writing success Archives - All That Chazz: Your Brain Tickle Destination

My incurable folly

I was on my way to Cuba. I needed something to take my mind off defying God by cramming myself into a flying death tube just to see palm trees. She Who Must Be Obeyed handed me Camino Island for the journey. This novelist is probably old news to you, but an unread book is always new to the uninitiated.

The story held a few surprises up front. I liked the heist very much. I love heist capers, and this was a clever one that made sense. I did have a quibble immediately after the first scene concluded, though. The cops arrive, scoop up a few drops of blood, and have the name of one of the perpetrators immediately. DNA analysis doesn’t work that quickly. That’s some CSI nonsense., but readers who value narrative speed over verisimilitude (and plenty do) won’t mind.

Fun note: I recently learned the most accurate forensic science show was Quincy M.E. It would be out of date now, but I was impressed the show didn’t use fake props. They bought real medical equipment and their forensic scientist actually had a role on the show.

I see the value and appreciate the lure of Grisham’s prose. It’s so straightforward, it makes for a fast read. I get it. The sentence structures are so simple to swallow: NOUN + VERB + OBJECT. Repeat. It’s as easy as an elementary school textbook. See Dick run.

A smarter writer would emulate the master’s success. I’m not a smarter writer. What I missed was interiority.

“Interiority is a writing technique that explores a character’s inner life, including their thoughts, feelings, and actions. It’s a way to show readers how a character processes information and makes sense of the world around them.” ~ according to the internet.

I read a good chunk of Camino Island, and not once did I get a glimpse inside a character’s head. The danger of overusing omniscience is the writer ends up telling instead of showing. Any writing teacher advises, “Show, don’t tell.” We don’t write, “She was nervous.” We write, “Betsy’s hands shook. Her heart raced and she could not slow her breathing.”

I’m all for showing, not telling. However, I love to explore motivations. My characters struggle to make sense of their worlds. I’m struggling with that all the time, too. So, I’m committed to failure in that I can’t emulate John Grisham’s style. Good for him, probably bad for me. He’s not wrong. We’re just different.

On the other hand, I visited a little specialty bookstore yesterday. They had a very small general fiction section, but it was well curated. I was pleased to find that I’d read many of the novels on their shelves. It gave me confidence that I’d find more great books to my taste there. Many other novelists have had success using techniques that explore characters’ inner worlds. Few novelists ever touch the heights of Grisham’s financial success and vast fan base, but I still believe there’s room for me on the Reader Ship. I might have to settle for cargo class, but I’m on the same boat.

I’ll never be John Grisham, but I have an excellent shot at being Robert Chazz Chute.

Not a single “he thought” or “she thought in italics here.” Alas.

When we are feeling rudderless, the mental health gurus encourage us to find your why. Why are you a writer? If you’ve been at this a while, you may ask yourself, “Why am I still a writer?”

For many of us, getting into the brain tickle business doesn’t feel like a choice. It’s more like the profession chose you. It’s a calling, right? As a kid, you loved to read. Writing books seemed like the next natural progression.

Here’s what I want you to know:

There are many paths up the mountain, and there are a lot of twists and turns ahead:

The lightning bolt of success will strike, but maybe it won’t hit you.
Others will succeed. You will read their books, and you shall be mystified by their success.
Some who appear successful really aren’t.
Some who don’t appear successful really are.
You may learn something from the success of others. You may not.
There are many moving parts you can’t see and variables you can’t control.
Other people’s success or failure has nothing to do with you. Don’t be jealous.
You may achieve early success, but it won’t last.
You may achieve success later. That probably won’t last, either. (People are obsessed with the new, even if it’s not as good as the old.)
You may be writing to achieve a legacy, but in the end, despite your best and better efforts, you’ll probably be known for just one thing. Scary thought. huh?
You’ll get bad reviews for something in your book you thought was innocuous.
The stuff you thought might piss off some readers will sail by without fireworks.
You may write a brilliant book. The market does not necessarily reward brilliance.
Writing and marketing are two separate activities. A good marketer can outpace a great writer.
Odds are against it, but you could hit it big with your first book or first series. It might have been a fluke, so don’t go around thinking you’re a genius too soon.
Being gifted is great, but it can set you up for disappointment later. Just do the work and ease up on the unrealistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations is what the lottery is for.
Hard work and consistency often outpace talent.
Elementary skills, solid craft, and dramatic chops are important, but not everything.
Marketing skills are important, but not everything.
Gurus will act like they have all the answers. (A) Taking their courses without acting on their advice is a waste of money you could have used for a writing retreat at an Air B&B, and (B) they don’t have all the answers, but acting as if they do is Salesmanship 101.
Influence, advertising, presence, and followers can be bought. If you don’t have the cash, you aren’t sprinting from the same starting line as those who have the moolah.
You can do everything right, and still fail.
You can do everything wrong. That’s probably your first book, the one that should have stayed in a drawer.
I’ll tell you what many won’t: luck and timing are factors and they are beyond your control.
Advertising, celebrity endorsements, and/or a nod from a social media influencer can make a bad book sell. (I know of an author whose books are not at all grammatical. His first language is not English. He needs translator and an editor. Because of endorsements, he’s getting sales on terrible books.)
Life’s not fair. You knew that already, but as cruel as life can be, the market can be meaner.
You and your readership may disagree on which are your best books.
You will have a baby that you’re sure is the cutest, and yet it will squat there on your sales page, mostly unreviewed and unloved.
That new shiny idea you chased might turn into a book series. Hurray! Hitch your wagon to a star! At some point, you’ll sit at your keyboard feeling like you’ve hitched your wagon to a stump. You’ve got newer, shinier ideas, but you feel like you can’t move on.
Unless you’re a psychopathic narcissist, you will have doubts, and worries about your writing career. That doesn’t go away, it just ebbs and flows.
Writing more books gives you more shots on goal, but failure is normal. Failure is so common, huge publishers put out big lists of books so the few successes pay for the rest that get remaindered.

These are not all happy, happy, joy, joy things to say, are they? So here’s the good news:

Contrary to what you may have thought, you do have a choice. Yes, you could quit. It may be a calling, but you don’t have to answer that call.

Alternatively, you could let it go to voicemail while you reevaluate your assumptions, rejuvenate your mind, and rethink your strategy. Or you could just plunge forward, full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes. You will probably do exactly that. I’m not here to discourage you. I just want you to know you are not alone sitting there in doubt and frustration as you stare at the horrible, impatient blinking cursor wondering if you’ve made an irreversible mistake.

You haven’t made one mistake. You’ve made plenty and you’ll make more. But someday, maybe, all those mistakes will contribute to your creation of something glorious for all to see.