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Marketing, Racket, Writing

Is Writing a Racket?

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The Rock writer Nick Tosches died yesterday:

Nick Tosches, Fiery Music Writer and Biographer, Dies at 69 | Top Movie and TV

He wrote for music magazines and published seven biographies. His acerbic wit could be cutting and to the point:

I’m inclined to agree with that statement. One of the toughest things for a naïve writer to realise is that they’ve entered a cutthroat business where the marketability of your story, and you as an author, are more important than the quality of your prose. Consider the success of books ‘written’ by celebrities…do you feel sick yet?

Book award season is on us again, in which the usual suspects will dominate: those with an existing high profile who are great for marketing. It doesn’t hurt if they’re photogenic and being young is a bonus too.

I previously criticised predictable awards. They’re more a racket, a deceitful way of making money than they are a deserving reward for a well-written book.

American novelist Alexander Theroux reckoned: “Book-publishing is all about politics. Agents, editors, which books will be puffed, which ignored, etc.”

There’s no bigger racket than politics!

What do you think of the business side of writing?

Anyone who’s tried self-publishing knows that artifice is necessary to promote oneself and one’s books, so much so that you start to doubt your sincerity, as you play the game of sounding as tempting as possible. You’re part of the racket.

Michael Korda – Wikipedia

Complexity, Plotting, Writing

Simple & Complex

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I came across an observation in an article on writing technique which stuck in my mind. I hadn’t heard it before and it made me think about favourite stories and my own writing:

“The best stories have simple plots with complex characters.”

I’ve been kicking around this concept, trying to decide if it’s true. We discussed keeping to a simple theme in an old thread:

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But, how does a writer decide to balance detailed characterisation with intricate plotting? At the moment, I’m reading two novels that are are complex stories with complex characters—Mick Herron’s tale of spies Slow Horses and C.J. Sansom’s seventh story about Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake Tombland. A lot of concentration is needed to work out what’s going on. Fans of these two authors are hooked by their love of the main players and also by the intrigue of the plots.

It made me wonder what the opposite would be, with a simple plot featuring simple characters. That could be a description of a fairy tale, fable or legend, but stories which have lasted hundreds of years hold universal truths about humanity, so their simplicity is a virtue.

It could also describe bad writing, where the plotting is bare and the characters two-dimensional! :confused:

About half of the fiction I read is in my writing genre of Crime. I can think of some stories I enjoyed because of the primitive nature of the plot which drove the action, but which had poor characterisation…these might be better described as Thrillers.

Sometimes, the opposite happens, even with skilled best-selling authors I love, such as James Lee Burke and John Connolly. Their success means they’re permitted to turn in manuscripts that are 720 pages long. A typical crime novel would have 340 pages. The extra bulk doesn’t come from complex plotting, it’s more from in-depth characterisation.

With my Cornish Detective series, I’ve aimed for a blend of simple plotting and describing my characters’ personalities, thoughts and reactions in enough detail to encourage readers to bond with them. My stories are more ‘howcatchem’ than ‘whodunnit’, which helps to simplify the plotting.

Do you agree with the writing advice: “The best stories have simple plots with complex characters.”?

Does it apply to your favourite books?

What about your writing?

Honesty, Self-Promotion, Writing

Open Up & Let Them In!

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Several authors I know have commented that being a writer spoils the pleasure of being a reader. We’re constantly examining the author’s technique, finding ideas to steal to adapt to our work and, maybe, feeling intimidated and inadequate.

It’s impossible when reading, to not wonder how much the author’s opinions are revealed by their characters. There are various terms used for this, such as mouthpiece, surrogate and stand-in. More writerly is a chorus character which dates back to Ancient Greek plays in which one of the functions of the chorus was to comment on the action.

Ayn Rand uses the character of John Galt to speak rambling monologues to expound her theories on Objectivism in Atlas Shrugged. J.K. Rowling has said that Hermione Granger was based on herself as a girl, and various other characters in the Harry Potter series had their origins in people she knew.

Harry Potter: The Real-Life Inspirations Behind J.K. Rowling’s Characters

Such self-insertion can lead to the author appearing in idealised form. Stan Lee turned up in cameos in the Marvel comics. Philip K. Dick named a major character after himself in Radio Free Albemuth. W. Somerset Maugham writes The Razor’s Edge as a minor character drifting in and out of the story making comments about the actions of the key players.

We previously discussed You In Your Book, but, how much do you express your own attitudes towards things by what your protagonist says and does?

My crime series is set in Cornwall. The main character is the son of a farmer, who sold the family farm to become a copper. Plots often include rural crime. The new story features, as a sub-plot, an arsonist torching barns in the night. It’s impossible not to mention Brexit: my detective’s attitudes reflect my own.

I’ve reflected who I am by my characters commenting on loyalty, assisted suicide, violence, sexuality, illegal immigration, slavery, human trafficking and drug laws.

How much do you let readers in to who you are through your stories?

