Friday, June 10, 2011

Are we Making the Correct Writing Moves?


Not just books, I like to read author interviews too. Few years back when one Indian writer won the Booker Prize, there was a long interview of the author in a popular magazine. This was the author’s second book. Her first book  did create a hullabullo, as her mother was a very famous writer and she had a famous last name. The writer openly admitted that her book had been written with the Booker Prize in mind. Her dad had gifted her the last ten year’s Booker prize winning books.

After reading all the prize winning books, she realized what kind of stories, writing styles and themes appealed to the  jury and the judges. Then, started her long and uphill task of writing a book that would appeal to the judges. Her book was rejected  by several publishers abroad. One New York Editor  called it the most miserable book she had read. The book was finally published after it had been chopped from 800 pages to 350 pages. The book sold very few copies until it was shortlisted for the Booker. And, when it won the coveted prize, the sales touched the sky. Now, this author has an advance of 2.7million pounds for her next book.

This got me thinking that like a chess player this particular author planned her writing career, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. Though she met with the initial rebuffs, ultimately, she not just succeeded but is laughing all the way to the bank and has also been taken seriously.

Though, I had read her interview few years back, I don’t know why it  was flashback time now. Perhaps there is a message for all of us in this. By now, most of us know the genre we want to write, and the kind of stories we are capable of writing. We all are in this for the long haul. It’s not just one book I am talking about. It’s definitely more than one.

I think its time we all too planned a  writing strategy. I am not sure whether I am making the correct writing moves. I do have  a writing agenda in mind, at the moment its to get my next lot of books published.

But, I have plans of reading a lot of books in my genre; seeing why few worked and  why the others didn’t work (I already do that). I would also like to read the books that were made into movies. What was their appeal? Why the characters worked?I have started reading a lot of writing craft books to help me create better plots.

Are you all planning  your writing  moves with the precision of a chess player? Or,  are you just swimming with the flow? What do you think of the above author planning her career by making all the moves that made her achieve her goal. Do you think what she did was right?


32 comments:

  1. If it works, then I'm sure it is right. I began rather randomly, only just found the way I should go, should have thought it through. :0)

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  2. interesting. I'm certainly not looking for literary prizes for my book. The most important thing for me is to get the important message across that I'm trying to spread. I don't think I@d even want to accept a literary prize because it's put those judges on a pedestal. How, really, qualified are they to judge a piece of work? It's just their opinion at the end of the day. Not keen on allowing anyone to tell me how good or bad my work is. For me it's important to write for myself first, and my readers.

    The famous auhor John Le Carre doesn't accept literary awards, and I think he's got the right idea on this one.

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  3. If you're willing to do it then by all means plan as much as needed down to the last detail. I give credit to author who won the Booker prize, but I also give credit to her parents as well. There's a tendency to think writers write in a vacuum, but our environments and relationships really do affect us as well. Personally, I have moments where I want to be more strategic and I plan some aspects of a writing career here and there, but other days it feels like every thing's running on autopilot. The strategic moments help guide the autopilot ones :)

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  4. These are great questions, Rachna. Definitely made me think. To know exactly where you wanted to end up, and working so hard and through so much to make sure it happened is pretty freakin' awesome.

    I don't know that I'm quite as precise as a chess player, but I do know what my next handful of steps are, as well as where I hope to be by the end of the year.

    So that's something eh? ;)

    Just 1 Writer

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  5. Well, I'm not planning to win a prize, but I do want to get a readership of my books. That being said, I do follow trends, but my ideas come from me; if they fit the trends, I'm thrilled. If not, I consider waiting until the audience is ready for it.

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  6. @ Carole..I too agree with you, that if it works, then its alright.

    @ D.U.O...sometimes I too feel that prizes are just the opinion of a handful of judges. The real judgement comes from the readers. But, I wouldn't say no to a Literary Prize if it were to walk my way :)

    @ Aron...many people feel that not only do we writers write in a vacuum, they also feel that writing is easy. Our environment and relationships not only affect us, they also shape us and our writing by giving us a whole new perspective on life and everything we see around us.

    @ Ken....though my immediate goal is to be published, I don't see any harm in planning. It can only help us see our goals more clearly and work hard towards them.

    @ Lydia..all of us want a readership of our books. As for trends, they keep changing, so we have to write the stories that come from within (from our hearts). And we all hope that readers will not just be ready for it, they will also love it.

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  7. I had to smile when I read this post. Yes, I'm planning strategically, and you're right. If we want to be successful we'd better understand what we mean by that, then study what it takes to get there.

    In the end this isn't about winning prizes or getting literary aclaim, it's about deciding what we want and taking an intelligent aproach to getting it.

    A very thoughtfully written and stimulating article. Thank you.

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  8. This is a very interesting post. I think there is a difference between wanting to write for literary acclaim and wanting commercial success. As your example showed, she had an agenda to win a particular prize and wrote almost to a formula to achieve it. There are others who write purely to send out their very souls, plus others who can pull off terrific rewards by pandering to various popular markets.

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  9. So far, I'm swimming with the flow and learning what and where I can.

    Not sure if I'd ever be able to stuff myself into the box of someone else's expectations like that.

    :-)

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  10. Personally, I swim with the flow, making p conflict as I go along, then going back and plugging gaps and bridging the chasms. That's what works for me.

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  11. If that was her goal, then I do think she did the right thing. We all have our different strategies.

