L. writes and I’m paraphrasing because the email is on a longer side,
“I was accepted into a prestigious MFA program. I excelled and my professors praised me for my writing. I’ve been trying for two years to break into publication and I can’t.”
Books are like sieves of different sizes. Each catches a specific kind of audience. Some catch many. Some catch few. We, as writers, have two forces influencing our fiction: ourselves and our audience. The ratio of these two forces is different for every author. Some write only to please themselves, others write only to please their audience, but most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
At a university level, you are an academic and your audience consists of other academics, such as your fellow students and instructors, who analyze fiction five days a week, eight hours a day. This is a very specific and pushy, opinionated audience. Sometimes, even in the best MFA programs, that audience exerts too much influence. To put it bluntly, they’ve seen it all before and they are bored. They’re looking for innovation and for layering of concepts, so they will push your writing in those specific directions. They want a writer to stretch, both intellectually and in terms of their craft. They often look for subtlety and elegance. As Heller said, many of them know “everything about literature except how to enjoy it,” because they’re doing it for a living. Some of them will sit and read the book purely for language.
This isn’t a dig against academics or MFA students; it’s reality. When you work with fiction for a living, you reach a point where your internal editor is on all the time. It’s very rare for me to find a book I can sink into and I’m not alone in this. Ask any working writer. The majority will say that they read less now than they did before they were published.
Commercial fiction is fundamentally different. You’re not writing for select few with advanced degrees. You’re trying to cast your net as wide as you can. With that in mind, there are several principles that are true for any commercial writing, no matter the genre.
Accessibility
Your audience possesses an almost unlimited capacity to learn, but it helps to start the book as if they know almost nothing. In reality, of course the audience has a basic level of general education. But they might not know much about 12th century France, for example. The more specific is your genre or subject, the more you have to explain. Think of it as a threshold, a step up the reader has to make to enter the novel. For example, when I first tried regency romance, I hit a vocabulary wall. What are hacks? What are cravats? How about hostler? Is that some historical version of hustler? How long is furlong, and why, in the name of all that’s holy, would anyone use fur as a unit of measurement? (It actually comes from furrow long.) Coming from another language, I had no coping skills. That was quite a threshold.
Keep in mind your audience. Make that threshold as minimal as you can. A person of average intelligence should be able to pick up the book and start reading without being immediately confused. If you start your fantasy novel with “G’durie Markor, the Grand Ferkor of Korwus, stood at the window watching his manchaks clash, their sharp orkies striking viciously…” you’re not adding flavor to your novel. You’re ensuring that nobody will read it. Clear communication is essential for commercial writing. You can teach your audience what all those terms mean in the course of the narrative, if it’s absolutely necessary, and by the middle of the book that phrase could make perfect sense, but at the start of the novel it will ensure that the book will fade into obscurity.
High Emotional Stakes.
This one is simple. We read for a emotion. Make the stakes high. Make sure your characters are put through the emotion wringer. But above all make your characters relatable, otherwise the readers won’t engage. Note, I didn’t say likeable. I said relatable. Find some common ground between the character and the reader. The easiest example is in the Insidious, which is a movie but will work for our purposes. The main character, Renai, is a mother trying to juggle getting every ready for school and work.
RENAI
Billing department.
Her son FOSTER (6), tugs on her leg, holding a box of cereal.
FOSTER
I need a bowl, mom.
Renai rips open a box, rifling through newspaper, phone
wedged against her shoulder. She holds out a cup, flustered.
RENAI
Billing department.
FOSTER
It’s too small.
RENAI
Make it work.
(INTO PHONE)
Speak to an agent. Speak to an
agent. Speak to an agent.
I immediately identified with her, because I am that mother, who is trying to do all these things while yelling, “Associate! Human. HUMAN” into the phone. Sherlock Holmes is fascinating, but he desperately needs Watson to make him at all relatable, otherwise we wouldn’t understand most of what his superhuman brain is doing and get bored.
Now that you made your character relatable, do horrible things unto them so your audience becomes really upset and wants to find out how they are going to get out of that predicament.
Movement.
A commercial narrative moves, and if the writer has done their job right, accelerates toward the end. Disaster strikes again and again. If you’re reading a mystery with people trapped in a Scottish castle while the storm is raging outside, the moment they think they are safe, a corpse falls from the ceiling. If this is a fairy tale, the carriage turns into a pumpkin. If this is a SF, the alien fleet arrives. The narrative moves forward. It’s not relentless – the reader must be given an opportunity to breathe a little between each disaster, but they do have to keep coming. Keep your antagonists proactive. They shouldn’t sit on their hands.
But this all sounds like I should dumb my writing down…
No, all those are tools at a writer’s disposal. What you do with them is up to you. You can still be brilliant and innovative. Look at MARTIAN. The amount of science in that book is staggering, but it is so much fun to read. 🙂
Another resource for writers is Magical Words. http://www.magicalwords.net/ Lots of sound advice from many published writers. Covers many aspects of the profession. Publishing, promoting, plot, how to build tension between characters. Well worth taking the time to explore in detail.
Sigh. It is hard when your passion becomes your job. The enjoyment definitely changes. As a librarian, I hardly read anything from beginning to end (except your books 🙂 ) but I skim a ton of stuff so I can be aware and recommend lots of books.
It never ceases to amaze me the things that catch readers. Reminds me of “Bellwether” by Connie Willis. The novel revolves around how fads are created. Fun book.
I ran into that book through a CBC dramatization and then had to search for the book. I agree it was interesting.
