The Secret to Good Writing
The other day I came across a discussion in a writer’s forum I used to frequent. The thread was about Flash Fiction and so I jumped in and posted my two bits. I said that I don’t believe pieces should be squashed into the 1000 word limit to qualify as flash when they are clearly fragments meant to be longer pieces.
Someone responded to me in such a ridiculous manner that I had to take note and share with you. This person stated that maybe I didn’t have a true appreciation for the flash fiction form and that -
reading flash seems still to be–well, an art
Let me share something with all of you now that might not make me very popular.
There is a lot of bad writing out there.
People shouldn’t need to be artists to appreciate your writing and if you’re fooling yourself into thinking people don’t ‘get‘ your stuff because they aren’t smart enough – you might be a perpetrator of horrid prose.
This can carry over into any medium as well, so, if you aren’t a writer – think about how this can translate into your art form.
Good writers can put their own agendas aside and write true to their characters. They can put their inhibitions in a can, screw on the lid and just get on with the story. If you sit down and think I’m going to write a piece that showcases my IQ and everyone will think I’m a genius - stop and spare us the pain. Really.
It’s like going to a party and getting stuck talking to the one person in the room who thinks they know all there is to know about local politics. Somehow they believe that sharing this knowledge with you is the only way you will appreciate their obvious intelligence. Before you know it you’re breaking out the secret signals to your spouse. You know, that little ear pull that means “Save Me!”
Want to know the secret to good writing?
Well here you go: It’s not all about you!
I know you’ve heard me say in the past that I write for selfish reasons, that I write for myself. This is true – but I was speaking more about the act of writing than the final product. The final product is not for me at all.
When you sit down to write, the product is for your audience of readers. If you plan on being the only one to ever lay eyes on the work then fine, do whatever you want. But if you’re planning to share that work with anyone else it’s time to cut out the delusional self indulgent bullshiat and think about your characters, your story, and ultimately your reader.
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I agree. Writing is a form of communication. If no one “gets it” you have failed as a writer.
I agree that even if you write for yourself, if you’re going to make it public, you need to present it for others in a way they can relate to. If you aren’t willing to do that, then, well, maybe it should stay in the pages of your journal. Great post!
brava brava brava!
SO true. And can I add that
1) People writing “Literary Fiction” are NOT smarter than those of us who are writing for a … shall we say … “larger audience”?
2) Okay. I did a critique exchange with a woman last week. Her time period is 18th Century, in England. You know. Proper salon style and women in stays, etc. In the opening of her story she used a word that I’m vaguely familiar with – “my wife’s confinement”. I wrote back that I wasn’t sure why the woman was being confined, and she said that it was obvious. It is “well known” that it means she is pregnant. Truly? Because I thought confined was someone that was trapped in a small area or something. Anyway, the point is the same as yours in a way. Make it a word that those who are NOT “in the know” (like me, apparently) understand. Or don’t bother submitting.
My time period is also 18th Century, but my lads are Scottish rough’n'tumble Highlanders. She offered to help me in making my boys truly 18th Century. As if I hadn’t researched it already. So I suggested that maybe we weren’t compatible as critique partners …
Love that blog, Heather. Write On!
Great post Heather, I don’t think these thoughts will make you unpopular, quite the opposite actually.
Genevieve I have heard/read that expression and knew what it means, however, I would agree with you that in general it would be an unfamiliar expression, you’d only be able to understand it by looking for context cues really, and I personally hate it was writer’s throw in obscure terms that force you to get a dictionary or guess based on the context.
Good heavens, if only artists could understand literature, where on earth would any of us be?
I think that’s a big part of the challenge, to make your reader see, feel and taste the story. If the writer does not succeed in doing that, it’s certainly not the reader’s fault.
I don’t care for show offy writing either. Who really cares what the writer is like or his societal rank? I just want to read, see, feel and taste the story, thanks.
I couldn’t agree more! When I was in University in a creative writing program, we had a few writers like this. My friend and I dubbed them “the arteestes.” They think very highly of themselves and their “art,” but very little of anyone else, or theirs. Often they are more about being different rather than actually getting a message across.
Case in point: one girl, wrote an entire short story and then *intentionally* randomly mixed up the paragraphs! It was so confusing that her message was competely lost.
What happened to the good old-fashioned short story with a beginning, middle and end? I don’t see too many of those.
I always found my self very hard to transform anything in my head into good writing. I need more practice to be a good writer. “It’s not all about you!” indeed really inspiring me on how to make a good writing.