“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ― Anais Nin
Hey you! Yes you!
You wanna be a writer right?
By Solomon Holmes
You’re reading this so I’ll assume there’s at least a part of you that’s creatively inclined. Maybe you’ve written a bunch of stuff already, maybe you’ve not even begun to put pen to paper (or, more likely, finger to keyboard). No matter where you’re at in the creative process, there are a few questions you’re going to need to ask yourself if you’re going to make your writing really pop out to readers.
Whether you’re writing an existentialist avant-garde masterpiece of Post Post-modernist literature, a high-octane spy thriller, or a puffy piece of lighthearted erotica; these questions can go a long way to ensure you gain that well needed connection; to make your writing just that little bit more brilliant.
Have you ever asked yourself...
What am I trying to say?
It may seem obvious but, you should really think about exactly what message you’re trying to convey. Knowing the conclusion you’re going to reach, and how you’re going to get there is paramount to keeping the text focused. Even an intentionally murky message requires some forethought as to what headspace you want your readers to dwell in.
Others may have a different process where they find their message through the writing itself. You may use writing as a soul-searching creative exercise wherein, you just write and let the magic happen. If that sounds like you then perhaps the automatic writing style may pay thematic dividends without you even realising it.
For example, George Orwell had a very specific idea in mind when he wrote Animal Farm, to satirize the upper class’s exploitation of the poor and vulnerable.
“One evening, Clover sees a shocking sight: Squealer walking on his hind legs. Other pigs follow, walking the same way, and Napoleon also emerges from the farmhouse carrying a whip in his trotter. The sheep begin to bleat a new version of their previous slogan: "Four legs good, two legs better!" Clover also notices that the wall on which the Seven Commandments were written has been repainted: Now, the wall simply reads, "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL / BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS." Eventually, all the pigs begin carrying whips and wearing Jones' clothes.”
Harper Lee had the intention of undermining racist ideologies when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. These are just a couple of examples from intransient pieces of fiction. Even if these messages weren’t the first things to come during the writing process it’s undeniable that their distinct message is what made them stand out at the time, and why they’re still in circulation many decades later.
Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird."That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it."Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." (p. 88)
Who is this relevant to?
You’re now writing with intent and clarity, but you’ve got to know who the bloody hell for. Perhaps it’s for edgy teenage girls, or nervous prepubescent boys, or gerbil dress-up enthusiasts, it really doesn’t matter you’ve just got to know your market. What you don’t want to do is try to appeal to everyone at once, people who do this can often end up appealing to nobody at all (Even the gerbil dress up enthusiasts, and they’ll read anything). If you want to have cross market appeal, you’re still going to need some thematic and tonal consistency so that you can keep you and your reader on the same page (Pun absolutely intended).
I know what some of you may be thinking, ‘This is relevant to me, I write for myself’ and that’s great all power to you mate, but I’m talking about writing for publication here. Your text can make perfect sense to you but leave everyone else utterly bamboozled. It’s just something to keep in mind as you exorcise your writing demons for the sake of literary catharsis.
For example, a YA novelist writes for the main purpose of appealing to young adults (Who’da thunk it?). Worldwide phenomena along the vein of The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter would not hold such a huge place in today’s popular culture if it wasn’t for their ability to empathize with, and appeal to, younger audiences. A lot of whom grow up with these books and have their literary tastes shaped by them for at least a few years (Before they move on to bigger, and better things). I have no doubt that my taste wouldn’t be as eclectic as it is today if it wasn’t for me reading every Darren Shan horror novel as a nervous prepubescent schoolboy.
This is just one example, but it can be applied to every genre, modernist writers of the early 20th century wrote to put into words a worldwide existential crisis, to appeal to intellectually minded urbanites who were struggling to come to terms with a vastly changing world. Modern romantic comedies are often written to appeal to the everyman; a bit of puffy fiction to ease the tensions of the day, and crime fiction copycats of Agatha Christie seem to be written solely to appeal to my Mum.
How do I want the reader to feel?
You know who you’re writing for, (let’s say little schoolboys), you’ve got your message and you’re confident that they’ll get it. You’ve still got to know how you want them to feel. Perhaps you want them to wet themselves with excitement, or cry their eyes out, or maybe you just want to blow their tiny little minds. No matter your intent you’ve got to keep in mind exactly what state you want to leave them in as you’re bringing your story to life.
Novelists like Michael Morpurgo seem to write solely to make their audience cry. Brett Easton Ellis, and Irvine Welsh write to shock, titillate, and horrify. Dostoevsky writes to incite deep self-evaluation, and Jeff Vandermeer writes to make you bloody confused. Dependent upon your specific style; the emotional outcome of your work will be totally different. As you’re writing, try to remove yourself from the writer’s seat, place yourself in the shoes of the reader and work out what emotions you’re playing with, and once you work them out use them to your advantage!
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Am I having fun?
If you’re excited by your work, if you find great joy in creating it then that’ll really show in the final product. Likewise, if you’re getting bored with where your own story is heading then it’s likely that the reader will have already fallen asleep; probably dreaming of a slightly more immersive world within which the writer doesn’t find his own work so bloody tedious.
A tragedy so easily reconciled.
Quick Fire Recap!
- Know what you’re saying
- Know who you’re writing for
- Know how you want them to feel
And most importantly...
Have fun with it!
The happy life of Solomon Holmes
Bio: Solomon Holmes is a twenty-two-year-old English Undergraduate student who spends much of his time reading to inhabit too many fictional worlds at once and procrastinating at an expert level. He loves writing short fiction, as well as songs and poetry. He also likes to write about film, literature, and media which he consumes borderline religiously. Since Covid-19 has taken both of his jobs away he has found himself with an awful lot of spare time.
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