As my 3.5 regular readers are aware, the name of this blog is “Bookshelf Battle.”
The original jokey premise? Books are fighting each other for the limited space on my book shelf.
Lately, I’ve been sort of eeking my way into a similar premise, namely, that the characters from the books are fighting each other on my bookshelf.
Because, honestly, how can books fight each other?
Yes! You thereI I see your hand up! What’s your question?
“How can characters from the books fight each other?”
That’s a good question and it leads me to the crux of today’s post. For the past week, I’ve been internally debating the idea of writing my own origin story.
PROS: It would finally answer my 3.5 regular readers’ nagging questions:
- “How did you go from Joe Average to become the noble and mighty Bookshelf Q. Battler?”
- “How did you come to be in possession of a magic bookshelf where book characters come to life and battles take place?”
- “Will you ever write a book review again?”
I don’t want to give too much away, but needless to say, the story would involve the characters on my bookshelf assisting me in some type of quest against evil.
It would be good self-promotion. It might boost me up to 7.5 regular readers. I might pass the 10 mark. Part of me hopes I don’t. I don’t want to change. I don’t want to get a big ego. I don’t want to become a jerk and forget the little people who knew me way back when I only had 3.5 regular readers.
I’d serialize it right here on this site, with a new chapter every day for, I don’t, a week I suppose. I can’t imagine it would be longer than that. It would help me meet my one post a day challenge for awhile.
Moreover, if I put it out there, I would ask my 3.5 regular readers (yes, even Aunt Gertie) to be brutally honest. I’d want answers to:
- What are your thoughts on my writing style?
- Can you picture someone who writes fiction the way I do producing something that people would pay money for?
- How can I improve?
- Should I just give up on writing and fill my free time with more noble pursuits, like binge watching The Blacklist and collecting seventeenth century thimbles?
CONS
You’re a guy claiming to own a magic bookshelf. 75% of people will have a good sense of humor. They’ll get it and go along with the premise. 25% will think you’re an idiot.
Personally, “I likes them odds!”
But before I waste too much more time, I’d like to know what my 3.5 regular readers think. Even Aunt Gertie.
Bookshelf Battle 
This sounds like a good idea. I would like to know how your story would go.
It is a tale full of mystery, woe, suspense, action, and waffles.
I like your writing style and I would totally pay money for a book about waffles
Thanks. How much money are we talking here? Can you just cough up a million and I’ll retire now?
I like waffles.
Who doesn’t? Except for those lousy so and so’s at the French Toast Emporium
I think this is a concept that would depend a ton on the execution. I could see it being gripping and/or hilarious, or just kind of silly and flat. Given your writing style and sensibilities I think you’d have a good chance of doing it well.
Besides, where’s the fun in not trying something because it might not go well? I’d say if you find the concept interesting, run with it.
Silly and flat is my middle name!
That’s crazy! I had a great-uncle named Silly and flat! Silly and flat Hieronymous Faroe! Getting people to get the spacing and capitalization of his name right was a lifelong irritation to him, from what I hear. Eventually he just started going by S a f Hieronymous.
I was nominated by my senior class “Most Likely to be Construed as Silly and Flat.”
I’ve been a long-time hobbyist in advancing the possibility that a concept could turn out silly and flat depending on its execution. It’s kind of a niche field, but I’m happy to report it’s been growing in popularity with the spread of the internet.
My novel ‘The Book Ark: Black on White is about an alternate universe where all books that have ever been written really exist and it is policed by librarians, this world is being threatened by the inkless of e-books. Check it out, along similar lines 🙂
I’ll have to check it out!
I have a theory that one of the reasons writing is so hard is that so much time in human history has past that every idea has, at least to some extent, been explored already.
I think you might have just proven that!
Here’s the link for it on my website http://www.janispegrumsmith.co.uk/tbabow.html Some writer’s believe that angels give you ideas and if you don’t do anything with it they fly off and give it to someone else, hence something you have thought about writing for ages suddenly turns up as a book by someone else – that said, your idea is a little different to mine, I like the idea of characters coming out of books into the real world and fighting for shelf space 🙂