No Excuses
What’s wrong with that?
We can’t? Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me these things?
Resolved: Writers must read and enjoy doing so because if not, the writing will suffer. Period. End of story. Don’t even think there’s a gray area in this.
Some of you may think that I’m preaching to the choir, but it pains me to disagree. For those who have ever visited a writer’s forum you’ll know that a good percentage of the posts are dedicated to requests for writing critiques. I have mixed feelings on this practice, depending on the circumstances. If you are a writer who knows what you’re doing and want to feel less isolated as a writer (there are no writing groups in your area, your schedule doesn’t allow you to attend….) or you need reassurance that you’re moving in the right direction from time to time, okay, fine, have at it. If you have questions along the lines of, “How much is a reasonable rate for a professional writer?” or “Any Red Sox fans who remember 1978 available to corroborate research?” that’s okay too. However, if you are turning to a writer’s forum at a stage in your writing where you’re not really sure where you need to go or how you’re going to get there, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. Please, hold the outrage until you hear me out. Consider the following forum headings:
• Please comment on my blog writing.
• Do my explanations make any sense?
• Is this interesting at all?
I want to stab my computer monitor when I encounter topics like this because these are questions of ignorance (notice I didn’t say stupidity). These questions are coming from people who do not know who they are as writers and the advice they receive at this juncture can be critical. In the best of times writers can be sensitive and insecure when it comes to the perceptions of others. When lacking the confidence that comes from knowing the value of your talent and skill you open yourself up to influences that may not be in your best interest. At this point in your career the best thing you can do for yourself is read- read anything you can find: fiction, non-fiction, books, magazines, the internet, anything and everything. Reading helps you learn and that is what you should be doing now more than anything else. This is not to say that you should stop writing altogether, but until you know what you like and don’t like, what you think is good or bad writing, what’s the point? Allow yourself the privilege of learning in a vacuum, just you and the book, before you go asking other people what they think.
When you say, read anything and everything, what do you mean by that?
I mean just what I said: anything and everything. Limiting yourself to reading only “good books” restricts your educational opportunities and may cause you to miss out on some potentially great stories. Remember the cardinal rule: everything is subjective? I defy anyone to define what it is that classifies something as “a good book.” Is a book good simply because it’s considered a classic? What if you read LITTLE WOMEN and didn’t like it? Is that a flaw in you? Should you pack up your laptop and go home since you clearly have no taste in literature? Should you pretend to hate anything written by Jackie Collins even though you have her complete library hidden underneath your bed? Where is this pretension coming from? You should be encouraged to read anything that attracts your interest: westerns, mysteries, horror, science fiction…. Even a book you don’t like can be a wonderful teaching tool: from someone else’s mistakes you’ll begin to understand what not to do. You’ll learn to spot a weak plot line at ten paces, a two-dimensional character at twenty- eventually it becomes automatic. When you expand your literary horizons you open yourself up to new experiences, cultures and ideas; you give your imagination some much needed room to play, thereby enhancing your creativity to boot. Reading is oxygen to an author: you cannot write well with the lack of it.
Now despite what you may have heard, all stories have something to offer, be they fact or fiction, at the very least because of the escapism factor. The day to day reality of life can be a soul-killing test of endurance without something in which to look forward and books are a cheap and easy fix. In a book you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone and still be home by dinnertime. Ever fantasized about what it would be like to be a fighter pilot in World War II or a bounty hunter in the Wild, Wild West? Books can take you there, if only for a few hours, but even that short span of time can have an amazing impact. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but people are hope junkies; without the reminder that better things are possible or at least your problems aren’t as bad as the other guy’s there’s still a chance that things are going to be okay. Fiction is necessary and important, if for no other reason than to fill up the holes in life that living takes away.
Finally, having stressed the influence fiction can bring to life, I’d like to point out that a fiction author can be just as significant. It is our challenge not only to make up stories, but to provide commentary as well. Entertainment is a fine thing, but giving people a reason to think is even sweeter. Look at LORD OF THE FLIES and 1984; both stories are brimming with compelling drama and at the end of each the reader walks away thinking, “What the hell just happened here?” Questions are asked and ideas explored as we try to make sense of the images now branded into our consciousness. Fiction provides the opportunity to better understand the human condition, and better understand ourselves. Lifetimes of experience can be gleaned by living through these characters, enabling us to move forward into our next chapter with a greater insight into life. How’s that for value?
Writers are just like everyone else; we need to be entertained, we need to escape sometimes and we absolutely must continue to learn. If we are going to be of use to our audience, to ourselves, we must continue to improve. Writers need to learn as much as we can about anything and everything because experience will make us better (better people too would be nice, but let’s not push it). Complacency is our enemy! Fight the urge with literature. Take back the power!
