Finding Your Writing Niche Is In the Mirror
Posted: Monday, March 09, 2009
by Mike Fak
http://mikefak.com
A get a lot of responses to my free writing critique offered at my home website.
Almost all the time I get a statement that says something like, "Please be honest", or "Please be brutally frank."
Now I understand the effort a person can pour into a book and although I will give honest feedback I don't care to jump on anyone's writing. I also won't tell them they are the next Steinbeck or Louisa May Alcott either unless I think they really are.
For the most part, I get work from people about a genre that rarely if ever will receive interest from the real publishing world.
They have written or are writing about politics or religion or society but they don't seem to realize that those topics are already flooded by manuscripts being written by heavily credentialed writers in those same fields.
I once wrote that a great book about animal care written by a truck driver will be thrown aside rather than a poorly written one by a famous veterinarian. The same is in all cases. Major agencies and publishers look for people whose experience, education and previous work show they have knowledge about the field they have written. It's a tough reality but it is there.
In the case of fiction, I see a great deal of mimicking of Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings these days. I also get a note that the section of the work they sent me is the first of an entire series of books they plan to produce. A great deal of Tolkien's fame came after he was gone and J.K. Rowling is an extreme exception to the rule of becoming a major fantasy writer. I also explain that if Rowling's first book wasn't so well written, there never would have been one sequel let alone as many as there are.
And so I explain to these writers to forget about sequels and concentrate on their first book which still needs work. Again a reality people don't like to be told.
The most common question I get is how someone can break into the print media. The stories of newspapers and magazines right now show a grim reality of lost jobs. Seasoned veterans of years on the job are being laid off or fired. Those that are left have their work now available through pools or parent publishing companies that can be picked up for free or just a few dollars from associated newspapers. There are still reporter jobs and specialty reporter jobs around but columnist work is not a field for any real money right now.
I always tell these people that they should start in the local paper with letters to the editor about things happening locally. From there they have a chance to gain a foothold as a local columnist. But the odds of becoming associated with the paper and making enough to call it a career is almost non-existent in this day and age.
As with those who want to be columnists or authors I always recommend they write about the one thing they are the world's leading expert on: themselves.
Perhaps they have overcome great obstacles in their lives. Maybe they have a funny streak in them and can tell stories with humor. Maybe they were witness to an important time in our history and can give a firsthand telling of that experience.
Those subjects, linked to their own lives, or about their own lives, is where the best chance of becoming a professional writer or author lie.
I'm not sure how many vanity publishers there are out there right now but I have read statistics that state tens of thousands of books are being printed each year that never make it to a bookstore's shelves. To hear from so many that have had a dream crushed by these publishing sharks saddens me. They were taken advantage of because they didn't want to hear the truth. They didn't want to write about the best topic they have to share with us: their own lives.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Mike, I am so glad you wrote this article. What you say here about writing about the one thing we are the world's leading expert on: ourselves is right on. I know this and even believe it, however, I still struggle so much with writing about myself. I try but find it really hard.Becoming so self-absorbed to a point where I think everyone is interested in my life and what is happening in it is probably one of my greatest fears. I am in the process of writing a manuscript and my publicist wants me to write a lot more about myself. I have no problem writing about my personal weaknesses, life’s struggles, mistakes and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, but every time I get to writing the things I’ve been able to achieve or the day to day happenings of my life, I can’t write. It just doesn’t feel right to me.I love myself and my life: where and who I came from, who I have become and continue to grow into, so it’s not like I am hiding or running away from anything. My dilemma is where do I draw that line between it being about me and it being about the reader? Between egocentricism /ego massaging and using my own life’s experiences to inspire others?
I’ve read many of your articles and I know you to be one of the most emotionally mature, level headed and balanced people I know, any suggestions/advice from you will be very much appreciated.
