Welcome to Advice in The Stacks, a bookish advice column from me, Traci Thomas, the host and creator of The Stacks podcast. My show is all about books and the people who read them, with new episodes out every Wednesday on your favorite podcast platform. Due to the nature of the show I am constantly asked for advice on all things books, so I’m making it formal and bringing my advice to all of you with my monthly column here at SheReads.com.
If you have questions about anything book related, CLICK HERE and submit your question, and then come back the last Thursday of the month to see my advice.
I want to be an author. I really want to write everything. But, I don’t know how good my skills are. I never get a chance to write. How do I know if I’m a good writer?
I’m not sure anyone else can tell you if you’re a good writer or not. I mean, they can tell you, but I’m not sure that that matters nearly as much as you being a writer. Look, Toni Morrison famously got panned in reviews, and I think most of us agree she was a good writer.
I have been lucky to interview hundreds of authors at this point and the only thing they all have in common is that they have all written and published at least one book. There is no thing that makes you a writer besides writing, and from your question it sounds like you don’t write that much. So, you should change that. Go write something. Even a bad thing. Go write ten bad things. Go. Write.
If you want to be a good writer you have to be a reader too, so after you write a thing, read a thing. Study the people whose work you admire. Do not copy them, but think about what makes them great.
Can you afford to take writing classes, online or in person? Great, do that. If not, maybe you can connect with other writers in your area and read each other’s stuff and talk about it. What worked, what didn’t?
Perhaps you can even write a thing, and then take the leap and get it published. Maybe it is a short essay, or a blog, or a poem, or story, but writing and putting yourself out there is also part of being an author, and a muscle you’re going to need to build. If you want to be the kind of writer that has any audience at all, you’ll need to have your work read by other people whether it’s a free newsletter or printed in the New York Times, you’ll need to get comfortable with putting your words into the world.
I am not a writer, so I don’t know a thing about what it takes to be one, let alone a good one. But I have been a creative my whole life, and I know to be a good artist you have to immerse yourself in what it is that you want to make. When I was in the theater I saw so many shows. I would go to the theater 3+ times a week, I would watch old movies, and new movies, I would go to Lincoln Center library and watch performances of Broadway shows that opened and closed long before I was born. What did I learn? Well, frankly I learned I wasn’t a very good actress. No one else could make that call for me, no one else could have told me that (though of course countless casting directors dropped hints). However, I eventually was able to see that in myself, and I wouldn’t have seen that if I hadn’t studied the work of the artists I loved most.
In all of that watching and seeing acting I also realized that what I really was was a critic. I liked watching and thinking and talking about the things I saw. I liked dissecting and analyzing. I got a rush from that that was greater than the feelings that came from acting. I was good at critique.
I’m not suggesting you’re not an author, but you won’t know that until you dive in head first. You have to trust that this thing that you want is at the very least worthy of you and your time and the effort it will take to explore it. You have to at least try and write and see what comes of it.
I sincerely hope that you are a great writer and that fills you to the brim. I am rooting for you.
Dear Traci, As a fellow lover of depressing books, I’m hoping you can help! My favorite books have always been non-fiction takes on disasters, corruption and all things dark and dreary. I’m looking for recommendations for books with a more uplifting take but that are still propulsive and interesting! I have trouble engaging with romance and literary fiction but I’m willing to take a leap if it’s a recommendation from my most trusted book podcaster. I recently read and loved You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty and would be willing to try more romance in that vein. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I can relate so hard to this. Even I, a lover the bleakest of the bleak, sometimes like to take a break from darkness and vacation in the light. Here are some books that immediately came to mind, some brand new and some pulled from the backlist. If I’m being honest all of them have a glimpse of something adjacent to depressing, because I am who I am. However, in my defense even a movie like Up starts off with the saddest opening. We need the darkness to appreciate the light.
The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland
A memoir about slowly going blind might sound a little depressing, but trust me this book is not. Leland lets us into his fears and doubts, but also welcomes us into his joy and hope. The book is both memoir and reporting and expands the myopic view of what it means to be blind. I just loved this book and felt energized after reading it.
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
I don’t read a lot of middle grade books, but holy cow when I read Look Both Ways back in 2019 it knocked my socks off. It is a collection of interconnected short stories about kids who walk home from school. The stories range from funny, to tender, to bizarre, and are all really good. Yes, this book is written for young people, but I have yet to suggest it to an adult who didn’t also swoon over it.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
This book is one of the more enjoyable reading experiences I have had all year. I am not being facetious. This book does what all great celebrity memoirs should, it sheds light, it shares gossip, it is short, and it left me a better understanding of Britney Spears. There are some extremely heartbreaking sections, so please know that, but if you can stomach the abuse it is worth the read. I would also like to say please listen to the audiobook, because Michelle Williams gives one of her best performances ever as Britney Spears, author.
Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet by Taylor Lorenz
If you are like me, and like the title suggests extremely online, you will enjoy this book. It’s a look at the history and development of influencer and social media culture. Lorenz starts at the political/news blogs that changed who could be an authority all the way to the present day of TikTok stars and huge brand deals. It is a fascinating look at the world we are building everytime we log on.
Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee
A modern day retelling of Anna Karenina but set in a rich NYC kid social circle. If you like Gossip Girl, this book is basically that. The book has plenty of plot and moves quickly, nothing to bog you down, just good clean spoiled brat drama with a love story on top!
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
This is a fictionalized oral history about a 1970’s rock and roll duo and it is a really good time. The first half is so propulsive and enjoyable I barely put it down. If you want a little fun that still has substance, this book fits the bill.
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key
I was expecting nothing out of this book, and then I loved it. Key shares the story of his marriage and the affair his wife had with a neighbor, fun right? The way he does it is what really makes this book special. He treats it almost like true crime and he investigates who is at fault, what happened, how, and where they can go now. It is a look back at a marriage and also a look into what it means to be married. Also, this book is funny. Key has a sarcastic and self-deprecating kind of humor that works well throughout.
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