How do we decide a story is ready for publication? If we proofread, edit, and tinker with the story, deciding it reads smoothly and makes enough sense to be read by others, is that enough? NO? Apparently not. I have difficulty with this. I wrote a story this week, ‘Writing For Carol,’ about someone who writes for the image of a random girl on the internet, basing the story’s content on what he imagines this girl would like judging from her photo. Then he encounters this girl on the subway and his story takes an entirely different shape as he stalks her to glean more information about his potential audience.
I contrived an ending where the piece of writing the narrator submits for Carol’s edification is not a story obsessively tailored to her reading requirements, but an honest account of the narrator’s devious acts, plus an apology and entreaty. I felt this represented an emotional breakthrough for the character, who had been an unreliable narrator up until this point, and conveyed a general truth about writing ‘for’ a particular group of people—writing needn’t be contrived for an audience, it should simply be as honest and direct as the author can be, with no pretence or deception. All good.
But is it enough? If I write a story over several days, is that enough time? I suppose the most important questions are what does this story achieve? what does this story do that is unique? do I achieve the aims I have for the piece? So can I answer all these questions? Well, I wanted to explore the reader-writer contract on a micro-level, the mania that comes from thinking about the eyes that might scan our words and seeking to please the owners of those eyes. If we could view our audience like musicians, would that make writing easier? Would we riff out metaphors and do long descriptive solos like Clapton twiddling on his Stratocaster? Throw in a moving description of a beautiful creature to attract the women?
And build a story into this. I am happy with the story, but I have no idea what is “good enough” these days. Anyway, there I am, posing with a nut. Life is good.
I think this is an ongoing dilemma: how much we want to please our potential audience and how much we want to write what we actually want to write, (within an ever more loosely defined set of guidelines on what constitutes a certain form of writing). It's a hard one. I think author integrity is important. I see a parallel here: you could argue that it's the same with personality - how much we adapt ourselves to what others would like to see in us. Is being popular more important than being true to who we are? But I digress.... As for whether or not several days is long enough to write a story, I would say it was providing this allows time for more than one draft and a break at some stage in order to see it more objectively.
ReplyDeleteGood points. I've been "speed-writing" several stories over the last fortnight to see if I can perform to the usual standard with unrealistic time constraints. Some stories come out basically fine, but this question of "is it good enough?" is always on my mind. But stories are stories. Unless they're particularly personal to you, plenty are disposable.
DeleteI like the story of your story.... and I think a good story can be written in a few days (or a day) but should probably have a wait of a few more days and a re-go-over after that... read something in between. Because any revisions need a little distance.
ReplyDeleteThat's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Hello Hart! Haven't seen you since 1967. I often leave my stories for a while, read them through, then end up only changing a comma. This is either because I'm certain they're great or I had no idea what they were about in the first place and still don't.
DeleteAnd why haven't I read this story? Argh.
ReplyDeleteI like that you have said, "be as direct as the author can be, with no pretence or deception." You should be this author, and can be. I love when I read a story like you have described and it is an art indeed. You are on to something about being direct. They used to tell us at dance parties to "dance like no one else is watching". Write and your audience will find YOU. Oh, and only Chris can write beautifully in a couple of days!
ReplyDelete