Neil Gaiman wrote this in his introduction to Jonathan Carrol’s website :
Writing fiction is not a profession that leaves one well-disposed toward reading fiction. One starts out loving books and stories, and then one becomes jaded and increasingly hard to please. I read less and less fiction these days, finding the buzz and the joy I used to get from fiction in ever stranger works of non-fiction, or poetry.
As an aspiring writer of stuff, I’m unsettled by this. For me, it’s already happened to some extent with movies and visual effects.
I used to love just about every movie that came down the pike and all special effects were special. But after I got into the business, I grew more jaded and picky with each passing year. Now it’s hard for me to watch any sort of visual effect without unconsciously checking for flaws or thinking about technique. It’s that sort of thing that has helped me be good at what I do — that attention to detail. And while I can keep those thoughts in the background, they’re still there. Only on rare occasions do I find myself getting sucked into a film if there’s any sort of visual effects or CG taking the stage.
So I’m worried that what Mr. Gaiman says will come true. I read voraciously. I’ve been going to the library lately and bringing home a backpack full of books and plowing through them. (And Laura will be happy to know I’m finally reading more than just sci-fi and fantasy novels these days.) As I learn more about writing and and become more aware of technique– well, I’m a bit scared to think that trying to be a writer will destroy my refuge and sanctuary: enjoying a good book.
Oh, and on my last trip to the library I managed to find the graphic novels Sandman: Endless Nights and Sandman: World’s End. The upside: I am totally inspired to write. The downside: I despair that I will never write anything as good.