Attitudes and Literary Fiction

I recently read an article entitled “How to Create Literary Fiction” by Magdalena Bell.  The article itself is very well written and makes some great points but one of her suggested tips gave me reason to pause and ask myself – Is there a general attitude that genre fiction is lazy or sloppy writing and that literary fiction is highly polished, high quality writing?

From the many articles I have read on the subject of literary fiction it would seem so and I definitely got that impression from Ms Bell’s article How to Create Literary Fiction.  It is the third and fourth tips that I want to draw your attention to.

Magdalena Bell writes:

So how can we ensure that our work is literary fiction rather than some other form? Here are five tips to guide writers who are inclined to produce literary fiction:

1. Aim for transcendency. The one quality which seems to be present in abundance in literary fiction and much less so in other forms, is what agent and author Noah Lukeman calls “transcendency.” It isn’t easy to define, and in his exceptional book, The Plot Thickens (St Martin’s Press, 2002), Lukeman presents a number of points, such as multidimensional characters and circumstances, room for interpretation, timelessness, relatability, educational elements, self discovery, and lasting impression. I would say that transcendency equates to depth, to writing which does more than entertain its readers, and instead, changes something, however small, in the way they perceive themselves. How do you get transcendency in fiction? With a deep theme, deep and powerful characters, complex plots, and exceptional writing skills. Sound easy?

2. Read quality literature. This is a lot easier than transcendency, though not unrelated. Since achieving literary fiction is a subtle and difficult thing, you’ve got to develop your literary senses. The best way of doing that is to read books which fit this genre. If you want to create literary fiction, chances are, you probably are already reading it. These are books by the writers we call “great.” Your list of names may differ from mine, but these are the writers who win prizes like the Booker, the Pulitzer, the Commonwealth Prize, and the National Book Award to name just a few. The more great literature you read, the better able you will become at recognising the elements which make a fiction literary.

3. Don’t get defensive! Lubar’s article is lots of fun, but literary fiction isn’t meant to be snobbish, academic, plotless, or boring in any way; just well crafted. That may be daunting if you are a writer, but it won’t help your work to shrug off quality by calling it dull or unachievable.

4. Re-write. This may be the single most important distinction between literary and other types of fiction. Work which is timeless takes time. There’s no other way to achieve literary fiction than re-writing, dozens, and maybe many more, times. It isn’t glamorous, nor is re-writing dependent on a muse or inspiration like the first draft is. It is just going over and over a work until every word is relevant and integral to the story. This process cannot occur solely in the fingers of the author. Every writer of literary fiction requires an ideal reader, a critique group, a mentor, or someone who can provide the kind of objective advice which will transform your inspiration into a stunning creation.

5. Don’t stress about it! Of course there is no point in worrying so much that you get writer’s block (and if you do, get hold of Jenna’s terrific book on the topic . If you read great books, write fiction which is true to your own creative vision, and revise (with feedback from others) until the work is as perfect as you can make it, you will produce literary fiction. That’s all there is to it. Writing a novel is about as hard as writing gets. Writing literary fiction can take years, often with little reward, at least until the book is completed (and in many instances, thankless even after publication, assuming you are published). But if you can’t stop yourself; if the desire for producing something truly beautiful outweighs utilitarianism, then you are really and truly a literary writer and your work will have transcendency. I’ll look forward to reading and reviewing it!

 

In tip three Ms Bell writes “…literary fiction isn’t meant to be snobbish, academic, plotless, or boring in any way; just well crafted. That may be daunting if you are a writer,…”  Why should any writer find the idea of creating well-crafted fiction daunting?  The innuendo here is that other forms of fiction aren’t well-crafted and that writing literary fiction could be overwhelming for the common writer.  Now you may think I’m being a tad sensitive or overly dramatic but I have read this type of attitude time and time again and it is condescending to say the least.

