Authors: Do you find writing Boring?

In the most recent issue of RWR (Romance Writers Report published by Romance Writers of America), I was reading an article “The Five Qualities of a Successful Writer.”  

1. Generosity. (check)
   
2. Discipline. (check)
3. Patience. (double check)
4. Joy. (double check)
5. Writing. (triple check)

Generally speaking, I was agreeing with the article (and was relieved to discover I'm not the only writer on the planet who fantasizes she's being interviewed on a daytime talk show while in the shower...lol), when I came across the following statement under Joy:

 “We all know how writing can be scary, difficult and (gasp!) boring.”

Whoa, back up there, Nelly!

Boring? The author actually considers writing to be boring?

I finished reading the article, yet for the rest of the day, I couldn't get that statement out of my mind. Maybe it's because I'm a Gemini, and boring is the bane of my existence. Seriously. Just ask anyone in my family, and they'll tell you one thing I can't stand is boredom...(the other is repetition...but that's another story).

So I started going over all the things writing is to me:

• Challenging
• Inspiring
• Frustrating
• Exhilarating
• Exhausting

But boring? Never! I've tried many different things in the past, and all them were dropped because I found them boring. But to me, writing has to be one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. I can't get enough, I'm obsessed! And I think the reason is because every story is completely different from the last, even if you're writing about the same characters, there's always something new and exciting to discover. I love taking that unknown journey into my characters' world. Like reading, writing is an adventure for the mind...

Which explains why I was flabbergasted to even think a fellow author might find writing boring. In fact, I would hazard to guess that if you find writing boring, so will your readers. Writing is what you make it.  

But then, maybe she didn't explain herself. Maybe she was talking about revisions, rewrites or edits. I can certainly understand finding that boring (although I must confess that I love rewrites and edits—there's something about cutting out the “deadwood” and tightening up your prose until the story shines...or maybe I'm just nuts. lol).  

One problem I do have—I can only read one of my manuscripts so many times before I'm ready to run screaming from the room (there's that repetition thing again). Hell, I still haven't read A Knight of Passion since it was published in paperback in 2006. Oh I pull it off the shelf from time to time, and leaf through it to read a sentence here and there, and to inhale the lovely, lovely scent of the glue, ink, and paper...*sigh* Actually, I'm saving my “re-read” of AKOP for when I'm ready to write the two sequels (Garrett & Sir Richard's stories)—at least that's what I keep telling myself.

So if she was referring to edits, revisions, etc., I can understand. But writing itself?

To me, writing is never boring. Never, never, never, boring! I don't think I can stress that enough.

Authors, what about you? Do you ever find writing boring, or an aspect of the writing/editing process boring?  

Readers, what do you think?

eReaders. Are They Really the Chef of the Future?

Recently, I read a very informative article: Electronic Readers: The Death Toll of Books or an Offering to Our Electronic-Addicted Society? (January 2009 RWR).  

 Now before I continue, I want to make it clear where I'm coming from. Though my novel, A Knight of Passion, is published in both ebook and print, it was when it came out in print that I really got excited. Why?

 I love books. Period.  

 To me there is something magical about the tactile feel of a book. The crisp pages, the gentle bleeding of the ink, the smell of the paper and glue, the full-color cover. All these things help to make a read that much more satisfying.  

To read more about Kindle2 (above), click here.

 But that's not to say I haven't read ebooks.  

 I've read plenty of ebooks. But the ones I really enjoyed, I went out and bought them in paperback.  

 So when I read the article on Electronic Readers, it was with some scepticism. But after carefully examining the “Quick Comparison Chart of E-Book Readers”, I quickly became convinced of two things.

1)All eReaders are most certainly not created equal.

2)e-Books will never have a large share of the market, especially during the economic crisis—as many are predicting.

 Why, you ask? (I think number 1 is self explanatory.) Because eReaders, generally speaking, cost anywhere between two hundred to five hundred dollars. In the current economic situation, I really can't see readers spending $200.00+ of their hard earned cash, and then, buying ebooks on top of that. When it's easier and far cheaper to spend $3.99 to $7.99 on a novel that will give you hours of enjoyment.

According to recent statistics (February 2009 RWR – Letter from RWA President, Diane Pershing), ebook sales only take up 3% to 4% of overall book sales. True its up 2% to 3% from a couple of years ago, but that is not going to make eReaders fly off the shelves. Besides that, an eReader isn't running on love (or even romance for that matter) but batteries. And once those batteries go dead, you have to wait up to four hours before they're recharged. Down time for print books? None. And like every other electronic gadget out there, once you buy an eReader, it's obsolete the moment you turn it on because the company is already working on the next “new and improved” version. But there is no “better version” for books. A book is a book is a book. Good or bad, it's all about the content.

 So don't throw out your paperbacks yet, because print books are going to be around for a long time...or until they create an ebook reader that not only looks and feels like book, but is inexpensive too. 

 I've shared my two cents, now share yours. Do you think eReaders are the wave of the future? Or are print books here to stay?