Would you like your book if someone else had written it?

[Brian]

DISCLAIMER: I'm not an expert, so Jim would advise you to be careful about heeding any of my advice :)

I live in LA and have a long commute. Gives me way too much time to consider stuff. On my morning drive, I started thinking about the advice, "Write what you love."

I think that, overall, the advice is good. If you love a book, it's likely that others will, too. The problem, however, is that the advice, IMO, is a bit incomplete.

When I finished my 4th draft, I loved it. I wanted to marry it. It was my soul mate.

Then I sent it to an editor.

Quickly, my eyes were opened. Not only did I not love it, I couldn't see how anyone anywhere could possibly have read the thing all the way through, much less enjoy it.

I think the problem is twofold:

1. Translation - If I were to communicate my story from my mind to yours directly via telepathy, there'd be no errors in the translation. You'd get my vision exactly. Unfortunately, I have to use words to take the story from my head and get it into yours, and that process if fraught with opportunities for miscommunication. When I read over my own work, I'm relying on my own vision, and thus no translation errors.

2. I'm blind to the flaws in the story - I know what I want the story to be and am blind to what the story actually is. Of course I find the characters likeable and relatable; I created them. Of course the plot is interesting at every point; I came up with it. Were I to read the same story from someone else's pen, would I even like it, much less love it?

I guess my point is: Make sure you're actually writing what you love.

Thanks.

Brian