In tip four Ms Bell writes “4. Re-write. This may be the single most important distinction between literary and other types of fiction. Work which is timeless takes time. There’s no other way to achieve literary fiction than re-writing, dozens, and maybe many more, times. It isn’t glamorous, nor is re-writing dependent on a muse or inspiration like the first draft is. It is just going over and over a work until every word is relevant and integral to the story. This process cannot occur solely in the fingers of the author. Every writer of literary fiction requires an ideal reader, a critique group, a mentor, or someone who can provide the kind of objective advice which will transform your inspiration into a stunning creation.”  This tip stunned me the most.  The suggestion here is that writer’s of genre fiction do not bother with rewriting nor do they care to take their time to create stunning works of fiction.  In fact, tip four is a suggestion I feel all writers should see as pivotal to creating great fiction, literary or genre!

As a writer I aspire to create fiction that is well-crafted, intelligent, entertaining, addictive and powerful – regardless of the genre.  It is unfair to paint writers of genre fiction in such a disparaging light and by portraying writers of literary fiction as creators of well-crafted, highly polished work to the exclusion of other genre writers that is exactly what this and many other articles do.

What right do any of us have to assume a position of superiority based on the genre we write.  It shouldn’t matter whether we write erotica, romance, horror, sci-fi or literary fiction so long as we all strive to write exemplary work.  After all, as writers we are servants to our readers whom without we are nothing more than noise makers.

LiveJournal Tags: Personal experience/opinion,literary fiction

The Time for Emergence.

I have always been one to believe that things happen for a reason.  During my lifetime I have had repeated experiences where opportunities and events have occurred with amazing synchronicity and at a time when I was emotionally and psychologically primed to make the most of them.  I believe today is one such occurrence.

When I started this blog it was part of a journey I was beginning and out of recognition for the importance of it.  I wanted to document the changes not only for my own benefit but also for those on a similar path.  This blog is where I pull together the exterior events and the interior process of growth that both precedes and succeeds those events.

I have always been interested in astrology because I am fascinated by people.  Astrology proved to be an interesting tool by which I was able to garner much insight into human nature by learning about myself.  I have always been a self-centered person and although most people would see that as a criticism I have come to understand that this is how I interpret the world.  I understand others according to how they relate to me.  I understand the world according to how it affects me.  Being self-centered isn’t an attitude.  It doesn’t mean that I place myself above others or that I think what I want, need, feel, think or say is more important than anyone else’s perspective or opinion.  It simply means that I process everything according to how it affects or relates to me.

I was looking at the astrological charts of Leonardo Da Vinci and Albert Einstein to see what astrological influences may have contributed to their genius and then looking at my own chart to see how their charts differed from mine.  I then searched for astrological charts of famous writers to see if there was a trend or prevalence of attributes.  During my search I came across a chart for a celebrity who had a birth chart almost identical to mine.  That chart belonged to Derek Rydall.

Derek Rydall, born April 18, 1968, is an American screenwriter, screenplay consultant, script doctor, and best-selling author. The nephew of legendary film director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry, Escape From Alcatraz, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Rydall has also worked as an actor, starring in several films & television shows with Tom Skerritt, Charles Bronson, Elliot Gould, Tony Roberts (of Woody Allen films), Paulie Shore, director John Turtletaub (Phenomenon, National Treasure), and many others.
As a screenwriter, screenplay consultant, and script doctor, he has been on staff for Fox (“Wildforce Rangers”) and Disney, developed projects for RKO, United Artists, Miramax, Fine Line, Universal, Saturn (Nicolas Cage’s company), Deepak Chopra, Wildrice, Longbow, and the creators of “Air Force One” and “Ghost”. Additionally, Rydall script doctored on the feature films "Diamonds" and "No Turning Back."
Rydall has worked one-on-one with numerous screenwriters, independent producers, and executives from around the world; and has sold, optioned, or been hired to write over 20 Film & TV projects. Rydall is the author of "I Could’ve Written a Better Movie than That!: How to Make Six Figures as a Screenplay Consultant – Even if You’re Not a Screenwriter," and "There’s No Business Like Soul Business: a Spiritual Path to Enlightened Screenwriting, Filmmaking, and Performing arts" – both published by Michael Wiese Productions (www.MWP.com).
Rydall’s website www.ScriptwriterCentral.com, is geared toward assisting screenwriters in taking their scripts to the next level, and training the next-generation of script consultants to analyze scripts deeper, broader, and clearer than every before. Rydall's website, www.EnlightenedEntertainer.com is geared toward empowering artists and entertainment professionals to walk a more purposeful and prosperous path in show business, and create material that matters.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Rydall

