Competent
Thanks to a little inspiration from Edie, who commented an entry or so ago that "Competent is not enough" . . . that is the theme of this post.
Competent, according to the dictionary, is adequate but not exceptional. Of course, exceptional is in the eye of the beholder. But I can tell you that sometimes exceptional amounts to passion, and competence to chasing publication but not through writing the book of your dreams. What do I mean?
By the time you have spotted a trend in publishing, the trend is nearly over. So, by the time three or four "Bridezilla" chick lit books have hit the market, deciding that you have an idea for a perfectly servicable novel about a runaway bride means you're a little late to the party. Worse, as has happened to me EVERY SINGLE TIME I have spoken to writers' groups (and I am not kidding here), if you think, "You know, I saw that Book X, which was about a woman who faked having a fiance so she wouldn't feel like a loser at her high school reunion, and I didn't really think the book was that original or that clever, so I figure I can EASILY write something like that, so I am writing Book Y about a high school reunion and a woman who has a fake fiance, but in mine, a murder happens at the reunion, and it's very comical--a chick lit mystery--so that's how my book is different."
Writers like that make me want to scream.
Seeing what's on the market and then plotting a book that you think you can sell, and--at that--not even being a big fan of the book you are trying to ride coattails on? Yes, chances are MANY fairly accomplished writers could whip up a novel about a private eye, about a runaway bride, about a vampire. They can write perfectly competent novels. But competent is not enough.
What makes your book exceptional--I hope--is that YOU are the only one who can tell it. Think about WHY you are the only one who can write it, what makes this YOUR book, why it is YOUR passion . . . write THAT book and my guess is you will be a lot closer to a sale.
I believe that I am the only person on the earth who could have written THE ROOFER. I mean, yes, the words are mine alone. But the passion for the story, combined with the people in my life who were bits and pieces of the characters, combined with my belief in its story arc, in the narrative structure of the funeral, in the pain on the pages . . . it is MY book and only I could tell it. Anyone else could read about Hell's Kitchen and maybe construct that world. But they would never have been in those bars in the years I was. They wouldn't have known those men. They wouldn't know The Amazing Coaster Trick or any of the bar tricks I was taught when I was seven. It's my book as sure as I breathe. I think anyone else would be faking it.
Find your passion . . . tell THAT story. That will take you beyond adequate into exceptional.
Thoughts?
Competent, according to the dictionary, is adequate but not exceptional. Of course, exceptional is in the eye of the beholder. But I can tell you that sometimes exceptional amounts to passion, and competence to chasing publication but not through writing the book of your dreams. What do I mean?
By the time you have spotted a trend in publishing, the trend is nearly over. So, by the time three or four "Bridezilla" chick lit books have hit the market, deciding that you have an idea for a perfectly servicable novel about a runaway bride means you're a little late to the party. Worse, as has happened to me EVERY SINGLE TIME I have spoken to writers' groups (and I am not kidding here), if you think, "You know, I saw that Book X, which was about a woman who faked having a fiance so she wouldn't feel like a loser at her high school reunion, and I didn't really think the book was that original or that clever, so I figure I can EASILY write something like that, so I am writing Book Y about a high school reunion and a woman who has a fake fiance, but in mine, a murder happens at the reunion, and it's very comical--a chick lit mystery--so that's how my book is different."
Writers like that make me want to scream.
Seeing what's on the market and then plotting a book that you think you can sell, and--at that--not even being a big fan of the book you are trying to ride coattails on? Yes, chances are MANY fairly accomplished writers could whip up a novel about a private eye, about a runaway bride, about a vampire. They can write perfectly competent novels. But competent is not enough.
What makes your book exceptional--I hope--is that YOU are the only one who can tell it. Think about WHY you are the only one who can write it, what makes this YOUR book, why it is YOUR passion . . . write THAT book and my guess is you will be a lot closer to a sale.
