Monday, January 14, 2019

I Wish I'd Written that Book


I enjoy writing mysteries more than anything I’ve ever done before. Initially people called it my “hobby,” and I smiled politely while trying not to voice my thoughts. However, after about the time my fifth book came out, those who knew me decided it wasn’t a hobby after all. (It’s nice to feel understood.)

However, I’m also an avid reader, or at least I was until I started writing. Now I don’t have enough time to read everything I’d like to. For purposes of this post, though, I’m going to remain a reader.

Beginning with my mother’s Honey Bunch books, and moving on to the Oz books, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books, and finally real honest-to-goodness adult books, I’ve enjoyed the freedom to go places and do things vicariously through the characters and the stories.

All of that reading and all of those characters and storylines (along with a gentle push from a friend) are what prompted me to write mysteries. Some of the ideas of other writers are so unique that when I finish reading a book I sit back and wish I’d written it. As a reader, have you ever felt that way?


When To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee came out, even though I’d never given a thought to writing a novel, I read the last page and wished I’d written that book. The characters were so real to me – Atticus, Jem and Scout. The storyline reminded me of what times and people were like in the thirties. (Although I wasn’t even a sparkle in my mother’s eyes in the thirties, I’ve heard things.) And Boo Radley – oh, what a guy. I think every small town has had someone whom people talked about and who was highly misunderstood. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the book. You’ll be glad you did.

I still think about Marley & Me by John Grogan. The book made me laugh aloud, and then the story made me cry. I wished I’d written it because it was so entertaining. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t quite believe the story and ended up with two yellow Labrador Retrievers, Sugar and Murphy. Believe me, Grogan’s story hit the mark. These dogs have a bit of screwy mixed in with intelligence, and sometimes… Well, you’d have to live with a Lab to understand.

Sometimes I read one simple idea in a story – and wish I’d thought of it first. Oh,well… I do my best.

I could tell you about my books, but that would take too much time. There are now nineteen, with Number Twenty in the works. Maybe one day someone will read one of my books and say, “I wish I’d written that.” One can always hope.

Think of a book you wish you’d written, or that contained an idea you wish you’d thought of first. Maybe you’ll provide me with some new books to read.

Until next time, I hope you read a book that leaves you in awe of the story – a book that will live forever in your memory.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

16 comments:

  1. I wish I'd written Susan Crandall's Whistling Past the Graveyard. I'm excited to know it's going to be made into a movie. Also Victoria Holt's The Mistress of Mellyn, Connie Willis' time travel books... So many. A good topic, Marja.

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    1. Thank you, Dorothy! It's a fun topic and makes one think about what we've read and enjoyed. Thank you so much for stopping in! (I'm glad to hear "...Graveyard" is being made into a movie.)

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  2. I don't think I've ever wished that I had written a book I loved but after reading Mary Stewart's My Brother Michael in college, I was hooked on romantic suspense in faraway lands. I had wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl but genre had never occurred to me. I started to read everything Stewart wrote and also became hooked on Helen MacInnes and Evelyn Anthony. but the "magic of Mary Stewart" never left me. I've never achieved that magic, of course, although I tried with the publication of my first romance novel--a fantasy I had before I moved to the Caribbean. What a great post, Marja--one that made me think back to my early days of writing.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Pat, and that it made you think back to writers like Stewart. I read most of her books and truly enjoyed them. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  3. I've read so many books, it's hard to chose, but I have to say that after I'd read Daphne Du Maurier's, Rebecca, I remember thinking I wished I'd written it. Such powerful images. I also felt that way after reading, Olive Higgins Pouty's, Now Voyager. As you can tell, I like to read old books even though they're not mysteries, which is usually the genre I read in. Nice blog post, Marja. It made me think.

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    1. Thank you, Evelyn! I believe it's the books we've read and really enjoyed that make us think. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  4. I don't think I've ever wished I'd written someone else's book. But I have wished I could write as well as some I admire. It's not good to dwell on that, though. It could discourage a person from trying to write a better book.

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    1. I wish I'd had the ideas that some authors have come up with, but I'm stuck with my own. :) I have a feeling that you're one who always strives to write a great book. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  5. I agree with every word John wrote. To me, wishing I'd written a book another author wrote would be like me admiring someone's long, lustrous blonde hair. I may think it's beautiful and it may serve as a reminder to me to try to improve the condition of my hair. But I don't wish it were mine.

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    1. I've finished books and thought, "I sure wish I'd had that idea." Not that I want to copy them, but that I wish I had the inspirations they've had. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  6. I agree with John and Patricia, but I have thought, "what a great plot" when reading a couple mysteries. Especially with Agatha Christie--which then spurs my imagination on...

    As always, Marja, great post.

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    1. If they spur your imagination, that's what counts, Madeline. I guess it's not really that I wish I'd written their books, but that I'd had the inspiration to write what they wrote. Hope that makes sense. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  7. I've read so many novels that I admired that I can't chose just one. However, it was Sue Grafton's and Agatha Christie's novels as well as those of John Grisham's that convinced me to try my hand at writing mysteries of my own.

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    1. Good choices, Jean. There's nothing quite like a good mystery to whet the writer's appetite. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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    1. Getting close, Tony. The latest Bogey book will be out within the next month or two. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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