I was pretty excited to see that someone whose chart so closely reflected my own had become such a success because it meant that any failure on my part to achieve my dream is just that – a failure on my part.  It meant that given my astrological profile I have the elements necessary to make it.  Now I don’t live my life according to astrology.  I don’t read my stars or make decisions based on forecasts but I do believe that the chart we are born with is akin to a genetic blueprint.  It shows strengths and weaknesses and its up to the individual how they handle them.

I checked out Derek Rydall’s website and discovered he has this amazing program he runs called The Law of Emergence.  Basically this program is aimed at showing us how we can release the potential within ourselves, a potential he says we have always had but weren’t aware of.  This goes way beyond self-help programs and in fact, Rydall states that it is the opposite of self help programs because he says we already have everything we need to succeed inside of us.

This is what Derek Rydall says about the Law of Emergence.

This is truly a revolutionary principle that can help you achieve your full potential. I didn't create it, but discovered it after a near-death experience and many years of pain and struggle followed by long retreats of deep contemplation.

Although at times it might sound like something you've heard before, it's really an approach to living that is 180 degrees in the other direction of what most self-help strategies teach us. Yet it's a principle that has been activated and used by virtually everyone who has ever made a significant, lasting contribution that has changed this world for the better.

 

Derek Rydall offers a free online workshop.  This is not like one of those sampler courses that tries to bait you into buying an ‘in-depth’ and very expensive package.  No, Derek offers a complete E-Course via email absolutely free.  If you want to utilize this fantastic opportunity you can do so here.  I promise you this isn’t a scam or some advertising lure, just a great opportunity.

One of the reasons discovering Derek’s program excited me was because it set off a whole heap of ‘opportunity calling’ bells.  Even the name of the program, the Law of Emergence’ resonated with me because that is exactly how I see myself – as emerging, an emergent writer.  I have signed up for the program and will be sure to keep you posted.  Regardless whether this turns out to be the tool for success I need or just another waste of time I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

LiveJournal Tags: Personal,writing

Creativity on Demand or Grabbing Your Muse by the Short and Curlies and Screaming, “Dance B*%#ch, Dance!”

As a single mother to five children ranging in ages from two to nineteen years of age, most things happen for me in one of two ways – by schedule or by demand.  Time is at a premium so I tend to ‘bottom-line’ everything.  My son, Tyler, will come home from school and launch into an epic explanation of why the sole of one of his shoes is hanging by a thread.  I usually interrupt and ask for the bottom line which is, of course, that he needs new shoes.  At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how the shoes got ruined, what does matter is that they need replacing.

This cut-to-the-chase mentality has wormed its way into practically every area of my life.  I used to adore reading.  I’d spend hours investing my heart and mind into fleshy characters and addictive plots but a few months ago I started reading a book, got three or four chapters into it and flick to the end of the book and read the last few chapters to see how it ended.  I hate that the journey has become superfluous.  Not only am I robbing myself of life’s small treasures but I am seriously limiting my ability to be creative.

For every writer there is a price to pay for their creativity.  Being able to create characters and stories that enlighten and entertain involves allowing ourselves to feel what our characters feel.  We must root around in still-moist wounds until we can express the truth of the human condition in an authentic manner.  If we try to fake it we are showing nothing but disrespect for the reader.  So how then do we, do I, find time and all the other essential conditions for creativity when my life is scheduled so fully that the only time I have to write is if and when I sacrifice a night’s sleep?

A tired brain is not good soil for growing and nurturing creativity so I feel like its a lose/lose situation.  I am never alone between the hours of 5 a.m and midnight and weekend and holidays are worse.  I have taken my coffee and hidden behind the garage just to have silence for ten minutes so then how on earth can I relax enough to allow the creativity to juice?

