Asking our readers: What book sparks your envy?
A full post coming, but we want your examples first!
Envy can be negative. But it also can be both positive and revealing. If you’re a writer—whether apprentice-level or much-published—is there a book or books that you wish you could have written… or that, with some changes, you’d still like to write?
And now, the followup question. WHY that book? Is it some specific aspect of the writing: structure, story arc or braiding of multiple story arcs, commentary, language? Is it a facility with characterization? A killer twist? An emotional palette? An opening or ending you can’t forget?
Please let me know by hitting reply. And in a few days, a full post about book envy will be in your inbox.
Andromeda
I know you're going to be like "I can't use that!!!!" but WHAT BOYS LEARN is legit sparking envy. I think it's how quickly I feel connected to and interested in the narrator. There's a lot more about the book that I love (including how naturally the plot is flowing and tension is building), but I think my connection to the narrator is the part that's sparking envy: you've made it look effortless!
Envy . . . I envy writers who can deftly execute plot twists. Whenver I try that I feel like I'm in a giant old station wagon trying to do a three-point turn. For sheer sentence beauty: Shirley Hazzard. But in terms of thrillers ... well, is Ministry of Time a thriller? It's one hell of a plot twist, and so clever; Tana French, of course (but that's like saying I envy Simone Biles: ridiculous).I've been learning (trying to learn) to let envy be a driver, not a paralytic. Easy to say. . .