Two ambitious writers, two different products

Published by admin on April 11th, 2008

There are two ambitious, inexperienced, but capable writers under this roof. Each has their own projects, and each project is so very different in style, scope, and planned result.

Traveling in the car a few weeks ago, jEN and I got talking about our individual writing projects. The discussion mainly centred about how different our methodologies, motivation, and plans are for the end results of our labours.

TableRappers was created from the start to have a very broad appeal. The word ‘romp’ is often used to describe its pace and there is little about that one might get away with describing as ‘literary’. The story is an adventure, designed - and written - to entertain. It is the kind of book you can pick up a dip into when you have time, on your commute into work, whatever. It does not command masses of attention and will never win literary prizes. It is specifically designed to tick off all of the above boxes.

The model for the whole TableRappers series is, you may be surprised to learn, based on Bernard Cornwell’s Sharp books - an extremely popular series of novels based in the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th Century (several were made into a television series starring Sean Bean). Although I enjoy the stories (more through the television series than the books, I have to admit to only having read one), I am not a Cornwell fan - merely an admirer inspired by how he created the Sharp series (I suppose one might say franchise).

My writing style is, of course, very different, but it is the way in which these books follow a continuing story that appealed to me as inspiration on how to handle TableRappers. I am about half way through the second draft of book one right now, book two is planned (and the prelude written, as is books three. How many books in total? As many as I can write for as long as people want to read them. There is an almost endless stream of ideas ready and waiting and the toughest part will be finding the time to write them all.

Could this be quantity over quality?

In a way, perhaps yes. I have no real urge to write the next great literary classic. What I am trying to do is entertain and create something people will grow fond of and look forward to the next installment.

I feel there are only two measures of success for a book: does the finished result achieve the aims of the author; and does the book appeal to a larger percentage of its target audience. Success is not in absolute numbers of sales, or the money earned from them, but in the achievement of the goal in creating the right product for the right market.

The other side of the fence

I suspect there will be some who believe writing should be a purely creative exercise and feel strategic creation of a product dilutes the end result.

It is true, ultimately, we must write for the greater part for ourselves. Writing is a painful and laborious pursuit. Can you imagine the added pain to spend those hundreds of writing hours in a setting, with characters, in a style you simply loathe? That is creative suicide. From the beginning I set out under the notion that to spend this much time over multiple stories with the same settings and characters, I better create something I would be interested in reading. I do not believe a writer can fool their reader into believing they have a passion for something they do not. Read any of the Cornwell books and you will understand immediately his passion for the big battles of the era.

I doubt very much I will ever write a book - for there are more than the TableRappers up my sleeve - that will be considered literary, and I am very comfortable with it.

Tags: motivation, style
Posted in Challenge |