I believe that I am the only person on the earth who could have written THE ROOFER. I mean, yes, the words are mine alone. But the passion for the story, combined with the people in my life who were bits and pieces of the characters, combined with my belief in its story arc, in the narrative structure of the funeral, in the pain on the pages . . . it is MY book and only I could tell it. Anyone else could read about Hell's Kitchen and maybe construct that world. But they would never have been in those bars in the years I was. They wouldn't have known those men. They wouldn't know The Amazing Coaster Trick or any of the bar tricks I was taught when I was seven. It's my book as sure as I breathe. I think anyone else would be faking it.
Find your passion . . . tell THAT story. That will take you beyond adequate into exceptional.
Thoughts?
Labels: passions
posted by Erica Orloff at 9:43 AM
12 Comments:
Terrific blog, Erica! It's not just the ideas, it's also the writing too. For what I'm writing - women's fiction - the writing, the voice, has to stand out as much as the characters and the storyline. Yes, I can think of bestselling writers whose writing isn't exceptional--and in a couple cases barely competent--but that's nothing to do with me. For me to sell, my writing has to be exceptional.
Hi Edie:
Definitely . . . I certainly see writes who blow me away--and others less so. But I think you've got to set your sights as high as possible for yourself.
E
Hey, Erica. Hope all is well. I've spent a good deal of time thinking about this issue -- although I don't call it competence as much as I call it authenticity. I think readers can spot a fake a million miles away ... writing is just too personal to phone it in for too long.
Here's my theory, for what it's worth. I think maybe there are stages in some writer's growth, at least among people who are in it for the long haul. First, there is competence. It's the price of entry (along with a basic level of talent). Then there is hunger and passion -- this is the meat-packing plant montage where the writer is fresh and hungry and writing like a drowning person. A voice is developed, mere competence improves to mastery of craft, and the stories that have been bubbling away since childhood are put to paper. They say an author's first book is often autobiographical.
If you're lucky, and the stars align, this is the initial burst of publication. I think some of our best books have been produced by artists in this stage of life. Think J.D. Salinger, Ann Rice, or even Charles Frazier.
But what comes next? This is what I don't know. How does one make that Maileresque leap from The Naked and the Dead to a long career arc studded with brilliance?
Incidentally, I just finished The Roofer. And although I'd read it before, reading it in one chunk was really impressive. Your control over the narrative flow is really, really spot-on. And Ava is utterly authentic ...
Hey there JVZ:
You said it much more succinctly than I did. Authenticity is a great word for it. And yeah. phoning it in . . . I've seen way too many examples of it.
E
Find your passion . . . tell THAT story. That will take you beyond adequate into exceptional.
Exactly.
But, even with a story that's burning to be told, the execution must also be first-rate. Passion is the seed; talent and craft the soil; endurance, patience and perseverance the sunshine and rain. Many things must come together to grow this garden we call The Novel.
And, after all that, we can only hope that the end product tastes good to a lot of people.
Jude:
Exactly . . . the way I was looking at this was if you have the talent/craft, pursue the passion to make it exceptional. I like your gardening analogy.
E
The Roofer was definitely in my top five favorite books ever.
I totally agree with you. Someone once said (forgot who) that you need to deliver what the reader expects, but in an unexpected way. I try to tell every story as deeply and as differently as I can.
I think what you are talking about is what sets certain writers apart. You can pick up any of their books and it feels brand new. It doesn't feel like they are casting the same characters in different backgrounds and trying to shove it down your throat. You can read the next book and think, "Wow, this book was so much better than the last one." It's voice, craft, and passion and essentially what every one else said here.
The story I'm working on is the first thing I think about when I wake up.
I zone out sometimes when I'm driving, doing housework, in the shower, etc., entire scenes playing in my head.
I hear the characters' voices, see their expressions, know what they wanted for Christmas when they were eight.
Is it passion, or...
OBSESSION??!?!?
:)
spy:
Sage advice!
E
mel:
I get that feeling sometimes when I read certain writers. Or sometimes it dawns on me that a recurring character has not grown or changed any in three or four books.
jude:
Probably a little of both.
E
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