That Special Something

This morning I was feeling a bit lazy -- mostly because today is cleaning day and the longer I lingered in bed, the longer I could put off that particularly gruesome chore. Anyway, I decided to read a couple chapters of a new book. On the block is UGLIES by Scott Westerfield.

I started out saying I would read a chapter or two. Just enough to wake up my brain. Next thing I knew, I was a hundred pages in and lovin' it. I only stopped because my uncle wanted to get some lunch. While at the restaurant, my mind kept drifting back to the story...wondering what would happen next. Then I found myself telling my uncle all about it. To be quite frank, that doesn't happen too often. The talking about it part, I mean. Reading is such a personal experience and no matter how well you frame your thoughts and feelings, an outside person is never going to quite get it the way you do. (g) Anyway, I found myself going on and on about the rules of this society...the psychological impact it has on the characters...etc. etc. We had a nice little discussion about it.

Anyway, that got me to thinking about how great it is when a book you're reading has that kind of impact on you. The kind of impact that makes you want to rush back to the pages to find out what happens next...the kind of impact that makes you sad to see it all come to an end...that makes you want to turn around and start the book over again, just so you can relive it.

Isn't that the greatest feeling? And isn't that what we as writers should be aiming for?