Your writing: the real vs imaginary world

[moderntimes]

In a fairly lengthy and very interesting thread, the "greatest writing fear" is discussed. I've seen a trend in much of the postings and I'd like to comment on this general theme that seems to be prevalent among new writers.

Many here seem to be so reluctant to share their writing because they fear it won't be accepted or they'll be severely criticized because the writing isn't "good" enough, feelings like that. But no specifics either, just a general fear of "exposure" to summarize.

Part of this is, I think, due to the conflict that we all have with the real versus the imaginary world. Let me explain...

The imaginary world is the one that we create in our writing. Many here seem to be writing fantasy which of course increases this imaginary environment. For me, although I've written some supernatural horror stories, my principal writing is a series of modern American private detective novels. My particular story type is very realistic, my private eye is as close to a real private detective that I can manage, not any James Bond-ish at all. So my writing, even though it's fiction, is very realistic, as opposed to fantasy.

Nevertheless, my stories are totally made up and there's very little reality in my fiction, even though I put real places in my Houston-based novels.

Anyway... the idea is this... I write fiction so it's imaginary. But, and this is important, I write my novels for the reason that yes, I love to write, but I also write to sell my stuff. Luckily I recently contracted with a non-vanity publisher who will soon publish all 3 of my private detective novels in both paperback and e-book.

My point is this: We write because we love to write, true. But we also write so that we can share what we create with others in the "real world". Now if you're writing a diary or chapbook, that's different. That sort of writing is for personal reflections and should be kept private, maybe to share only with a close friend. But the vast majority of your writing is meant for people to read. And this means publishing. Now you might self-publish or you might, as I do, market your stuff to a paying publisher. Either way, it's there for others to read.

And this "fear" or reticence about having your writing "out there" is substantive for many here.

What is important is this: Your imaginary fictional world is also "real" -- remember that your fevered brain is real, your thoughts are real -- electronic pulses -- and your writing goes onto a physical place, whether a pen & paper or a computer. It's all "real" regardless. You're in that real world from the very start. Sorry.

My objective is this -- to persuade newbie writers to not be fearful and to try to shed this sort of fear and go forward with your talents. You are ALREADY in the "real" world and there you will stay. The fictional world that you create is also real, as real as the table you sit at. It's an illusion that the fictional environment is not a real thing. Yes it comes from your brain but it's as real as your eyes or ears.

Let me encourage others here, those whose reluctance has hampered them, to do this: get out there!

By this, I mean the following... Learn and hone your talents, improve your craft. Those are of course essential. Very few people are prodigies at writing. All famous writers learned how to write and worked hard to improve their skills. Most famous writers had boxes full of total junk that they wrote before they learned their trade.

And the word "trade" is accurate here. Writing is a trade just like woodworking or painting houses. And nobody picks up a paintbrush and can paint a house "naturally" -- someone shows them.

Likewise, you must be "shown how" by your peers. I mean, those other writers whom you admire or whose works are within the same genre as yours. I write mostly mystery fiction. And so I read a LOT of mysteries. I review mysteries for a website and so I've always got my nose in a new thriller. I love these stories which is exactly why I chose to write them. But I have learned my trade by reading many, many books by famous and less-famous mystery authors, and I've "taken notes in class" by realizing how good writers control their pacing and rhythm, how they evoke an emotion by use of certain words and sentence structure, how they make characters seem believable by having that character speak realistic and interesting dialogue, and so on. All the tricks of the trade. Then I've applied them to my own writing and have tried not to copycat, but to emulate the better concepts.

I've said this before -- when I first started writing conversations, I treated my characters like marionettes, and "made" them say things. And the results were a wooden as a puppet. Later, I did this: I "created" a character and put that character into a situation, then just stood back and took dictation. I let the characters speak for themselves, as real people, and the results were amazing by comparison. Of course this is just a mind trick that I play, since everything comes from my one brain. But this trick succeeded.

So yeah, I have improved my writing. And now I've actually sold my novels in a real-world environment, a paying publisher.

My point is this: Your writing is imaginary, yes. But it's meant for the real world. Whether you self publish or submit to conventional publishers as I do, you must quit the closed-minded self-imposed boundary of the imaginary and place your writing into the real world. I also encourage newbie writers to work very hard at conventional submissions to agents or publishers. It's hard to do and you certainly will get lots of rejections -- I've got an entire disc file of TBNTs (thanks but no thanks) from agencies and publishers. ALL writers get rejected. But then you get a small buy from a small magazine, paying you maybe 20 bucks for that short story. Relish in this! Print out or copy that payment voucher and stick in above your desk! Then keep plugging away.

Realize this: Although your writing is imaginary, it nevertheless belongs in the real world. Break through that emotional boundary and learn to accept rejection --- all writers have to learn this -- and continue to hone your skills and keep plugging away. Hey, if I can do it, so can you. But you've got to first make that transition from the imaginary to the real world, whether by self publishing or conventional means. Okay?

