Monolithic – two of Webster’s definition are as follows:
A: constituting a massive undifferentiated and often rigid whole
B: exhibiting or characterized by often rigidly fixed uniformity….
Have we as writers become monolithic, or has the world come to expect us to be?
The reason I ponder this I guess is I have time on my hands (giggling)
I am on the hiatus I take whenever I finish a book. I take a couple weeks to chill…
Anyway…
Are we and should we be?
I read and hear all of this stuff about how all the books are the same…particularly in the AA arena….
Then I read or hear other stuff about how if you don’t do it a certain way, you won’t sell any books….you are told, no cliff-hangers, no this, no that, no the other…
Do those who are saying these things realize how contradictory they are?
If on the one hand you give them formula….then they want different….
Give them different….then they want formula….goodness…
So how do you give the people what they want?
Do you churn out what is already out there, just changing the name and locations…
Or do you go out on a limb and give them something different…
Make them think,
Laugh,
Cry,
Judge,
Get mad,
Remember what the hell you wrote and stay up at night thinking about it?
I have chosen to go with the latter, only because I don’t know any better…
It is a lonely business. It is a lot like hearing someone make a racist or misogynistic remark and while everyone is laughing, you say, ‘Please don’t do that in my presence.”
My mama taught me a long time ago that there are times when you have to stand alone, no matter what everyone else is doing, you must chart your own course.
When you do that as a writer, you have to be willing to accept going it alone, writing against the tide, having folks tell other folks not to read that because he or she didn’t do this or that….but…
When you are able to remain steadfast, with your eye on the prize, the rewards are amazing….
People will wait for the next book or the next message or the next whatever…
Because regardless to what they may tell us, we are not monolithic….we like all kinds of stuff…you heard it here first…
angelia
5 comments:
Great post! I'm of the mind that I can't please everyone, so I might as well please me. The thing is that part of your novel that a lot of people over here love may be the same thing that makes a lot of folks over there cringe. It is because we are monolithic that we can have such a wide array of reader responses. So, I just write the kind of stories I would love to read and keep it moving... I'm glad you do the same... :-)
Gwyneth
Amen, my sister...
blessings...
angelia
If you or any other good author was to write just to please the masses, you would produce a hot mess.
Like Gwyneth said you cannot please everyone so try pleasing the one who gets the most joy and comfort out of doing what you do...that would be you and of course me(LOL). I love the difference that you provide to the literary world. Can I say that I would have picked up your book off the shelf not knowing who you are? Yes! Why? Because I have come to realize that the books that most rave about, were truly not for my liking. I have to choose things that I have not seen broadcast all over to have my reading satisfied. Not say that the things that are are always not what I would read but more times than not I have to say I will pass on this.
Write the way you like and make yourself happy first. Because if you are not happy with what you produce, the readers will notice it.
love and respect
JC
Oops... I had a typo... I meant it is because we are not monolithic... LOL...
JC,
you are absolutely right...I am glad you enjoy the differences...
Gwyneth,
I knew that
smooches...
angelia
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