The importance of community

 Recent posts on Type M have explored the many aspects of being a writer. What we like about it, what we hate, why we do it (hint, it's not for the money), how and why do we research, and how we get people to read it when we're done. As I am currently at the "tearing-my-hair-out phase of a new first draft, I found myself smiling and nodding a lot as I read. Whether we "meet" virtually in the blogsphere, at mystery conferences, library readings, or in a pub, the sharing of experiences with book lovers and fellow writers is one of the surprising delights of this wacky career and one of the main things that keep me going.

I've been a writer all my life because, like so many writers, I feel driven to tell tales. They are always spinning in my head and they clamour to be written. In my younger years, I just dabbled, writing as long as a story appealed to me but abandoning it when it got too hard or I lost interest in it. My childhood desk was stuffed with discarded plays, TV scripts, and novels. Eventually I decided I had to finish something, no matter what, and stuck with a few (very bad) novels until the bitter end. However, once I wrote "The End", I thought I was done. I had no concept of editing, polishing, trying to make the thing better. Into the bottom drawer it went along with the earlier discards, while I was on to another project that sparked my interest.

Since I was very busy with my paying career and my three young children, I didn't take the stories seriously. They were a catharsis and a creative outlet, not something to share publicly.

All this changed when I discovered a community of fellow aspiring crime writers. They're a small group of local Ottawa writers intent on learning the craft and the knowledge base of crime writing. When I walked into my first meeting - a presentation by the local Chief of Detectives - I felt as if I had found my kindred souls. And so it began. The laughter, the networking, the critiquing, and the sharing of ideas and news. Encouraged by their feedback on a couple of short stories, I began to think about the possibility of getting something published. It didn't happen overnight, of course. I had a lot to learn not just about the four pillars of a good story – character, dialogue, plot, and setting – but about the importance of rewriting, rewriting, polishing, and not giving up until the story was the best I could make it. And about the importance of sticking with it even when you hate it, think it's junk, boring, etc. etc. 

All of this I learned not only by practice, practice, practice, but by meeting other writers, and readers too. From this local mystery writers' group, I went on to join Crime Writers of Canada, attend mystery conferences like Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime. Not only do you learn how other writers do the craft and solve the inevitable problems, but you make connections with other book people: readers, bookstore owners, publishers, and librarians. Each personal connection extends your reach, but it also draws you into a community. A community that lifts you up and encourages you when times are grim, shares horror stories, and knows exactly what you're going through. 

Without that, it would be a very lonely job indeed, and I think I might still be stuck at the starting gate.

Who's this story for anyway?

This week's post is of necessity very short because I am currently otherwise busy with the birth of a new grandchild and the joys of helping the new family usher him into this world, navigate his first days, and bring him home to their small apartment which has been turned upside down to accommodate crib, pack 'n play, baby bath, and enough clothes and supplies to fill an entire extra apartment.

For these two weeks at least, my mind is very far away from writing. But the posts about imaginary readers intrigued me and I thought I'd put in a few admittedly scattered thoughts. I try not to think of my readers while I'm writing, especially the first draft . I find that makes me doubt and second-guess myself. Writing a first draft is an intensely personal experience between myself and the characters participating in the story. If I am guided by anyone's opinion other than my own, it's my characters, who might argue with me about what they would or would not do. I often ask them how they are most likely to react and what they'ddo next. That, and my own sense of story, is what guides me. The moment I start thinking about what my readers want or what would upset them, I am drawn out of the story and into the judgment box. That's no place for my creative self.

That said, over the years I have heard from quite a few readers, through book clubs, emails, signings, conferences and other exchanges. I know when I have made them mad and I know what they love. I take their thoughts to heart, because without our readers, we writers would be nowhere. If I stray too far away from stories that engage them, I will lose them. And their feedback serves as a check on my storytelling. I may intend to say one thing but if the reader hears something different, then I am not doing my job right. So although I may try to keep my readers out of my head while I am writing a first draft, I suspect they perch on my shoulder only muttering the occasional word until I get to the second and subsequent drafts, when they might have more of a say.

Louise Penny was once asked what kind of people read her books. She replied "Intelligent women with colds." It's a generalization, but I think it captures the essence, and statistics bear this out. Crime fiction readers do tend to be women, although many men also enjoy my books. They tend to be intelligent, well educated, and curious to learn new things and consider issues. They tend to have enough time on their hands to read at some length and in some depth. This also means they are not likely to have screaming toddlers and busy family schedules.

In short, they tend to be very much like me.

And that brings me to the only reader that I do listen to during first draft madness. Myself. I have always written the kind of book that I wanted to read. Above all else, the book has to inspire me and make me feel alive as I write it. I have to enjoy the characters even if I don't like them all. I have to want to spend time with them and find out what's going to happen next. If I am feeling bored at any point in the story, I know it's not working. Slash, burn, and go in search of passion.

I suspect all writers write first for themselves. Why else spend a year in solitary confinement with only the faintest possibility of decent monetary compensation at the end? Once we have written the story we wanted to read, there will be time to consider who else would enjoy it too, and what we night need to tweak to make that better. But chances are, if we are excited about the story, we're already more than halfway there.