There’s a Platypus Controlling Me

And I just can’t stop. I would if I were able.

So, some of you reading this might be giggling, and others confused.

There’s no platypus controlling me, but there is something I do that now I’ve found I can’t stop.

As I read books for pleasure… I’m editing. I’ll pass a sentence and think to myself, “Oh, this could be so much stronger.” I’ll catch the typos. I’ll analyze story structure.

It’s driving me mad!

I just finished reading a book written by a friend. The characters and story were solid! I enjoyed it quite a bit. But even as I went, I caught things that I would change if I were revising it.

And it’s dumb. I mean, this isn’t my book! Yes, I want to learn from the example of others, both positive and negative. And you know what? Creating a novel is work. Revising and catching errors is so much easier! And this is a friend who wrote it, too. Do I think I’m a better writer than him? Definitely not!

Alas. I just can’t stop. I would if I were able.

So, there are positives to this, and I already mentioned one: I can learn. By figuring out what works and what doesn’t in other stories, I can apply those lessons to my own writing. There’s a reason why the best writers are also voracious readers! They’re learning!

But the negatives… Oh, I don’t like tearing apart the hard work of others! No, I won’t share that with them. At least, I’m not planning to! But I just want to sit back and enjoy a book! Does it have to be so hard?

So mamas, don’t let your kids grow up to be writers. It means that they can’t read just for fun anymore.

Also, there’s no platypus controlling me, but I don’t think I’ll ever be kinda cool like Dr. Doof.