I went to a talk on Tuesday night at the library. An author was talking about "where inspiration comes from." It mostly amounted to her talking about her poems, but I liked her poems, so that was OK. :)
But alarmingly, she said that she feels very pressed all the time, afraid that someone else is going to write her book before she does. She's working on a cycle of poems about a topic that has suddenly become trendy, and she's afraid someone will beat her to the punch.
This was distressing as I thought I was the only one who got anxious at the bookstore. I used to be excited when I saw a book that looked like it might speak to my interests; now I get really afraid that it's my book, already written! Apparently, being an experienced and published author does not rid one of these jitters. Darn.
There was some division amongst the company during the Q&A session about whether these jitters are justified or not.
You know, I have that same fear, as well when I peruse those shelves of shiny new books... when I really came in there in search of some new treasure that will inspire me. Urgh... it all comes down to our severely marketed-guinea pig lives! AHH!
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