[zeldas_lullaby]

I agree with a lot of your points, ModernTimes!! I would add, though, that life is sometimes a weird process that works itself out. I took a medication for over six years (roughly 2005-2011) that took away my creativity. I was bored. A lot. Do I regret that (of course) I did no writing during that time? Nope, because if I had written during that time, it would have been incredibly depressing writing. And I hope I wouldn't have shared it with the world!!

All good things must come to fruition.

I love how you encourage everyone! I'm definitely going to buy your books.

[moderntimes]

Thanks of course. What I'm trying to do is help get reticent writers off their emotional duffs and get them to work! Illness aside, which is of course a legitimate reason, as well as maybe working all day at a regular job to feed yourself and family, etc, many newbie writers here express angst in the most 19th century way and it's necessary occasionally that they splash themselves in the face with the cold water of reality.

Whew, nice paragraph, what? ha ha

Anyway, I'm not bragging but I AM giving a very real world example. I write mystery novels and now they'll all be published by a legit house in which I'll be paid legit royalties. It doesn't matter whether the income from those sales will be $500 or $50,000... (well, that's not exactly true, heh heh) but my point being, don't hide your light under a bushel, as the bible says.

Writers, get thee out of thy doldrums and self examination, and write and write and keep getting better, and don't be afraid to shove your stuff under the nose of an agent or publisher. It CAN happen, gang.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Carry on, Modern Times!

I guess I just can't relate to what you're referring to... I've never written anything (not counting diaries or private correspondence, of course) and though, "Oh, my. I don't want anyone to read this!" So I can't even grasp the mentality. (Not that I judge. I just can't relate.)

Before I started writing my series, I wrote a short story called "Unlawful." Whenever I think of it now, I laugh. I laugh hard. It was campy, hokey, over the top, and ridiculous. But the whole point was to see if I could actually have the discipline to sit down and create a story--you know, write something. I had seen an ad for a short-story contest, which I had no intention of entering, but I was like, "Could I do that? Could I sit here and write a story?" HA HA HA..

So I showed it to everyone in my family, and they were horrified by it. Scandalized. Offended. "Don't ever show anyone that story!" They begged me. "And good heavens, don't enter it into that contest you mentioned."

And then they pleaded with me to try writing something more wholesome, so I started writing about twelve-year-olds. But I can't think about that without laughing.

[moderntimes]

Well, I think that there are quite a few famous authors whose agents dug out the early stuff they wrote and got it to the publisher, and as a result made their writers partly laughingstocks.

One thing I try to emphasize here for new writers is this: writing is an innate talent but it's also a skill that must be honed and improved upon and the only way to do this is to study other authors and to write a lot of junk before you get better.

Hey, I've got some fits and starts saved back on disc that I occasionally look at and I also shudder at how awful it is by comparison to my newer stuff. And I'm the same person. My writing has improved mostly by writing and keeping writing so that my innate talent was beaten and drubbed into shape.

Lately I've been reviewing my 3 private eye novels and tweaking them a little prior to the publisher's editing process, and I've found quite a few small stylistic glitches, not exactly errors, but places that the text could be improved. We learn by doing.

[zeldas_lullaby]

I know what you mean about publishers finding their authors' early works and publishing them... it's all about the money!! AARGH.

I used to listen to Seal back in the nineties. I remember he recorded an entire album and then just scrapped it because he felt it wasn't up to his level of quality. I always admired that.

I agree about practice! And the fun thing is that anyone can practice their writing simply by sending an email to a friend, in which the goal is grammatical correctness, good sentence structure, etc. With daily email correspondence alone, there could be vast improvement.

[Tokigirl2]

I think all form of art is communication. Therefore, unless we are writing for ourselves alone -- as in a journal -- we must communicate. MOST of that is craft -- the way we present our ideas, our stories. To get good, one must read and read and read, and write and write and then rewrite ad infinitum. A writer can always get better. One must get feedback. One must hold one's self to the highest standards, and not inflict something on the world without making sure it's the best it can possibly be.
But if one pays attention to craft and learning the trade and business of writing, there will come a day when one reads something one wrote and realizes it is The Real Deal. It's good. It's very good. You're proud of it. Then, I think, it's good enough for the outside world. Claire Youmans

[moderntimes]

Excellent post, Toki and I really agree. You are spot on. This is learning the craft and the working hard to improve, with the eventual goal of publishing, is the right way to work on this difficult endeavor.

[Tokigirl2]

I find that the further one gets into one's imaginary world, the harder it is to differentiate between the world I live in daily and the world I write about, which is historical fantasy-adventure. How does my character handle being bi-racial? (Her parents are different kinds of dragons, but the point stands.) The way she copes must be consistent with the culture she lives in. How is that similar to or different from the way a modern American girl would cope? My fantasy world is set within a real human culture and real historical period. I must be immersed in both because so is the character. But it becomes hard to differentiate! I wonder if I'm in too deep! (That's a joke.)