Hey Folks,
Another pretty good “Of Interest” section and a topic on one way to lose readers. Be careful out there.
Topic: One Way to Lose Readers
I wasted a lot of time today writing a lengthy topic (around 1500 words) that, in the end, seemed inane to me. So I trashed it.
The words weren’t “wasted” though because they brought me to this.
So I’ll just say a few quick things, because my main job is to tell stories, to entertain, and I want to get back to it.
My secondary job is to pass along what I know about writing, both techniques and (in this case) cautionary tales. But my job is not to tell you what to write.
In today’s news climate, I suppose it’s difficult for many to imagine that most people — regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, skin color and so on — are just good, run-of-the-mill, normal people trying to get by. But they are.
If you recognize that, you can stop reading now. If you don’t, this cautionary tale is for you.
Maybe those of us who have lived and worked in close proximity with people of various races, skin colors and so on have a head start on those who haven’t. I don’t know.
Most people (black, white, red, yellow, brown, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, native-born, naturalized, and legal and illegal immigrants and so on, ad nauseam) really do just want to get along with everybody regardless of human divisions.
These are the people who don’t make the evening news. They don’t feel downtrodden to any degree. Nor do they feel superior to any degree. Some are successful. Some are rich and some are poor. But they all have two things in common: They’re human beings and they’re just trying to live their lives.
Are there exceptions? Of course. As Robert E. Howard put into the mouth of his character, Conan the Barbarian, “There’s scum and scut in every folk and nation.”
You see them on the news almost every night. Well, subject to the prejudices and biases of the news director.
But back to the rank-and-file. Back to the vast majority of good people who are just living their lives. When they buy a book or a short story collection, they just want to be entertained. They don’t want the writer to “right social wrongs,” especially if that writer hasn’t shared directly in their experience.
So we come down to it:
1. Enter the writer whose sole purpose (or strong side purpose) is not to simply tell a good story, but to right what s/he perceives as social wrongs, especially those of which s/he has not personally been a victim.
That writer will lose readers. And s/he will lose as many (or more) from the group s/he’s trying to “defend” as from any other group.
2. Likewise, if a writer shows his or her blatant prejudices (including “reverse” prejudices) in social media, s/he will lose readers, or never gain them in the first place.
In my humble opinion, it’s better to remember your job is to entertain. Nothing more, nothing less.
Again, be careful out there. Or better yet, don’t be careful. Just tell the story your characters give you to tell.
***
From Kevin Tumlinson (a great thriller writer who also works for Draft2Digital,
If you’ll use this link BookHip.com/DBXDHP, you can download a free copy of “The Jani Sigil,” an original Dan Kotler archaeological thriller that isn’t available anywhere else in the world!
This is for folks on Kevin’s mailing list, so it might ask for your email address. I recommend it.
***
Rolled out at 2 this morning. Then I was sucked into wrestling with the beast above. Finally to the novel almost 4 hours later. Sigh.
After one session and about 1000 words to the house for breakfast etc. at 7.
Back to the novely, briefly, at 8.
A pretty good day today. I wrote, walked, and wrote some more.
Talk with you again tomorrow.
Of Interest
Some great comments on “How to Write Like I Do” at https://harveystanbrough.com/pro-writers/how-to-write-like-i-do/#comments.
See “The Teflon Hero” at http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-teflon-hero.html.
In an incredible coincidence, to me, via Linda Adams, see “The Evolution of Harry Bosch” at https://crimereads.com/the-evolution-of-harry-bosch/.
Also in the same vein, see Marilynn Byerly’s comment on the Kill Zone blog post from yesterday at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/01/these-are-a-few-of-my-favoritereally-weird-oddball-things.html#comment-66507.
See “Reading for Pleasure, This Writer’s Tool” at https://tonydwritespulp.com/2019/01/30/reading-for-pleasure-this-writers-tool/.
See “Q&A with William F. Wu” at https://fromearthtothestars.com/2019/01/30/qa-with-william-f-wu/#more-349.
See “Where Inspiration Comes From” at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/01/where-inspiration-comes-from.html. A rare post that has little to do with writing but you might find a gem or two.
Fiction Words: 4117
Nonfiction Words: 760 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 4877
Writing of Blackwell Ops: Charles Claymore Task (novel)
Day 10… 3860 words. Total words to date…… 29117
Day 11… 4218 words. Total words to date…… 33335
Day 12… 1660 words. Total words to date…… 34995
Day 13… 4117 words. Total words to date…… 39112
Total fiction words for the month……… 77089
Total fiction words for the year………… 77089
Total nonfiction words for the month… 24820
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 24820
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 101919
Calendar Year 2019 Novels to Date………………………… 1
Calenday Year 2019 Novellas to Date…………………… X
Calendar Year 2019 Short Stories to Date……… X
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 38
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 7
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………… 193
Short story collections…………………………………………………… 31
Yup. Some writers forget that when they get on the soapbox that the world is made of grays, not black and white. No one likes being lectured, especially not in fiction.
Thanks for commenting, Linda.