Blogmeister Note
In order to increase traffic, I am consolidating this blog with selections from the OWN Writers Blog, which will be closing soon. I didn't want to lose some of the great contributions there, so I'm moving them here, one at a time, in the form of guest contributions. Today's guest is Louisa Swann, author of a number of Star Trek stories.
Installment #1: Vasectomies and Other Life Rolls
by Louisa Swann
Got you hooked? Good. I decided to go balls out on this little blog post and dive headlong into an issue that’s haunting me right now: reader expectations versus author expectations.
Sometimes reader and author are on the same wave length. Sometimes not. Take the title of this piece. I’ll bet “reader expectations” didn’t come to mind when you read “Vasectomies and Other Life Rolls.” I’m guessing you expected to read something more challenging, like how I tried to convince a local surgeon I needed a radical vasectomy. You see, I’m afraid of impregnating my words with meaning. Might as well cut those squirmy little metaphors off at the source, right? That way words are just words, no innuendos or implications or undertones of darkness. Just plain old straight talk. That way no one can claim any misunderstandings. Especially my husband. But the doc just didn’t get it. Told me only guys could have vasectomies, of all things. Talk about prejudice.
Even if you weren’t interested in my V-trials, you probably expected to learn more about how life’s been treating me, and maybe, how that treatment affects my writing. If so, you’re going to be disappointed. Wait! Don’t go away. I know I’ve shattered your reader expectations, but I did so with an ulterior motive, well, several, all of which are loaded with innuendos, laced with implications, and heavy with undertones of darkness. Sorry, I tried. Blame it on the recalcitrant surgeon.
Ulterior Motive #1:
To prove that titles are important enough to spend months...um, days....no, hours... heck, maybe five minutes thinking about. Titles should be catchy, appropriate to the story, and definitely appropriate to the genre.
Should be obvious, right? But what’s obvious to the reader often isn’t so obvious to the writer.
This particular little bit of writerly wisdom comes after shooting myself in the proverbial foot several times. For example, some of you will remember PIGGY PIGGY BLING BLING. Cool title, or so I’ve been told. Catchy, memorable. Just the sort of story that should start with a down and dirty scene – like sacrificing lizards, right? I thought so. Or rather I was thinking about starting the story with a crime, thriller-style, to show just how nasty the bad guys were – in a humorous way. That was my author expectation. My readers, however, had a much different expectation based mainly on the title. Something a bit more light and blingy. That opening scene definitely got reactions: a faster-than-the-speed-of-light rejection from an editor who’d been interested enough to ask for the first fifty pages and lots of “Ew’s!!!” from my critiquers.
NOW I’m probably oversensitive about choosing a title, subjecting each and every nominee to intense scrutiny. Which, of course, slows down the whole writing process because I can’t – I just CAN’T – start writing without the proper title, right? Huh. Sounds like a good reason to procrastinate. Especially since the title I give this little gem before I start to write a single word has to be the bestest in the whole wide world because it will never be changed. NOT!!!
New Year’s Resolution #1:
Don’t sweat the title stuff until the manuscript is finished, do review for appropriateness to story and genre, do listen to reader response and don’t hesitate to change the title as needed.
Ulterior Motive #2:
To get you hooked enough to read past Ulterior Motive #1 so I could introduce another Reader v. Author issue: being consistent to the genre. Recently, I inadvertently (it’s a whole ‘nother ball game if the writer does this particular “oopsie” on purpose) started a novel off as one thing and finished it as another. Mystery opening, thriller ending. And who knows what in between! I had no clue I was pulling the big switcharoo. But my faithful first readers gently whapped me with a steel beam and got me headed down the proper road.
New Year’s Resolution #2:
Decide what you’re writing (genre) before giving manuscript to first readers (yes – it’s a mystery AND a thriller. Surprise!!!!) Better yet (big lightbulb switches on) – make sure I stay consistent to the intended genre.
Wow. What a revelation!! Now if I could only get rid of this headache.
Ulterior Motive #3:
To lead you (the reader) down the path to my (the author’s) enlightenment as I struggle to put an end to the steel-beam-to-the-head method of turning “information” into “knowledge.” Let’s take the above issue: Why the evolution from mystery to thriller? No big surprise here. I deal with this particular canker sore on a consistent basis. It’s called “vacillation.” Seems my mind doesn’t like to make firm decisions, so it kind of wavers back and forth between genres, ideas, names – you get the point. That’s why I needed the surgery. Yeah, I know. I mentioned something about innuendos before, thus setting up another reader expectation. See why I need help? Something that will remove this tendency to vacillate? In other words, a vacillectomy. Wait a minute. Vacillectomy... vasectomy.... Oh, my gosh! You probably thought...
New Year’s Resolution #3:
Watch those word choices. The reader can’t know what’s going on in the author’s mind, only what’s written on the page. (Note to self: get yearly Dictionary Procrastination Bug inoculation shot available wherever fine words are sold.)
Hmm - appropriate titles, know your genre and stay true to it, excise vacillation from your life, and word choice. Looks like I’m all out of motivation, for now anyway. All that’s left is to summarize the above in a banner I can put over my computer along with my automated “Hit The Idiot In The Head” monkey (comes complete with monkey laugh and mini-baseball bat which is definitely better than a steel beam. Trust me.)
Here you go – a computer banner blurb composed just for this blog post:
Thou shalt not eat chocolate while standing on your head in the pouring rain.
What? You expected something different?
1 comments:
It's scary. I've known people like Louisa, and I can relate to them - that's eerie, isn't it?
Right now, and for the past many months, I've been working on (watching the emergence of) a novel which started as a bunch of reminisces of my home town, but has emerged as an adventure tale, with the usual sex and violence that sells books.
So I get it, whatever "it" is.
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