I know it sounds like I am complaining and I am!  I want so much to allow my brain to spark and arc.  I ache to write something meaningful and worthy.  I am head over heels in love with writing but I am committed elsewhere.  As much as I need to write I need to honor my children more.  It is they who have shown me the utter glory of newness I see in the changing seasons, it is they that remind me to see with fresh eyes and to forget to be stale.  I may not have time to put my stories down on paper but every day with them writes a new chapter in my heart.  I am so thankful I have something to complain about.

LiveJournal Tags: Writing,Personal experience

The Beginner’s Guide to Literary Fiction

The challenge here is to describe literary fiction without using the words ‘not’ or ‘isn’t’.  It seems that most people can tell you what it isn’t but try and pin them down to a definitive sentence and suddenly they have editing to do.

After a fair bit of research and reading I found a great description courtesy of Nathan Bransford, literary agent.

In commercial fiction the plot tends to happen above the surface and in literary fiction the plot tends to happen beneath the surface.
Here's what I mean.
Most genre fiction involves a character propelling themselves through a world. The character is an active protagonist who goes out into a world, experiences the challenges of that world, and emerges either triumphant or defeated. Think about every genre novel you've ever read: sci-fi, westerns, romances chick lit, thrillers.... They are all about a character with a certain level of mastery over the world in which they are in bumping up against the challenges of that world and trying to achieve their goal. Sure, the character might have an inner struggle and be a richly rendered character, but for the most part genre novels are about the exterior -- they are about how a character navigates a unique world.
So the plot in a genre novel usually involves things happening -- action sequences, love sequences, chases, shootouts.... The best genre novels fold these action sequences with the inner life of a character, but make no mistake: genre novels are really about how a character interacts with the outer world. The things that happen are pretty much on the surface, and thus the reader can sit back and watch and see what happens.
Now consider literary fiction. In literary fiction the plot usually happens beneath the surface, in the minds and hearts of the characters. Things may happen on the surface, but what is really important are the thoughts, desires, and motivations of the characters as well as the underlying social and cultural threads that act upon them. The plot may be buried to such a degree (like GILEAD) that if you have to describe the book in a short sentence it seems plotless -- an old man writes a letter to his young son and reflects on his life. There doesn't seem to be a plot there. But there is a plot in GILEAD. It is about how the protagonist comes to terms with his life and how he reconciles his desire to leave something behind for his son with his impending mortality. GILEAD has all the ups and downs of a genre novel, but the plot points all relate to the inner mind, and the climaxes and nadirs are almost hidden in quiet moments and small-but-powerful revelations.
Even when the prose is straightforward, literary fiction is more challenging to read than genre fiction because it requires the reader to infer a great deal of the plot rather than simply sitting back and watching the plot unfold. It requires empathy to relate to characters as humans and to deduce the hidden motivations and desires that lurk beneath their actions. The reader has to recognize the small turning points and the low points and the high points based on what they know of the character and about human nature. And there's a reason very few literary novels end with a shootout (er, except for THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) -- what happens out in the world isn't as important in literary novels as what happens within the minds of the characters, and thus the climax might be something as small as a decision or a new conviction.

What I have noticed is that literary fiction is one of the most abused labels available in creative writing.  During my research I read a fair bit of so-called literary fiction that writers have posted or have free to download and to be honest, much of it was boring, vague contemplations on life.  Some writers seem to think that being obscure is being artistic or even worse, clever.  The truth is there’s a certain amount of ‘the emperor’s new clothes’ syndrome when it comes to literary fiction.  People are too embarrassed to say they simply don’t get it for fear of looking stupid.  I know I was like that for a while.  I assumed that the failure to grasp what was written was due to the fact that I never went to college or studied literature like so many writers.

Luckily, the awesome folk at Scrawl encouraged me to voice my opinion when I didn’t understand because they aren’t interested in appearing clever.  For them, literary fiction is an art to be perfected and to that end they support and critique each other with honesty.

I don’t know if I will ever be able to write great literary fiction but I do know that the pursuit of literary excellence is what I owe the reader.