Idiosyncracies

Idiosyncracies

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Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines an idiosyncracy as:

1a: a peculiarity of constitution or temperament: an individualizing characteristic or quality

b: individual hypersensitiveness (as to a drug or food)

2:characteristic peculiarity (as of temperament)broadly: ECCENTRICITY

I use idiosyncracies as a way of making readers remember my characters. It’s easy to confuse characteristics with idiosyncracies. I think that characteristics are more behavioural traits whereas idiosyncracies are peculiarities that make a person unique. Thus, my crime series protagonist Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kettle’s characteristics include a warm and nurturing management style, being happy to delegate tasks and he encourages interaction with his team by leaving his office door ajar. His idiosyncracies stem from being Green politically and having a rebellious artistic nature: he paints (partly to achieve breakthroughs in investigations), is growing a wild garden and rides a ten-foot-long chopper motorcycle—useful as a stealth vehicle, as no one thinks he’s a copper.

If you think of successful fictional characters, many show idiosyncracies that identify them. In the crime genre, Sherlock Holmes uses recreational drugs—cocaine and morphine—to escape, what he calls “the dull routine of existence.” Rex Stout’s investigator Nero Wolfe grows a bewildering variety of orchids and loathes travelling and exercise. Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano is a gourmet, known to interrupt an investigation in favour of having a decent lunch, for, after all, a corpse will be just as dead once he’s dined.

If a character has lots of idiosyncracies, then they’ll be labelled eccentric. Good examples include Ignatius J. Reilly from John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy Of Dunces, Sairey Gamp in Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit spouts proverbs, always carries an umbrella and has a peculiar fragrance “borne upon the breeze, as if a passing fairy had hiccoughed and had previously been to a wine-vault.” Jerzy Kosiński’s Being There has a protagonist Chance the gardener raised away from society tending to the plants of his wealthy boss. When he dies, Chance is released into the outside world for the first time, which he does not understand. His innocence makes him a celebrity.

What idiosyncracies do your characters have?

Have you created any eccentrics?

Fun, Writing

Are You Having Fun?

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I came across a quote from Ed Emberley, an American artist, author and illustrator of children’s books:

“I am determined to have fun doing my work… if I’m enjoying myself then that feeling is passed on to the reader.”

It chimed in with my latest writing project, the sixth story in The Cornish Detective series, which I’m having fun with, as I’m creating it in disconnected chunks. Keeping a series fresh is a challenge, so this unconventional way of forming a plot is preventing me from falling into old routines.

Perhaps fun is transitory, happiness short-lived while contentment is the ideal state. It’s no bad thing to amuse yourself. I favour situational humour. I wrote a chapter last week, in which my protagonist gets swept out to sea while attempting to improve his stamina after being injured. At the same time, two of his detectives are discussing their exercise regimes, praising their boss for being proactive with his wild swimming and looking fitter for it. It’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but as it made me smile, it may entertain the reader.

Are you having fun, yet?

How?

Attractive, Humour, Sexy, Writing

Are Writers Attractive?

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I came across an answer to a question in my Quora feed, which set me thinking. The supposition is that women find writers attractive, and, presumably vice-versa:

Why do women find writers attractive? – Quora

I don’t write to be fanciable:kiss-mark:, more because the stories are in me and insist on coming out. But, thinking of qualities shown by a potential mate, her being a writer would be desirable to me. At least I’d know something of why she was behaving in that strange way from my own experience!

Reading through Derreck Frost’s list, I realised that I’ve done several things that he claims make a writer attractive. I’ve dedicated books to female friends, based two recurring characters on close friends (with their permission) and talked about my writing in emails. This has resulted in useful feedback, so I knew I wasn’t waffling and boring them.

Margaret Atwood was dismissive of readers seeking out writers:

“Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pâté.”

Nevertheless, publishers choose the best-looking photograph of their author clients to adorn the book jacket…sometimes, these shots are twenty-years-old. Attractive people sell commercial products better than uglies.

We decided Writers Are Sexy! in an old thread, but are we more attractive than ‘normal’ people?

How irresistible do you feel?

Blogging, Self-Promotion, Social Media, Twitter

What’s your book called again?

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Self-promotion is essential for an author. Whether you’re fortunate enough to have the support of a book publisher or if you’re going it alone with self-publishing, the reading public wants access to you.

This means blogging, having a website devoted to your books, running a newsletter and making pithy posts on social media…all to get your name circulating and maybe sticking to the memory banks of potential readers.

Many writers are reclusive, shy even and not given to making a fuss. But, it helps to be able to blow your own trumpet when necessary, such as for a book launch. It may come across as arrogant, which we’ve discussed before, but unless you’re a household name such as J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood or E.L. James, it will only be a flash in the pan, a brief round of publicity before you can return to solitude to write your next book. All the same, you should maintain contact with your fans with a newsletter. You’re not a cicada emerging every 2-17 years!

These days we’re expected to establish ourselves and our books as a brand. Potentially, this means being typecast as a certain style of writer. Should my Cornish Detective series be successful, I doubt that my Ghost or Western stories would be automatically accepted. This is how pen names come about.

Ideally, readers would be able to name you as one their favourite genre or literary authors. But, how many times do they need to see your name and/or the name of your main character before they remember it? Having a catchphrase might help. Mine is: A country copper with a strange mind, a weary heart and quick fists—what could possibly go wrong?

