Ever have that feeling that you ordered the wrong meal at a restaurant? Through dinner, all you can do is stare across the table at your partner's plate and wish that you had ordered that instead.
That's exactly the reason why I avoid reading books in the same genre as the book I'm currently working on. Once my manuscript is finished, I'm happy to read anything I want, but during the creative process, there's nothing worse than reading some other author's brilliant take on a genre. Granted, the published book has gone through the editing process and is meant to be brilliant and my first draft is an ugly stab at an idea that needs refinement. Still, I feel horrible inadequate when I read something published and in the similar vein as my work.
I had a near miss when I picked up a young adult mystery novel this week. I was about a chapter in when I realized this was really going to be a great novel, and I was going to feel like a slug about my own manuscript. The novel went on a shelf to be read a later date. Now I have to find a replacement book. Any suggestions? No mysteries.
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