LiveJournal Tags: Writing,Literary fiction

The ‘Why’ of Great Characters

Characters are without a doubt, the core of great fiction.  The closer we as writers are able to emulate real three-dimensional characters within our work the stronger our work becomes.  There are many guides available for assisting an emergent writer in the process of creating unforgettable characters and these guides provide a strong support in our writing journey but I wanted to touch on a facet of characterization that I personally feel needs more attention. 

Most character creation guides will tell you that the more you know about your characters the better they become.  I don’t think this is enough.  You can know what she looks like, her marital status, likes and dislikes etc and still fail to develop a character that functions authentically within the confines of a story.  I believe the strongest tool to creating authentic characters lies in understanding why your character is the way he or she is.

Start asking yourself why your character dislikes jazz music or the color blue.  Ask yourself why your character reacts to things the way she does.  Rather than run through a list of attributes your characters have, try creating a personality profile that explores and identifies the way your characters react and look at why they react the way they do.

Two different characters can have the same list of attributes and yet function in completely different ways.  Say, for example, we have Jane and Jill, two fictional characters.  They both dislike dogs.  On the surface they appear the same and if they come across a dog may react the same but if we examine these characters and start asking why then we discover some very important personality traits that will affect how these two characters react to different events. 

Jane dislikes dogs because she was chased by a dog when she was younger.

Jill dislikes dogs because they are smelly and messy.  She had one as a pet and it drooled all over her stuff and covered her clothes in dog hair.

So if we put these two characters in a scenario where they see a man who assaulted them years earlier we can expect they will react differently.  Jane will have a strong emotional response because past traumatic events tend to stay with her.  We know this because she still dislikes dogs after being frightened by one in her childhood.

Jill may still be fearful but is less likely to show a strong emotional response because she doesn’t form emotional attachments to events to the same degree.  We know this because Jill’s strongest memory of her pet dog is not one of fondness but rather disgust at its drooling and shedding.  She is able to distance herself emotionally.

Although this example is very simplistic you can see how by asking why the character dislikes dogs we develop a depth to them and a greater understanding of their motivations.

Once you can identify the motivating factors that drive your characters then you will find they will also drive the plot.  It doesn’t matter whether you will ever use the details you uncover about them, what matters is that they respond to events in your story in an authentic and believable manner.

LiveJournal Tags: characters,writing,fiction

Evolution of the Writer

One of the things that struck me most about writing is how it changed me.  I have been writing for just over a year and initially I believed that writing or being a writer was something I did instead I have discovered that it is something I became.  What was at first, just a tool for expression soon evolved into an inseparable part of me.
I recently took part in NaPoWriMo, the National Poetry Writing Month and I am stunned at the outcome.  I’m not a poet.  I write fiction but my fellow scrawlers encouraged me to give it a go so I did.  Poetry has this way of demanding we ditch the crap and get real.  Poetry settles for nothing less than our purest voice, freed from pretension, protection and presentation.  Poetry needs to be spoken from the soul and for anyone who hasn’t experience the denuding of such language the results are both exquisite and brutal.
As I delve deeper into the world of writing I find myself in a state of perpetual transmutation.  Each evolutionary stage brings me closer to who I was meant to be, who I am beneath the bullshit and bravado I don everyday.

The Art of Chewing Crayons

The purpose of this blog is to document my journey toward becoming an accomplished writer and in the process, share the knowledge I gain, and show how the acquisition of such knowledge changes me as a person.

I have the privilege of being in the company of accomplished, highly talented writers and editors from whom I hope to learn much, and in whose company, I often feel like the kid in the corner chewing crayons while the grown-ups talk.  Being an emergent writer is humbling but also welcome because at least I know what I am and what I am aspiring to become.

The journey I am on is often confusing filled with misinformation, rule exceptions, and art versus craft issues, yet those I am learning from write which such a natural ease that they seem to have been born with the ability to divine words. I watch them sculpt their work with the precision of a plastic surgeon, taking something ordinary and paring it down until it is a living breathing beauty but more than that, they infuse this exquisite creation with depth of meaning far beyond the aesthetic. The resulting sculpture is a gift to the minds and hearts of readers. The ability to conjure such gifts, to write words that cling to the bones and move us beyond whom and where we are, is my ultimate desire.