A submission decision this morning (that’s evening for my business partner on the other side of the world) brought back to mind an experience last year. For a while I taught a creative writing class for a local historical project, but the course folded for lack of numbers.
One of the topics I chose for discussion was story construction, and how things have changed over the years. I read out the opening two paragraphs of To Kill a Mocking Bird and pointed out this material went on, with little change, and no action for several pages. I will very quickly add, this book is one of my all time favourites, and justly deserves its place in the pantheon of seminal twentieth century American literature, and I reread it every two or three years and still get a great deal of pleasure from it, finding new or forgotten details.
The question was – would this book still get published today if presented with this self same structure unchanged? Remember, this was from an untried author. The answer to that question is probably not. These days, the long leisurely scene setting introduction for a book is only going to work for established authors, those whose print runs can run into millions.
It never ceases to amaze me that would be authors respond to criticism of their opening sequences by saying things like “James Patterson gets away with so I can too” or “that’s how Catherine Cookson does it” or the even stranger one “I wrote it like Charlotte Bronte did in Jane Eyre”.
The simple fact is, the world of professional publishing is a nightmare for a new author. You have to get someone to read your book. When they’re very busy, it’ll get thrown on the slush pile and maybe picked up again at some point in the future. If you’re lucky someone might read the first couple of pages and make a decision. A FINAL DECISION based on the first two pages. So which way do you think the decision will go if you haven’t engaged the reader’s attention in those first two pages? In fact, in some of the bigger houses, they may only read the first two paragraphs.
If all you’ve done is describe your lead character, or the picturesque country house, or ranch, or spend those two pages over a lovingly crafted piece that sets the historical period – what are your chances?
Slim to none spring to mind.
Once you are well enough established to be a Patterson or a Cookson then you can do it. If you want to write like a Bronte for an exercise, or a discussion piece or for a group or magazine competition then fine. That’s perfectly acceptable, and often a worthwhile exercise in its own right.
If you want if professionally published – now that’s a different story.
I’m afraid you have to follow the rules and introduce some action into the story very quickly. By action, I don’t mean the bang of a gun or the shriek of a victim, the crash of a car or the boom of an explosion, or even the bodice ripping. Action is simply something happening, or more accurately, something interesting happening.
Howe hard can that be? ... LOL
A lot harder than one would think. No matter what kind of story or genre you're writing, the need is there to set the scene, to create the character that will drive the story. Some description can be woven into the action (even explosions) but that can get wordy and disrupt the pace. It takes practice. Lots and lots of practice.
ReplyDeleteOff to practice more, lol...
It's such a difficult balance, isn't it? Enough of everything - action, setting, characterization - and not too much of anything. Deborah's right, it takes lots and lots of practice, though I can't help wishing I could just get it right NOW!
ReplyDelete@Jennie thanks.
ReplyDelete@Deborah - in and amonst all the other topics - why not? Althoguh, perhaps, not in too structured a way. As long as nobody expects me to discuss the use (and abuse) of commas. LOL
Don't you think this need for action only applies to certain genres? In my opinion it would be a shame if writers like for example Tolstoi, or Dostojevski would be rejected only because their stories are slow, but beautiful, gloomy, depressing but great descriptions of old Russian society and people.
ReplyDeleteAs a publisher, you have the power - all you need is to stick the story in the right category, and it will find its readers. Look at Dan Brown - half of his story is boring, and I don't think he was that known before the Da Vinci Code - I may be wrong, but at least I hadn't heard of him before that best seller.
I've read Terry Goodking recently - he has about six or seven 700 page fantasy series - and most of the time he repeats himself, or the theme goes on for 400 pages, but it's still a good story.
Point I'm trying to make -your audience is varied, you can't expect every reader want the same, and as a small publisher, you have the choice to take on unusual works that will sometimes make it. J.K. Rowling is probably the best example in recent years. JMO though, you can all ignore me :)
Wouldn't ignore you Eeva.
ReplyDeleteThe problem for publishers is as it's always been - herd instinct. Everyone else does it so it must be right. Every author wants to be the next JKR too. Nothing wrong with ambition but my main point was that times have changed. Nowdays, shorter attention spans in readers mean you need action earlier than you used to.
I know this is a generalisation - but it's still true for the majority of books being published today.
Siren cry from many creative writing tutors remains "Narrative gets in the way of the story". I think I've heard that one twenty times - at least.
David, I would NEVER abuse you by asking you to explain the comma rules, LOL. That would just be cruel.
ReplyDelete