You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings begin to cautiously appear on your pages. Zadie Smith
Novel editing has been put on the back burner slightly this week, as I prepare various short story submissions. I used to worry that the two animals (novels and short stories) shouldn't be tackled simultaneously, but I now believe the occasional short story deviation helps - rather than hinders - my novel writing. For me, it's like undertaking a quick revision course in craft. Too often, when working on the novel, I find myself getting so immersed; too immersed *starts to lose the meaning of all language...*, and all boundaries/techniques/structure/pace simply blurs into a pile of literary dung. In desperation, I abandon everything I've learned and ask myself:
Does it sound OK when I read it out loud?
Would I boak at this if I read it in a published novel?
What do the writers group folk have to say about it?
I missed a few writers group sessions in a row, and it had an alarmingly negative effect on my writing confidence. Neither myself or my poor group banked on my codependency issues, I'm sure. One of the lovely ladies in my group, Clare Hipkiss, has just published one of seven stories that will comprise her novel: Tales from the Ice Cream Van. This particular story is called Hello Kitty, about an adorable man and wife trying to get their teenage daughter off drugs. So heartbreaking, but very optimistic at the end. Clare could teach us all a lesson in characterisation (I've yet to dislike one of her characters... even the meanies!). Put the kettle on, slow down for a minute, and have a read here. I deliberately haven't read any novels in over a week, in an experiment to reduce any outside influence in my writing. I'll no doubt give in by the end of the week, but it's been an interesting experiment, despite the reading withdrawals. Do you steer clear of reading while writing? Or do you crank up your reading efforts? I've heard so many different opinions on this. What's yours? Take care Catherine x
◦
Short stories and reading while writing your novel.
A first draft means different things to different authors. The
author who works on eight drafts per novel may consider a first
draft to be a sketchy outline or structure of the story, whilst the
“pantser” (that word is really starting to irritate me) may consider it to be the first attempt at a full
manuscript, before they attack it with a red pen.
Me? I'm
somewhere in between. I have my (very detailed) structure outlined on
Scrivener, and lots of scenes (or scene descriptions) written out. I consider this my
first draft.
My
second draft, which I'm currently working on, entails writing my scenes and chapters in a more polished fashion; with more panache.
So
eager to write well, I've studied endless fiction writing critiques. I thought this would stop me from being exposed as the blatant amateur that I am. I've been
reading other writing blogs and forums, whereby people offer critiques
of a first chapter or scenes.
I witnessed other writers' work being torn to shreds. Whether rightly or wrongly is irrelevant. The result of
absorbing all the “feedback” left me somewhat paralysed with
inadequacy. Would my writing meet the same fate?
With this, I realised my proposed audience had changed in the process. I was no longer writing for the reader. I was writing for an unidentified, contemptuous critic, their red pen filled with my blood.
Feeling somewhat despondent, I
consulted my trusty bookcase filled with books that
passed the (seemingly endless) tests on their way to publication; books I've enjoyed reading. How did these authors write their scenes and
chapters, eh? How did they find this holy grail?
Reading through the pages, the realisation hit me: most of these books (some bestselling) would definitely fall victim to a critic's red pen.
Shocked,
I read my well-worn pages with fresh eyes. “Look at that
repetition! Look at that excessive use of adverbs! What godawful
writing... how in hell did this get published?”
I'm
sure there are plenty of you who have felt the same. You might even reassure yourself with it, telling yourself, "if they got published, this should be a canter for me."
But I'll tell you what I told myself. In the words of Bob
Marley: “before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands
are clean”.
Herein
lies my epiphany. Those books are nestled in my bookcase for a
reason. I enjoyed them immensely, once upon a time.
Books
are written for readers, not writers or critics, even if they are stumbling blocks on the way. It may seem plainly obvious to others, but I'm not ashamed to admit I lost sight of this fact.
If
you're thinking of becoming a writer because you love reading, you
might want to re-evaluate that notion. Here's what I wrote back in 2011, in the honeymoon period of my writing endeavour:
I’m
not sure I’ll ever be able to read a book the same way again. I’ve
been picking up on all sorts of things: how other writers switch
scenes (some do it in the same chapter, some use a chapter
per POV), how other writers deal with certain situations without
making it look too contrived, and how well they manage to build
tension, to entice me as a reader. It's a writing skill
I'm very interested in honing! I've
always immensely enjoyed reading, but it's different now.
Let me update this
sentiment by adding that the pendulum swings both ways. You'll
read some books that make you despair at the world of publishing.
You'll think to yourself, “these authors must be friendly with
someone in the industry. There's no way they've written 8
bestselling novels based on that guff!”
You might look at your own
lovingly crafted manuscript and wail, “what's the point in
continuing? My manuscript is crafted to perfection, but they won't want it, even though it's of a much higher standard than the work of those crappy writers.”
But what if these "crappy" writers just happen to be aware of the fact that readers don't care about adverbs? That they don't care about POV? What if they happen to know that the reader does care, first and foremost, about a fantastic storyline? That they do care if the love interest has perfect teeth and a dimple on the side of their face?
My mum loves to read. I love asking her about what she's read, finding out what she likes/dislikes about a book. Do you think she says, "I really loved the balance between dialogue and description," or, "I especially enjoyed the sensory description and inner conflict."?
Naw. She talks about how much she loves/hates the characters. She retells the story to me in her own words, using only the exciting bits that made her turn the page.
So, the next time I balk at the type of writing I've involuntarily conditioned myself to despise, I shall remind myself of this: If writing for a reader
instead of a critic makes someone a crappy writer, then I
hereby declare myself a crappy (but happy) writer.
Let me end this post, by sharing the best music you'll listen to all weekend. Big Mama Thornton's Hound Dog (later covered by Elvis). Happy Friday, people! x
Posts
