Everyone has heard of mood readers.
Well, maybe not everyone. But a lot of people. Basically, some (many?) readers like different kinds of books when they are in different moods. Those of us who read like this often start many books, and take a very long time to finish many of them, if we ever do, not because we didn’t like the book, but because we’re just not in the mood.
From the use of the 1st person plural, you can probably gather I consider myself something of a mood reader. Now, I don’t read a lot of books compared to other book bloggers, but I do finish most of those I start – but there’s a simple reason for that: when I’m in the mood to read a book, I usually finish it in one sitting. Maybe three. Either way, something like that. So I don’t have a lot of time to fall out of the mood between when I start a book and when I’m done. Now, if the book changes in an unexpected way half-through, it might get interesting.
So why am I talking about this.
Mood writing. I don’t think most people have heard of it. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone else talk about it.
I’m a bit of a mood reader, but I am definitely a lot of a mood writer. Now, what does this mean?
It means I start lots of different novels, with lots of different perspective characters, having different personalities and life experiences, so whatever mood I’m in when the writing mood strikes, I have something to write. This often amounts to a dozen or so perspectives, though the actual number of stories I’m writing can be a bit less than that.
It also means I have a lot of choice for what type of scene or tone or even part of a book I want to write. If I’m in the mood to write beginnings (honestly, probably the part I tear up most often), why, if I let myself, I have probably two dozen ideas to write beginnings for. Minimum. I usually have novels in vastly different stages, and of vastly different lengths, and even in somewhat different styles, or different PoVs! If I need to write 1st person, or 3rd person close, limited, or 3rd person semi-omniscient, or something with a bit more action that usual in it, or dialogue, or something fairly descriptive, I simply go to whichever Work-In-Progress matches that at the moment. Whatever it is.
Well, that’s kind of it. That’s a part of the secret to how I write as much as I do, as quickly as I do. I only write when I feel like it, and I always write what I feel like. That makes it pretty easy to make sure I’m always writing what I’m best at writing, at that moment, and keep it good – what I want, what I would like to read.
There are so many ways that writing is like reading for me.
Hopefully, I’ll have something a bit longer and more interesting in two weeks. I have lots of ideas for posts to write, but I’ve been very busy with things lately, so I haven’t had a lot of time for them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask me questions if you like! Maybe I’ll enjoy answering your question. Maybe it’s already something, or related on something, on the list of ideas, and I’ll knock it up on the list.
Or maybe it will take me a while to get to it, nothing personal. I’m a mood writer, remember? And while that mostly applies to writing fiction, it does apply to everything else, too.
Enthralled By Love 