D, for her part, when I've actually written something, is usually also willing to edit what I've written, when I actually sit down to write something other than this blog. As much as I may hate some of the comments she makes about my work, because I'm very rigid about certain things (Really? Is everyone surprised?) I can at least accept that the points she makes are in many ways valid. I don't let her muck with the sentence structure or grammar because this only causes conflict (Have I mentioned I'm very particular?) which is best avoided, but I'm very careful to listen when she tells me something just doesn't make sense.
The reason for this is that when I write fiction, I write sci-fi or fantasy, and she reads neither, at least in the sense that she has no particular dedication to either genre.
That may sound counter-intuitive, but let me explain. When I read D's essays, I have absolutely no bias. I have no idea if the content is correct or not, or if her quotations are accurate, or if the terminology she is using is appropriate to the course work or not. Half the time I have no idea what she is actually trying to say. However, given that I have no preconceptions one way or the other regarding the subject matter, I am extremely capable of editing for structure, removing awkward statements, fixing spelling, and improving the clarity and concision (If that's not a word I'm coining it RIGHT NOW) of her work. I have no problem telling her if what she has written flat out says the opposite of what she intends.
The same is not true of when I try and edit her science fiction. I have too many biases, too many notions of what science fiction should be and how it should be structured. When I sit down to try and edit any science fiction she writes I am far too invested in what I want the story to focus on (or how I would write it if I were her) to really pay attention to what she wants the story to be about. All I read is science fiction, all I write is science fiction, and when her story does not fit easily into a thematic niche I can identify with all I want to do is rebuild it from the ground up so that it does.
When it comes to D reading my work, one would think the fact that she occasionally writes science fiction would hamper her with the same biases I find so restrictive. Such is not the case. When D approaches any piece of writing it is not with a bias towards genre, but with the intent of pursuing a particular core concept. If that core concept works best written as science fiction, then she will write it as science fiction, but for no reason other than to give the idea its best chance to succeed. If the same idea would work better as a romance novel, then that's what she will write. She is absolutely unbiased when it comes to any particular genre, possibly as a result of being so much more broadly read than I am. Because of this when she reads my work, it is with an objective eye, and her only concern is whether or not what I've produced comes across as logically consistent to someone who otherwise couldn't care about science fiction.
Orscon Scott Card, one of my favourite authors, wrote in either "Characters and Viewpoint" or "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" (It's been so long I forget which, and it could be both) about the need for any author, published or not, to have an "educated reader". Essentially this is someone who can read your work and tell you when it's done. He goes into great depth about what he means by this, and I'll leave it to you to check out those books for the specifics, but this boils down to an understanding that we are all too attached to our own work to know whether or not what we have created is of interest to others, or only to ourselves, and whether or not what we have produced actually says what we intend.
But I think there's more to this. I think that any writer needs an unbiased reader, someone who can tell them from the perspective of someone who has for all intents and purposes never picked up a book in the genre they're writing whether or not what they have created is enjoyable, consistent, and understandable. However, this individual must also be someone who can read for effect, who has a good enough grasp of literary structure or even just good old fashioned storytelling to know when you've made a mistake, or when you've written something so full of jargon that most of your audience will be alienated. For an established author this person may be the editor assigned them by their publisher, but if you're trying to sell yourself as an author for the first time it's going to have to be a friend or family member, someone who is willing and able to plod through your creation with a dispassionate eye and tell you when it's time to kill your babies (If you think that term is literal, you're on the wrong blog).
For me, that's D. Most of the time I can be that for her as well, as she only occasionally writes science fiction, and the rest of the time I can be as unbiased a reader as she is for me. But not everyone is as lucky as I am. Most writers looking for such a person are going to have to look in unusual places, and probably ask a few friends for their opinions and find someone with just the right level of detachment and critical commentary. An unbiased reader who just says "I don't get it." or "That was really good." isn't helpful (but the latter is quite flattering). You need someone who can put into words what they did or did not like, and why, and then you need to chain that person to your writing desk and never let them escape.
For someone who writes historical fiction, this could be as easily a friend who reads only scientific journals as it could be someone who is heavily invested in the Twilight series of novels. For someone trying to write romance novels you could find your unbiased reader in your uncle, who only reads the obituaries, or your nephew who has just started reading Terry Brooks. There's no way to predict what person will be the best fit to act as your unbiased reader, so if you haven't already found someone, try everyone. Give the first couple of chapters of your story to all of your friends. The person who comes back to you with the most critically constructive comments who obviously couldn't give two shits about the genre you're working in is the person you want to stick with. That's the person who will make you work for it, who will make you try time and time to please them, and who will challenge you to produce something that not only interests your target demographic but everyone else as well.
I don't know that I have any other commentary other than I am glad I have such a person in D. She challenges me to be a better writer, to re-evaluate my own preconceptions, and to write for an audience other than myself. She makes me work for every compliment, and in so doing makes each compliment worth that much more. It's not easy to sell her on an idea, but if I can hook her with a concept, I know I can hook anyone. And that's what tells me I'm on the right track.
1 comment:
You two are very lucky to have each other to be 'that person' for you. Still searching. And still experimenting with writing fiction- not as easy as one might think.
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