Repetition is the key. If you can afford paid advertising, then great, but simply mentioning your story at appropriate moments should help to spread awareness. On my writing blog, I occasionally allude to my crime novels, not being too heavy-handed, just enough to show that I’ve got skin in the game.

It takes multiple exposures to a product before it registers in a consumer’s mind. The Rule of 7 applies. Anything you post online should be linked to other content. Make it a habit and it won’t feel boastful.

Rule of 7: How Social Media Crushes Old School Marketing | Kruse Control Inc

Dating from 1885, Thomas Smith’s list of 20 in this article is thought-provoking:

Say It Again: Messages Are More Effective When Repeated

So, don’t be shy about promoting yourself!

What have you tried?

What are you doing at the moment? Do you have a blog or a website?

You can’t hide behind your own book forever.

You have to make them have it!

What’s your book called again?

 

Anger, Hatred, Writing

I hate my novel!

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I’m not yet at a point where I hate my Cornish Detective series, but I’ve noticed a change in attitude to the stories. Starting out on Book 6, I’m still excited, loving how my thoughts are taken over by the plot and how my main character reacts. What I dislike about extending his character arc is caused by commercial considerations—will this be acceptable to readers? I’m bullheaded and outspoken at times but have moderated these traits to create what I hope will be popular stories. This means I’m starting to see Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kettle as a brand, making me feel trapped.

I’m fond of him, but I prefer other characters who appeared in short stories and novellas, such as Art Palmer, an American Civil War veteran travelling through the Deep South in the Reconstruction era. I’ll write his third story next spring.

I don’t hate my writing while in the process of creating an 80,000-word manuscript. If something doesn’t work, I don’t beat myself up, I change it. I’m less keen on the story when editing it, or perhaps less enamoured of myself when I see how many repetitions, excessive commas and typos I’ve included. :(

Querying literary agents is an exercise in being civil and enthusiastic while trying to describe my book as saleable. It’s not an enjoyable process being a supplicant, but I don’t doubt myself or hate my book.

It’s surprising how many famous novels were hated by their creators. Tolstoy with War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Peter Benchley with Jaws, Anthony Burgess with A Clockwork Orange and Annie Proulx with Brokeback Mountain. It’s not so much the story that they abhor, more how society reacted to it and how that affected their reputation as a writer. It’s a form of typecasting. Whatever genre J. K. Rowling may write in the future, she’ll remain famous for one character.

13 Writers Who Grew to Hate Their Own Books

How do you feel about your story?

Do you love it?

Feel ambivalent about it, as it’s impossible to be objective?

Wish you’d never started writing it, as it’s detestable, a pile of poo that won’t cooperate with your initial vision?

25 of Dorothy Parker’s Best Quotes

Anger, Memory

Write Angry!

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I recently wrote a chapter of my sixth Cornish Detective novel Kissing & Killing, in which my protagonist is swept away by a rip current while swimming in the sea trying to improve his stamina as he recuperates from being stabbed and losing a lot of blood.

He’s just returned to work, so is anxious to reassert his image as a commander and to take charge of his own life again after being dependent on others while hospitalised. Although Neil Kettle is a powerful wild swimmer, I’ve set him up for being dominated by the ocean, by having him acknowledge that “the sea is unopposably mighty” in the five preceding stories.

This fits with writing advice to place your main character in peril, not once but twice, just as it looks like they’ve survived. Having humility forced on him will be part of one of the themes of the story—loyalty to friends over principles and the rule of law—who do you trust with your life?

Writing this chapter was slightly disturbing to me, as I experienced such an incident when I lived in Portsmouth. Out for the day with my girlfriend and fellow college students on Eastney beach, I went for a swim alone. Fifty yards out in a flat sea, I was suddenly picked up by an invisible hand and moved at some speed westwards. I remembered advice not to panic when in a rip current, but to try swimming at 90 degrees to it to break free. I tried, but it didn’t work. I relaxed, watching the beach pass by. Thankfully, the current stayed parallel to the land, not carting me out into the Solent. As Southsea pier appeared, it released me. My muscles worked again! I swam to shore, then walked half-a-mile back to my friends…no one had missed me!

Being so powerless helped to inform my writing. I wrote humble.

I’ve written fight scenes while remembering angry thoughts I had when defending myself in muggings. I shed a few tears writing sad scenes summoning how I felt when a relationship ended. Writing funny is tough, but recalling amusing situations helps.

I gave up alcohol in 1996, but after being an alcoholic for twenty-seven years, I remember enough to write drunk.

How do you use memories to pen something that rings true?

Publishing

The Harsh Realities Of Publishing

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We’ve looked at the business of publishing in several old threads, including the success possible by self-publishing.

I came across this article today, written by an experienced literary agent and writer called Kate McKean, which helpfully sums up the details of being traditionally published:

An Agent Explains the Ins and Outs of Book Deals – Electric Literature

It’s kind of the opposite of a Get Rich Quick scheme, isn’t it? :rolleyes:

The slowness of the process reminded me of the Ents gathering in Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers: