101 Reasons to Stop Writing

I’m working on a theory that there are some books out there, be they great or terrible, which subconsciously lure their readers towards the Futile Pastime. Books so brilliantly constructed and elegantly written that they elevate the soul, and evoke a level of abstract thought that vulnerable individuals (such as you) immediately confuse with the inspiration to strive to be “as good as”. Likewise, books so awful, so devoid of originality, character or voice that vulnerable individuals (such as more of you) are drawn to utter the fateful words that have launched many a bad writer on the long path to despair: “I could do better than that.”

I want to find out which books they are, so that I may warn other vulnerable individuals to stay away, lest they be tempted to lay down more deserving ambitions and take up the pen. For that, I’ll need your help.

If you’re a member of LibraryThing, join the 101 Reasons Group.

If you’re not a member of LibraryThing, sign up: it’s free (up to 200 books)! Keep track of all those books you’ve bought/read that are better than anything you could ever hope to write, and get recommendation from other users for books that are just as crap as the stuff you already own. Then join the 101 Reasons Group.

(Don’t give me grief about the state of my library — I add the books people leave at the bus shelter.)

From time to time, I’ll post here about whatever it is we learn from this experiment.