and thinking 'I could do this so much better.'"
Do you think I politely let this statement pass? My reaction went something like this:
Screech! Whiplash! WHAT?? No, no no!!!
If there is one thing I've learned in this journey of mine, it's that those who make that claim, that they can do it better, generally CAN'T. Oh, it's a common misconception held by avid readers and I couldn't really fault her, but I immediately endeavored to set her straight.
Not every book an author writes is going to be fantastic. Sometimes life throws obstacles that affect one's creativity, but with a deadline looming a writer does her best.
Until you walk in someone else's shoes, you can't judge their performance. If you say you can do it better, then try doing it under the exact same circumstances as the author, and see how it turns out.
It's all so subjective. What you believe could have been done better, might be someone else's idea of the most wonderful book ever.
Writing is 100% harder than most people think. It isn't simply sitting down and recording your daydreams. It's more like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces look the same until you decide what part of the image will go on each one.
Oh, I could go on and on. It's perfectly valid to say, "I didn't care for that book, and here's why." But to say "I can do it better"? Watch out! Someone just might challenge you to do it.
And then you'll see. Boy, will you ever! 
Tagged: authors, writing, writing challenges
