Friday Reads 10.6.23
It’s Friday, friends, and you know what that means… let’s talk about what we’re reading!
I’m reading…my manuscript. I’m finishing up the first revision on A VERY BAD THING. I was quite thrilled that my team loved the book; my editor in particular used the sort of descriptive words that make an author’s heart sing. This revision isn’t as deep as I thought it was going to be, which is good, all things considered.
When I finish, though, I have a book to blurb from my friend , then I will be starting in on the books for some upcoming A WORD ON WORDS interviews. First up, BURNER, by the incredibly talented Mark Greaney. That will be fun; I love the Gray Man series.
I did read something quite fascinating, and I wanted to share it. This excerpt from the introduction of showrunner Jesse Armstrong’s new collection of Succession scripts was both beautifully written and posed some interesting questions. I am a huge fan of Succession and thought the 4th season was some of recent television’s finest work, both in words and acting. The piece has spoilers about the story arc of the season, so if you haven’t watched, don’t read this yet. But this part in particular moved me:
Of course, knowing that the arc of the season is essentially right doesn’t mean that the writing goes easily. No, there are still many days when you stare at the index cards which were supposed to spell out the spine of the episode and they no longer connect. You start to feel you can’t really remember what a story is. What is it even that people like about a TV show? About anything? What is true? And you can find yourself Googling, “What is a story?” “What things do people do?” “What is interesting?”
I think all writers — all creatives — sit down with this question in their soul daily. If you haven’t ever thought about what is interesting to a reader or viewer, there’s something missing from your work. I talked with V.E. Schwab this week about her new book THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER, and I feel like she has a real grasp on what her readers want balanced with what she as an artist wants to make them experience. Because that’s what we’re trying to do, isn’t it? Give you, the reader, an experience?
Food for thought this weekend. Have a great one!