    I'm just swimming with the flow at the moment. :)

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  12. I started out "swimming with the flow", but then I started noticiing as a reader, things I liked that I should remember. About a year and a half ago writing friends and I started a group called "Read Like Writers", and we started analyzing the award winners to see what differentiated them from other books. It's not that we are aiming for the awards. We just want to know what makes a "great" book great instead of just "good". If nothing else, it helps a writer raise the bar on their own writing.

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  13. wow, that's impressive to write a book with the goal of winning a specific prize. Kinda shows there is a formula for everything. I personally don't write for prizes or money. I have to write the stories that travel in my heart.

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  14. I think reading is THE best preparation for writing (and the most strategic chess move) - not only reading the books that 'worked' (winning awards, turned into films), but also the ones that failed. I think this is THE best strategy any writer can employ. Stephen King preaches about the importance of reading other authors and calls it part of the novelist's JOB. As for the author whose goal was to win the Booker. Good for her! Goals are what help us live our dreams.

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  15. Really...she wrote with the Booker in mind...?
    I just pour whatever comes to mind..It isnt methodical.

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  17. after what i read,its impossible for me to make a move unless i do a lot of studies...:))

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  18. there's always a 'formula' which yields results; be creative, within those guidelines, for success

    for expert advice, check out alexandra sokoloff's blog, link in my sidebar....

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  19. I want to write a book that I would enjoy reading, awards (I'm sure) are nice, but who wants to write a miserable book just for the award? (Rhetorical question...)

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  20. Rachna ,
    i think reading to others is must in our writing career .and planing is also must.because if we will not planed for our coming years..content,research,and other stratagies..we could'nt complete a singal title.so planing is must for writing.but for award..i don't think...if there is power in our writing..we should got prize or awards.
    your suggations for every writer is very useful.
    Best wishes.
    Hemant

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  21. Great post. I have always imagined there must be a forumal, but find I'm less analytical than this author and so therefore might not be able to review the books as clinically to find the winning formula. :O)

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  22. Fascinating post, and a topic I've thought a lot about. Until recently, I was just swimming with the flow. But now that I've settled on a genre and the book I want to publish first, I've put on my game hat. I've decided I need to think about how to best represent myself in a changing publishing market; how to make myself an attractive option to publishers; and how to secure and keep a readership.

    Of course none of that will happen without a decent novel, but a strategy for self-promotion is just as important. A favourite quote of mine: Being published is about practising until your really good, and persevering until your are really lucky.

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  23. Your plan to read books in your genre to find out what worked and what didn't is one of the smartest moves you can make. I'd say you're on your way for sure. :) So glad I found your blog today via W.I.P. It!
    Edge of Your Seat Romance

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  24. I think this is an excellent example of a writer embracing the business side of the industry. I am sure some writers might frown on the fact that she followed trends instead of her passion. But, like you said, she's laughing all the way to the bank. I think some strategic planning is fine, as long as you enjoy what you are writing, too.

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  25. This is so interesting. I think that author's strategy in reaching her goal is amazing. Many others could try, but the odds of them accomplishing what she did are against them. So yay for her. And we all have different reasons for writing and different goals and different methods to reach those goals.

    I never was good at chess and I'm not organized enough to strategize like that. I write what I like to write, and my goal as a children's writer is to reach reluctant readers because they're missing out on so many good stories, and a love of reading can change their lives.

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  26. Hi Rachna, I followed you from Alexia's blog and couldn't not comment on this. :o)

    My goal, when I'm writing a story, is to create something I could see being made into a movie someday. Not because I expect that to happen, but if I write something with that potential -- no matter the genre -- it'll likely appeal to a broader audience. Any time you can do that you set yourself up for a better chance at success, I think.

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  27. Really interesting story! I have been struggling with writing romance just because of its formula and chances for success but then I don't as I love women's fiction more. Guess I will take this route:)

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  28. I don't think you should work with that formula in mind. You may work hard and say 'yes this is what the judges want,' but if you followed all of the rules and still you lost, you would feel very disappointed in yourself.

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  29. The winner was on to something there and I don't fault her. Its like a competition, she knew her opponent, the judges, and practiced accordingly.

    When I sat down and planned my trilogy, I had a very long term grandiose goal. Rich, famous, and my books made into movies. I then broke the goal down to much more smaller attainable goals. Getting the three books written, getting the first written, selling one book, getting one unsolicited fan etc etc. Some I have achieved and I am not even published and most are not even in sight yet.

    I think I will use this idea for a blog of my own in the future. Going over the idea of planning, goal setting, and what is involved to make it all work.

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  30. If it worked for her, then it's right. I'm not sure I could approach writing a book so logically and strategically, but everyone's processes are different.

    But maybe this is just another form of knowing your audience. Maybe she just REALLY knew what audience she wanted to write for, and executed it really well. :)

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  31. This is a great analogy! It really makes me think, and of course, chide myself for falling asleep occasionally at the board. :) Good things to think about, thanks, Rachna!

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  32. This has given me some food for thought. I'm doing a bit of both now. My first aim was to be published and I also wanted an agent. Well one has happened and the other hasn't. I'm not long on patience so I'm not actively looking for an agent right now. But your post reminds me that I need to be pushing harder toward the plan I've come up with during the last couple of months. Dunno if I could write to a formula. I don't think my heart would be in it.

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