Be Nice!
Or be awful?
In discussions with other authors and listening to agents and publishers trying to pick the next breakthrough blockbuster novel it becomes ever more clear that no one really knows what makes for a bestseller. No one can confidently and consistently predict it in advance, nor explain it after the fact.
Everyone has an opinion and will reiterate without hesitation their version of the generally accepted wisdom from the gatekeepers – agents, editors, publishers, reviewers and booksellers – what’s trending now, what readers want, what they’re looking for, and what the bestselling authors do better than most. But there is no certainty. Not even for the third or the thirtieth novel from a bestselling author.
So readers and writers must make their own choices on what they want to read next or to write next. They should choose what they prefer. Not what they’re told they should read or what they’re told to write that should sell.
I’m reminded of the old story of the English teacher who said to her class, “There are two words you must never use in your writing. One is nice and the other is awful.” An eager student in the front row quickly raised his hand and said, “Tell us the awful one first!”
The lesson for writers is twofold. First choose your words carefully as they may be understood differently from what you intended. And secondly, be aware that people are attracted to awful before nice. Death and disaster – intended or avoided – will draw a larger audience, not only in the classic thriller, mystery and suspense novel, but also in tales of romance, fantasy, history, and science fiction.
Be a nice person, but don’t be a boring author!
If the story is horrifying, make it horrific to evoke the appropriate emotions. If it has a happy ending, give the reader an exciting roller-coaster ride before leaving them smiling at the end. Good writing in any genre or style should be entertaining and challenging for both the reader and the writer.
Do writers write with a purpose?
I’ve continued to ask the question and continue to learn that different writers have different answers. At the Montreal Mystery Festival last week, I had the opportunity to meet and hear from some of the featured guests like Kathy Reichs, Rick Mofina, Alex Finlay and others who have had long careers with dozens of international bestsellers and are multiple winners of highly regarded awards in crime fiction.
How do they stay motivated to keep writing? What is the purpose behind their work?
Nicole Blades: “I write to help me understand what makes us human … and share what I learn in my writing.”
Jinwoo Park: “For me it’s been therapy to sort out whether I’m Korean, American, or Korean-American.”
Chloé Archambault: “I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and now I have the satisfaction of actually having a published book.”
Alex Finlay: “First I check the requirements of my contract to remind myself when I have to deliver the next book and how much money I have to give back if I fail to deliver it on time. Then I remember that I also have three very expensive children to support.”
Rick Mofina: “I write crime fiction mostly to entertain readers and give them relief from their own difficult challenges. Also, perhaps, to arrive at the happy endings that didn’t always happen when I was a crime reporter. As a journalist I felt the responsibility then ‘to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable,’ by revealing the truth and not the fiction.’’
All interesting reflections to consider while enjoying the reading or writing of your next book. I look forward to hearing what you like and would recommend to other readers.
Best regards to all,
Del
