Over the last few days I have been embroiled in reading Vicki Pettersson’s “Scent of Shadow”. I bought the book several months ago and started it but for whatever reason I had a hard time getting into it. After reading the short story in “Holidays from Hell” I got so intriuged with the characters I picked it back up and couldn’t put it down. I finished it last night and luckily have “The Taste of Night” which is the second book in the series so I can keep going with my obsession with the large plot line she’s got going.
This leads me to my reason for the post. I realized that Vicki has done something only one other author I read has done. Sherrilyn Kenyon took a large popular “myth” and found another reason for why it exsists. Sherrilyn re-did the Greek Gods. Vicki has given us a new reason for the Zodiac. And I realized today while contemplating my own story that I really envy their ideas.
I was speaking with Daddy about my worry that I don’t have enough of a plot for my book. That it feels like I have a torso and maybe a head but no legs or arms for my story and it’s because while I have the main plot of the story it doens’t feel like….enough. He mentioned something while we were talking about it that seems to be true for everyone but him. When faced with other people’s work that I admire whom I feel has done something really great….I instantly think I can’t do as good. I know alot of people like this. He on the other hand said things like that just gave him inspiration and motivation to work on his own project.
So what I need to do is focus on my own ability to create something just as special and great. In the mean time I need to figure out how to flesh out my plot. Obviously I need to go back to the Plot Clinic and see what I can do about that. But it makes me want to look around and see if there isn’t something mundane in the world that I can “re-invent”.