Complete lack of clever subject line: #4548967850

[megwrites]

I goted you some emo, but I eated it. I tend to think that my angst and inner emotional turmoil is a bit like that scene in The Birdcage (wonderful movie) where Robin Williams' character instructs one of his dancers: "No! You do an eclectic celebration of a dance! You do, Fossie, Fossie, Fossie. Or Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Martha Graham. Or Twi-la, Twi-la, Twi-la. Or Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd. Or Madonna, Madonna, Madonna. But you keep it all inside."

So, my inner Madonna! Madonna! Madonna! of angst will remain inner.

Needless to say, outlining for NaNoWriMo has been causing me great angst and gnashing of teeth. Especially after having ladyslvr's wonderful, wonderful brain check a few of my ideas and realize that they're terribly trite and have been done.

And not in the way that general topics have been done. Vampires, aliens, angels, time travel, it's all been done, but the key is to have some original twist. Except that my twists? Not so original, akshully.

It makes me worry that I'm not widely read enough in my chosen genre. I mean, I'm trying as best I can to read as much as I can. But I have really limited funds for books to begin with and I can only read so much in a day.

Not to mention that the Queens Library system leaves everything something to be desired. The branch closest to me has a SF/F section of just two shelves. And I don't mean two whole bookcases. I mean, just two shelves. Maybe, they have fifty SF/F books in total. I have a bigger SF/F collection than they do. That's sad.

Is there a way to know if you're widely read enough? Is there a way to know who you should be reading, who's the next big thing?