A Theory on Writing

In college, as part of our graduation requirements (not that I graduated) we were supposed to present on our theory of writing. Its been a few years since I left school, but I've thought of this a great deal lately, as I've started to progress toward making my living by writing. Why do it at all? What is my theory on writing?

In the same vein, I've seen a number of reputable and talented writers lament the state of the business in the past few years. John Marco, whose Eyes of God and Tyrants and Kings trilogies introduced me to the new trend of dark, gritty, realistic epic fantasy and Brian Ruckley (author of the Godless World trilogy) are just two examples of prominent, in my opinion, writers who have talked about the decline in publishing and the lasting effect it has on people who make their living in the business. Both men used it in blog posts, and I'm sure other writers have done so as well (Stephen King has even commented on it, but for the life of me I can't recall where I read it).

The thing is, I'm tired of writers bitching about it.

Publishing is still a multi-billion dollar a year business, just in this country. As with all things, a small number of people (writers, in this case) are taking in most of that profit. Popular misconceptions about novelists run the gamut from starving artists to multi-millionaires. Make no mistake, the Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings of the world are very few and far between. Thousands of books, fiction and non-fiction, poetry, short stories, anthologies, and so on, are published every year. Still more magazines, blogs, ezines and newspapers see publication. Of all those people, only about 130 of them actually make a decent living writing (this is based on an estimate I heard from a novelist a few years back). That's an exceptionally small number.

Then again, how many musicians make millions each year? How many corporate-minded individuals? How many chefs? How many people in any field are at the top, both in terms of talent and in terms of income? That's not to say that those who gross the most are also the best, but it draws an interesting comparison.

True, reading does seem to be in a downward trend in this country, at least in terms of our young people, but how much of that is media sensationalizing? How much of that is doomsayers? I know far, far more people who are still avid readers than people who don't read at all for pleasure. There's still money to be made, exposure to be found, success to be pursued.

The key is hard-work and adaptability. See, all art forms change with time. The same styles, concepts, and subjects are not as popular in sculpture or painting or architecture or film or music or poetry or photography or video games today as five or ten or twenty years ago, right? So why are we still approaching novels the same way? True, not all of these forms are necessarily lucrative, but that's wholly dependent upon the artist.

There are still successful people in all of those mediums that can and do make money. But they work hard and they adapt. Pursue every available opportunity, open every door, and work. Art isn't all fun, all creativity and romanticized ideals. Success, regardless of your artistic preferences, abilities, or markets requires work and dedication.

In terms of novels, which is the point here (I write poetry, but I prefer to share that with a small group of people and mostly for my own enjoyment for a variety of reasons) I think the key is adapting.

In terms of fantasy, that's starting to take shape now. For, oh, forty years or so, fantasy has been criticized for being too narrow-minded, too dedicated to its own genre tropes and stereotypes. Too many fantasy writers trying too hard to re-write Tolkien. In the past decade or so, the genre has expanded (as I've mentioned elsewhere) and began to include numerous sub-genres. Fantasy has gotten more gritty and realistic and deviated somewhat from the pure escapism the genre became known for in past years.

Even so, concepts like violence and sex are...glazed over. Action is relegated to small bits of chapters, or so generalized that the impact of it is usually negligible. Strange, in stories that work around huge battles and burgeoning relationships. To some extent this has changed. Robert Jordan and John Marco have depicted violence very convincingly in their fiction, and Jordan even included a short, clipped sex scene.

But why are we avoiding these things? Why not use them artistically, like a well-done nude scene in a film or the infamous sex scene from Mass Effect or artistic nude photography? Why are those mediums any different? I believe that writing should incorporate some of the same ideas that other forms use. Films and games and other mediums have used novels for inspiration and source material for as long as they've existed in conjunction. Storytelling in movies uses the same devices that novels do, the same methods of building tension and conflict, foreshadowing, so on. Why can't novels borrow from film? From photography? Why can't we use sexuality in an artistic way? Or write our violence with the same scope, the same cinematic eye as a film? Why can't we use our dialogue to the same effect that plays do?

My theory on writing is that, in order for novels, or indeed any artform, to survive and continue to be lucrative and influential, they must change and adapt. They must give and take from popular culture, from society, from other mediums, while still retaining their own identities. That's the key for the medium and the artists therein.

So my advice is to forge your own path, use your own style. Write what you know, in point of fact. My poetry, my blogs, my short stories, my general writing is most often rampant with innuendo. I write in a sometimes visceral style, heavily borrowing from my inspiration (usually music, video games, and so on. I've covered that elsewhere). I like very palpable action, detailed sex, exploration, and a grand scope. Done well (and let's face it, when it really comes down to brass tacks I have to think I do it well) these things make for a compelling story.

So, do your thing. Be your own artist. Work hard and adapt.

Yours,
-S.R.