30 Day Book Challenge + THANK YOU!

Hello Dreamers! First off, I just want to thank you all so much for following! I've only been book blogging for around two weeks, and to have your support chuffs me to bits! I hope you like what I've posted so far, and if you have any suggestions please feel free to comment, email me, or connect with me on Twitter.Next, I've looked for different Meme's/Challenges I could bring to Novel Days which would allow me to post more than just reviews, and I've decided to do the 30 Day Book Challenge! It seems really fun, and I might be surprised at some of my own choices by the end of it.

Day .01: Favorite Book

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I can already see the scorners picking up their stones. I understand that the market has been more than slightly over-saturated with glittering vampires, shirtless little boys, and zombie babies, but Twilight will always be close to my heart.

I first picked it up in 2007, before the craze rose to epic proportions. I remember being in such a funk in terms of my writing...I knew I've always wanted to write a novel, but it seemed after taking so many writing classes, I'd lost my own sense of excitement and color for worlds I could create. And then I picked up this novel. I remember thinking, 'oh, the story sounds sooo 'cheesetastic,' we'll see.' Then I started reading it, and I simply could not eject myself from its' world. 

Most critique it for being poorly written and shallow. But I've always thought of successful writing in two ways. There are those who are wordsmiths, who perform tricks with words that are simply unbelievable. And then, there are those who may not be the greatest wordsmiths, but they create worlds that readers want to simply dwell in forever.  

As a writer, I would hope that when I've reached the pinnacle of my career, I'm looked on as both a wordsmith and a brilliant storyteller. However, there's something about being able to capture the attention of a reader and hold it there to a point when reality blurs a bit. That, in itself, is a talent. Stephenie Meyer taught me that as much as writing a novel is about refining your craft and presenting the best work you can, it's also about dreaming. It's about writing characters you dwell with, speak with, and laugh with in the middle of the night by yourself. It's about breathing life into a story. It can be said that some of the most amazing wordsmiths have failed to accomplish this. Twilight is my favorite novel for these reasons. It helped me to remember why I'm writing in the first place.