Sunday, October 6, 2013

OH SHIT

     So a couple of weeks ago I was at work, chatting with my boss, and he revealed to me that a co-worker whom he knows much better than I do has just self-published a YA novel, orderable online.  My first impulse was to run and accost this co-worker, whom we shall call R (and whom I hardly ever see in the ordinary course of business), and talk to him about writing for kids, and our respective experiences, and what led him to self-publish, and yadda yadda.  And then perhaps I could interview him for this blog.  But then I realized I should read the book first, shouldn't I?  So I asked my boss, who owns a copy but hasn't yet read it, to lend it to me, which he did on Friday, and now I've read it.  Hence the title of this post.
     First off, it's not a YA novel, it's a middle-grade novel.  Which is fine.  Because it's just my boss who used the phrase "young adult," and he doesn't know squat about writing for kids, so I can't blame R for that - there's nothing written on the book itself to indicate grade level.   The premise is very interesting: a young teen boy and his family are in the process of living through a form of apocalypse which I will not specify for fear of identifying said book to anyone who reads this.  But trust me, it's a BAD apocalypse.  And the boy and his family, along with their besieged community, are attempting to survive it as best they can.
     The writing is good.  And so is the setting: R clearly did his research homework.  And he got the voice of the boy protagonist exactly right.  And he's created believable secondary characters.  But there's no plot.  By which I mean: the book begins during the siege, and continues through the remainder of the siege, and ends with the community's rescue by an outside force.  The protagonist does his part as circumstances allow, but his actions effect no change in the overall situation.  Mostly, he reports lucidly and well about the deteriorating conditions in which he's living, and wonders when, or if, the nightmare will end.
     It's not enough.  it's not a novel.  And, reading it, I suddenly stop fixating on my inability to get my own books published, and become aware of how much I really do know about writing books.  Fifteen or so years of attending writing classes and SCBWI conferences and workshops, and working with my wonderful critique group, has taught me A LOT.  I know (and this one is from Sesame Street - I can hear the song running through my head) that every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  I know that the action must build toward a climax, followed by a denouement.  And I know that in writing for kids, one must have a main character who is not simply buffeted by fate; he or she must, in some way great or small, seize the initiative and make something happen.  And R's main character, whom I like so much, doesn't do that.  The adults do all the planning and organizing; this boy serves as a witness and a reporter.  It's not enough.  This isn't a novel.
     And it makes me feel really depressed.  For one thing: there goes my fantasy of having a fellow YA writer to commune with at work.  Oh, I'll go talk to R, and tell him about all my positive reactions to his book, but I'll be holding back what I really think, because the book is out there already and any constructive criticism from me would be useless at this point, even if he had any interest in hearing it.  And I definitely can't interview him for this blog, because here I've gone telling this blog what I REALLY think, so I can never let R have access to it.
     And okay, here's the other thing I'm depressed about.  After thinking about the book itself, I return to fixating about me me me.  I've written four actual novels, none of which may ever see the light of day unless I, too, follow the self-publishing route.  Whereas R has written one not-exactly-novel, and it's OUT THERE.  Anyone on the planet can buy it and read it.  R doesn't know many of the basic principles of writing a novel, and yet he has something I don't have.  And I can call this emotion of mine sadness, because that sounds so much better than envy, but really, who am I kidding?
     So, to summarize:  OH SHIT.  How come R's protagonist gets a deus ex machina and I don't?  Where is mine when I need one?







    
    

7 comments:

  1. Sue, from what you just described here, you are feeling envious of something that's not enviable! You need to think about this, my dear.

    Not long ago I learned that of the thousands of books that were published last year, a whopping THREE QUARTERS of them were self-published! It is the ease of the digital age that has enabled this astounding percentage to even exist! Most of those self-pubbed books will only be read by people in their immediate circles (family, friends, co-workers, etc.). The majority of those people canNOT write WELL, regardless of how wonderful they obviously think their work is, having spent the time and money to do so. Your co-worker has the potential of writing well, seeing as he is imaginative and writes his characters well, but a book-without-plot will not sell and won't be widely read. Because of his lack of plot, what he will hear is a lot of half-truths about his work, now that it's "out there." I have been in the exact position you're in, quite a few times actually, and not just with self-pubbed authors. As you said, once something's published and out there, constructive criticism is useless. Once that happens, you also already know this person felt their work reached its "best" and there was no further room for possible constructive criticism---it's futile---it's too late :(

    Just because this man saw his work as flawless and chose to spend his money and time self-publishing, doesn't make that decision enviable; it makes that decision blind, foolish and premature, in my opinion. Honestly, I generally feel either sad or disgusted by the trend. It is a rare occurrence that a self-published book is successful, and success doesn't necessarily equal well-written, either. And well-written doesn't always equal success.

    Instead, focus on the fact that you are doing everything you can to better your craft, so this way, whether you get traditionally published or ultimately decide to go the self-published route, you will know your work is of good quality. That's not something to feel bad about. You don't want to be the author-whose-book-is-printed-but-few-people-will-ever-read-it, do you? Of course not! :D

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    1. Donna: wow. You offer true words of wisdom - I'd like to publish your comment!! Thank you so much. I agree with everything you said. Coincidentally, yesterday Harold Underdown tweeted an article he wrote about all the roles a self-published author needs to take on, from cover design to copy editing to marketing - many of them roles we often don't even think about when we think of traditional publishers, but they're performing them nonetheless behind the scenes. I was just feeling really down with that post, but you have lifted my spirits. Thank you!! Here's to the craft of writing! Onward and upward! XXX

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  2. Eventually you will get one of your novels published via the normal route, and that will be an excellent day indeed!

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    1. Thank you, my fine feathered son! Your faith in me means a lot. XXXXXX

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  3. Oh I soooooooo relate to what you are going through and all I can say is keep writing keep writing keep writing. DO NOT GIVE UP. It will happen. It has to.

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  4. PS something that helped me was reading this memoir called This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson. It sorta put my whole angsty quest into perspective and gave me some zen-like acceptance.

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  5. Jody: thank you! I hope that when/if I'm in your just-published place, I'll remember to be just as kind as you to those who haven't gotten there yet. Gonna get that Munson book ASAP. And yours too. Wishing you the presence of all good things and the absence of fleas.

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