Degrading imagination

I’ve never been a big fan of fantasy.  Don’t get me wrong, I read it, but I was never INTO it like everything else I read.  It seems to be getting worse as I get older–I’ve shifted my way of reading to be sort of faster and skimmier, because of school reading.  I don’t settle into a book as well as I used to.  I’d prefer to SEE fantasy than READ it, really.

So I’m reading this series called The Sharing Knife, and I’m on book three.  I feel like I understand LESS as I go on, like the “magic” stuff is more difficult for me to grasp as I read.  Concepts that made some sense in book one are so beyond me right now.  It doesn’t help that I’m not really emotionally invested in the characters anymore and that I feel like the book isn’t really moving forward the way I’d expected.

I feel it’s more satisfying for the writers to get involved in this world than it is for me.

When I was 12, I wrote about a country—well, first it was an island, a remote island that didn’t get involved with the outside world for a long time.  They had a polytheistic religion and used their hands to speak as much as their voices.  It was like a secondary language, the use of hands.  Then it became a country that was shaped a lot like France, I think, and I kept creating a language and a culture and then I started writing about how the Americans came and took over and there was a rebellion.

Fun stuff, huh?

I always want to do more with that, but then I never do.  Mostly because I don’t think it’s interesting to anyone but me.

So yeah, I guess that’s part of the reason I’ve always believed fantasy is more fun for the writer.  Which is weird because my roommate and suitemate at college (the first time around, when I was 17 and went to Rowan, not after I became a mom and went back to school) used to wait for me to type the next installment on my word processor.

Oh poor WP.  Why didn’t I print everything when you first started to act wonky?

Ah well.

Anyway, this is getting off-track and the place where I live is being shown to perspective buyers today, so I should tidy up.

But I really wish I were done this series.  On the other hand, it’s due back at the library today; no more renewals.  Hm.  Maybe it’s a sign?  (I wish.  I couldn’t not take it out again now that I’ve started it.  That’d be WRONG.)