So my current obsession is obviously Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. It's the ultimate guilty pleasure, and since I can barely still call myself a teen, I feel even more guilty for enjoying the young adults series so much. It's amazing how much a silly romance can draw you in. When I first read it, it really felt like a chaste teenage harlequin romance novel. Still does, actually. It's so blatantly girly and emotional that small doses are best, I'll admit. But man, it's impossible not to read the entire book in one day.
I've noticed that I really enjoy reading books with female authors. It really does make a difference-- women do think differenly than men. When I read Harry Potter, I feel like I'm on the same wave-length as Jo Rowling. Like, that's what I'd have my characters do, I understand their motivations behind their actions, words, and thoughts. And one could say that it could just be the case with her in particular, and that certainly has something to do with it, but I also think that there is no way a man could write/ express himself the way she does in Harry Potter. Even guys who love the series don't seem to pick up on certain nuances that are second nature to girls who read it. (I know, I'm being pretty vague, but the incident happend so long ago, I don't really remember. Suffice it to say, I found it surprising that he just didn't understand some part in the book that seemed so clear to me, and that's when I came to the conclusion about the minds of men/women. That Mars and Venus thing may be pretty spot on.)
I am not saying that I'll only read books by female authors, or only enjoy those books. But I do feel a stronger connection to the prose if it is written by a woman. I get a feeling of a kindred spirit, and being the sappy person that I am, I really enjoy it. Sure there have been books that I've loved which were written by men. But for those books, I loved them more as an outsider, like I was just being invited into the mind of someone else. I never get the feeling that I could have written the words myself. That the characters could have grown from my own imagination. I do get that feeling when I read a lot of books written by women. I don't think it's merely a coincidence that the only fantasy series I've actually finished (and enjoyed a lot) was The Enchanted Forest Chronocles (ie. Dealing With Dragons) by Patricia C. Wrede.
Speaking of the fantasy genre, I must admit that I think it is the easiest type of book to write. Not to say it doesn't take a lot of skill, but imagination is probably the most important part. Look at it this way, you don't really have to know anything about anything because you completely make up your own world. (Though it's likely to have a lot of kings, princesses, creatures, woods, and sorcerers) A talent for good characterization helps, but honestly, the characters are pretty stock, sometimes bordering on boring cliches. The plot begins with your average Joe who discovers he has a special power, either innate, or found, and he then goes on a quest. Bad guys are battled along the way, but in the end he succeeds and is rewarded. Every genre has a certain formula, but fantasy seems to be particularly predictable in its stories. I honestly can't get into it. It doesn't help that they're usually written by guys, and gives a guy's perspective. If you're thinking, well, romantic novels are just as bad, then... I have to agree. But you know, I'm a girl, so they work for me for some reason. (Usually, of course. I expect a certain quality of good characters and at least decent writing.)
While I don't enjoy reading fantasy books, they're actually really fun to write. I give up on my writing project after a few pages, but the fantasy one I worked on for a while got up to about five chapters in outline form, and then I wrote about three of them. That's quite an accomplishment for me! It was pretty standard. I was more practicing writing characters with personality than focusing on compelling plot. But creating a world was cool. And, I think, pretty easy. Not to say it's easy to write an entire fantasy series, but for me, it was the easiest story I ever wrote.
And no, you may not read it. (Trust me, you really don't want to anyway.) If you're really curious, though, it's about four guys, best friends, who grew up in an orphanage together, and then, (shocker!) end up having to go on a quest/adventure together. I wanted to create a fantasy story with really meaty characters that you just fall in love with (I do not think I pulled it off). And I love the idea of friendship that transcends... everything else. I hate it when the hero choses his romantic love over his friends in stories.
I made lose plans/ outlines for four books, actually. Yea, it's going to be a series. Look for it at Barnes and Nobles in the year 2020.
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