Trends, Politics and Publishing

I have been thinking about this for the last couple of days. It all started with a post on social media talking about how the creators of Sesame Street had thought of Bert and Ernie when they were created. This discussion of whether or not Bert and Ernie were/are in a relationship beyond simply being room mates got me thinking of what we see a lot of in publishing - Writers attempting to insert the current political hot topic into their stories.

Now, I fully understand that writers claim this is a way to stay relevant, and yes, there is a part of this that is true. However, it seems that too many writers are focusing so much on the hot topic and not so much about the message and the actual story. The goal of any writer should be to write that great story. IF it happens to fall into some areas that are relevant today, then great! If it doesn't that is fine.

I have honestly lost track of how many projects I have seen in the past several months where authors have been focusing too hard on those current political topics: Me Too, LGBTQ issues, Immigration, Election Fraud... the list goes on and on.

Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that these issues are not important. But when a writer is using these topics as the single focus of the story, they are missing the mark. Many will often claim they are writing these stories because there are no stories out there about the issue. Again, not a reason to write the story. The focus needs to be on the story.

Remember, the writing, the plot, the characters, the setting, the theme, and the conflict make the story.

So, before you start that new project because you saw an issue on TV or social media, stop and ask yourself, where is your focus. Is it the topic, or is it the story.

Topic Selection: The beginning of either a good book or a complete failure

I always find it interesting how many writers seem to believe that the writing we do in the publishing world is somehow different from the writing we do in an academic setting or in the business world. Yes, I know the topics we write about are vastly different. I know we aren't going to submit a business proposal in a French Ballad format. I get that. But, when it comes to composing a story, or composing a business proposal, the same approach to writing is there. 

We have all been exposed to the idea of The Writing Process. We learned it in Junior High. We reviewed it in High School. The odds are we heard it again in English 101. This is the concept that we move through an ordered process to achieve a great piece of writing. We have the Pre-writing phase, the Drafting phase, and finally the Publishing or Post-writing phase. Today, I want to only look at one element in that first phase - TOPIC SELECTION.

I honestly believe that many of the writers out there would have much more success with their writing, both in the writing of their books and certainly the selling and marketing of their books if they spent more time, BEFORE they started writing to consider the topic of their books. I think many of these writers who struggle are probably people who believe in an "organic approach" to their writing. An approach that says, "Let's just start writing and see how it all works out." These are the writers who are hardcore PANTSTERS and there is no way in "you know what" that they will do any planning and plotting. This, in my opinion, is a mistake.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that some of the topics are inherently going to fail. It doesn't matter how much time or energy you put into the story, it is simply not going to work. The topic may be too controversial. The topic may have so many layers to it that it will take 15 novels just to sort it all out (and by the way, this is not a series). 

I do think that many people, when they think of a story to write, are not thinking of the "big picture." They think about a great character, or a couple they can put together. They think of a single scene they love. They find a location and they think they "want to write a story there." Now while you can certainly take this approach, you have to go beyond that before starting. You have to look at it in the big picture of things. Will this work out if expanded to a bigger story. You will notice I am not saying, "I know I can writer 90,000 words." The question is "Can I write 90,000 words on THIS topic?"

Consider this analogy. If I plan a barbecue and have a bad piece of meat, (I'm not talking just tough here, I'm talking maybe stale or rotten) is there anything I can do to save it? Probably not. It doesn't matter how much time and effort I put into it, the meat will not be good. On the reverse side, if I get a gorgeous piece of beef, we're talking the $100.00 hunks of meat, can I screw it up? Yes!

I am not saying that a great topic will automatically lead you to an amazing topic. You can screw it up, and believe me, I have seen a lot of "great ideas" butchered. But, if your topic is pathetic, just expect that failure is just around the corner. 

Topic Selection is Key

I honestly have to question the brain activity of some authors when I read submissions. No, don't panic if you are someone who just submitted and haven't heard back. I am not necessarily talking about you here. What confuses me is the amount of time people will spend on their manuscripts with storylines that are just plain stupid. Sorry, but there is no way to say it in a nicer tone. Frankly, some of the storylines I have seen are just garbage. What is more frustrating is that many of the authors have a great writing style. So what happened?

All of this comes down to topic selection. As an author, whether you are a pantster or a plotter, you need to sit down and really think through your story before you get going. You need to decide on a story that is honestly a worthwhile story to tell. I don't care how much time you spend writing it. I don't care how well your C.P. loves the story, you have to sell it to the agents and the editors. Although we joked about it in October with the Alien Vampire Bunny contest, this is just what Kate Duffy was talking about when she referred to stupid stories.

I honestly think the biggest issue stems from authors who begin with characters instead of the plot. In an attempt to get "the hunkiest" guy, or the most amazing K-A heroine, they forget these characters have to do something in the story. The plot is the road they have to take together throughout the novel. If that story is impractical or awkward, all of the hard work (which I really doubt was there) on your characters will be wasted.

Go back to your basics from literature class and remember plot, characters, setting and theme. All of these elements have to work in harmony together. You don't want your reader, especially an agent or editor to keep asking "Why did you do this?" or "So what?" You want them to enjoy.

So please, before you send out that next project, really look at the storyline. Is this really a worthwhile story to tell?

Scott