some thoughts on books, reading and writing

Recently, I've been on a bit of a "literature trip." Reading books, listening or watching commentary on books, thinking about writing... It started with me re-listening to some old Shriekcast episodes, which made me remember how much I liked Harry Potter in my teens and think about how there hasn't been a book that has provided me with the same kind of feeling (while reading). From there, I started thinking about how I would write a book that plays in a similar space or has a similar atmosphere without being a blatant copy. In the past, I used to write quite a bit. Around late elementary school age, when asked about what I wanted to do as a "grown-up", my answer would always be "story writer (novelist)." But that writing hobby slowly disappeared around my mid-teens. As a kid, I just enjoyed the act of coming up with stuff and writing it down, but as I grew up, I became aware of my lack of skill and grew frustrated with what / how I wrote. All the way throughout my 20s, whenever I…