Thank you for this. I’m a genre fiction editor, and in theory, I know all of this stuff. But when I sit down to write fantasy, I still get caught by that literary, academic voice in my head. It lectures that my language isn’t beautiful, my ideas are unoriginal, my story lacks depth, and I should be using symbolism and metaphor and making poetry on the page. And then none of my words seem good enough, and my daily word count shrivels.
It’s good to remember that most readers want a gripping story that they understand and relate to. Accessible language, relatable characters, high emotional stakes, and movement–those are challenge enough for a first draft without adding poetry into the mix.
Cool info! I’m not a writer in anyway shape or form but It’s interesting to see how academia works vs reality! Somewhat similar to begin a musician vs a rock or pop star I guess. I have a friend who is a conductor who went to a prominent music college with a bunch of people who wanted to be being rock stars. I totally didn’t understand how a college education was going to help that dream but I guess it could at least provide a base.
Also, as a reader of your books and many others it really surprised me that authors have a hard time reading other books. Totally makes sense but had never thought about it. Thanks!
I commend anyone who writes for a living. I couldn’t do it. There is too much pressure from all sides.
Thank you so much for these writing articles. I know you have been overwhelmed by all the required editing, so if you ever have time to explain to us non writers all about the editing process that would be much appreciated as well.
Even though I’m not interested in writing fiction, the article flowed and imparted useful knowledge to me. Nice example.
And this is probably why I’ve loved every author that you’ve recommended – the sheer thought that you’ve put into what you do.
Thank you for letting us peek behind the curtain a bit.
“Now that you made your character relatable, do horrible things unto them so your audience becomes really upset and wants to find out how they are going to get out of that predicament.”
This part made me giggle.
That was very interesting and sensible advice which resonated with me. I started a new SFF book this morning and was 50/50 over whether or not to continue it because of all the odd names, complicated religious beliefs, amount of characters, etc. Your post decided me that at 500 pages it will be just too much work to keep it all straight. I don’t like to work that hard when I’m reading, so it is going back to the library where I will pick up my holds all of which should be much easier reading and are authors I really like. Thanks!
You know, the listed reasons you gave for putting that book down are reasons why I would probably like that book.
Could you be kind enough to please give me the author and title of this work if you still remember it???
Thank you, it would be much appreciated.
The author is Ryk E. Spoor. The book title is “Phoenix Ascendant” of the “Balanced Sword” series. I did not know it was the third book of a series. I really liked his “Boundary” series and have read them a couple of times so thought I’d try the new book. I hope you enjoy the books, always great to find another author to enjoy!
It’s amazing though what hits and what doesn’t, and with whom. And even with the same reader.
Your generosity in helping out and mentoring other writers is amazing — especially because you’re not busy enough as it is!!! Of course, it could also result, ultimately, in another great author to read *wink*.
You realize I have to go read “Martian” now, right?
Thanks. i always love reading insights into the business of writing (and selling).
Thank you for explaining the process well enough that makes it comprehensible to most of us. You know our buttons so well. It is mesmerizing to watch how well you work your literary artcraft.
thank you for your explanation.
I also wanted to thank you for recomending the book “linesman” by s.k. Dunstall a few month past. I bought it then, but only came to read it now. I really liked it and i would never have pickend it up if you had not recomended it.
i was wondering if you read the Second Book “Alliance” too and if its as good als the First one.
Thank you very much for all you do for uns readers
I liked it enough to preorder the third one.
I read everything thing available and liked it enough to preorder the next as well.
Absolutely fascinating. I wish I’d had you for creative writing in college. Might have actually learned something.
I can relate to L and trying to break into the publishing world. I would get people interested in my non-fiction meditation book and they’d do all sorts of prep but never follow through with a contract. I had my romance novel rejected so many times, I thought it would never see the light of day.
Finally I took the plunge and self-published. It was terrifying until I did it. Now I have a number of products out there. I agree with all the things you said but in the publishing world at some point you just have to jump into the deep end of the pool and go for it.
You nailed it, Ilona. Great insight, terrific (and true) points, clear and concise. Such great advice for fiction writers aiming to be published.
I have no plans to become a writer, but am nevertheless totally fascinated by your posts on writing/publishing. Maybe it’s a bit like peeking behind the curtain. Thanks for sharing with us.
And, yes, The Martian was totally riveting, tense, funny, and awesome.
Love this informative blog about relatable characters no matter if they are the hero or antagonist. For example I experienced poignant emotions with the book Run with the Horseman and laughed my head off with some of the things Porter did especially when he was plowing their field with a temperamental horse. I cried my eyes out at the end of the book Clan of the Cave Bear because Ayla was forced to leave her son and was so mad at Broud…and my sister for recommending the book cause I could not stop crying. Then I loved “feeling” Michelangelo’s frustration on not being able to devote his passion to sculpting cause the Pope made him paint things like… the Sistine Chapel in the book the Agony and the Ecstasy. Lastly, I loved the mood and the mood change of the book the Three Musketeers and their overall commitment to one another. When I read your series, I thoroughly enjoy the journey, the emotions, all of the characters, and what transpires in your books. Each series is very unique and a pleasure to enjoy, so thank you and Gordon for your dedication to your craft as I know its hard sometimes. Whenever you need a break take as long as you need to enjoy your family and relax.Cheers!
I kind of feel sad about you not being able to enjoy reading as a writer.
Seems like a high price to pay for doing something you love but I assume you end up doing the break down of how it is done while reading or how you would write a scene.
I remember working in a fast food type job in my youth and how much I hated the food after awhile… you couldn’t get away from it and it was no longer enjoyable to eat.
Thank you for the insight and for sharing your knowledge with aspiring writers.