Thank you for writing this piece. I apologize in advance for leaving a lengthy comment.Hi Christine. No need to apologize for this long comment or anything else of yours I have read. You are rock-solid strightforward. That is a strength to enjoy.I often help with memoirs and your thoughts are almost always asked by those I coach.I answer by explaining that in order to complete each individual life-lesson you are writing about you need to finish the equation by telling readers why or how that has made you better. Yes that means a little self-indulgent praise but as long as you keep an honest balance with what made you worse, if only temporarily, a reader will relate to you.I have found people who fear displaying too much ego are much more readable than those who can just go on about themselves 'ad infinitum'.I do understand the complexity of explaining success as even in this simple little column, I felt the pang of "So what makes you such an authority".But as you can see I submitted this and your kind response tells me I should just listen to my mind and my heart, just like you can so ably do.No one who writes doesn't have a ego. In even the simplest of stories a writer is saying 'Hey read what I have to say'.Good luck and just tell it like it isMikeIn even the simplest of stories a writer is saying 'Hey read what I have to say'. Bull-eye! I think I am really afraid of my own ego... and that's why I try to keep it in check... :-)I am glad I asked, glad for your response and even Dianne’s comment below. I am not alone stepping on my own two feet. I’ll take your advice and concentrate on finding that honest balance by listening to my mind and my heart -both. Not easy though having to do this and making sure I get out a book about me that people not only want to read but will actually want to spend money on. I have a strong feeling I’ll be coming to you for some professional advice/help at some point.Thank you for your response and for your very kind words. I’ll do my best to tell like it is! Feel free to hold me accountable and hit me with a reality check when you see me self-indulging ad infinitum. I need it from time to time…:- )Thanks agian. We all need to be set back from time to time.I had an old forty year editor that said it best when he said I was better than most but not as good as many. That says it all. It helps keep my in line from time to time.Writing a book is a very strange situation. First it is an honor if just one person finds the time to spend a bit of their life reading what you are saying...but to be successful it takes many more readers...so all of us have to have egos. As long as we worry about how big ours is getting we will be fine.
Hi Mike.I'm glad that Christine left her lengthy comment. She said so many of the things that bother me from time to time. As most people who read my articles know, they are primarily about me, me, me and me. I even manage to get me into the jewelry making tutorials that I write from time to time.I pretty much knew from the title where you were going with your article, but I was hoping you might also say something about writing in a genre you read a lot and are very familiar with. But you sort of said the opposite by noting all the JKR and Tolkien wannabe's.I am eagerly awaiting your reply to Christine's excellent comment.DianneHi Dianne. Your strength is sharing those little nuggets of your life with all of us.I don't mean to say a person can't write and write well about a genre, especially one they love. It's just that it is very, very hard to get that work accepted or even looked at by serious publishers without some kind of contact or foot in the door.The world of big publishers is so busy with pundits and sensational stories that a newbie has it tough. In the world of sci-fi and fantasy they are a multitude of pulp writers grabing templates and spitting out decent selling paperbacks that make those genre's tough to break in to.Keep the stories coming. I enjoy your honesty and the fact you see the stories that some people just don'tMikeHi Mike.Thanks for your responses to both my and Christine's comments. They are very helpful and encouraging.I'm going to copy and past it all into a document for when I need inspiration and encouragement to keep plugging away at it. I'm going to call it "Mike Fak's Nuggets of Wisdom." And I mean that sincerely.Thanks again,DianneAlways happy to converse. I recommend you title them, "Mike Fak's 'tiny' nuggets of wisdom."
Thank you for your encouraging article along with the wonderful comments made by all. I had never really thought about writing, let alone writing a book. I started writing little snippets because of my daughter's encouragement or should I say badgering and I must say I am so glad I did, although I am not sure if I will continue to write. Writing has brought me a new lease on life and for that I am thankful. I always feel like I reveal too much and people are not really interested in my thoughts or feelings. Yes, I too have that ego, I call her King Baby and when she cries to be on top I tell myself that I am what and where I am because of God's grace and that helps me keep right size. Looking forward to your next article.
Thank you,
Linda DThanks for sharing Linda. Yes for many writing can be a relaxing hobby. It can even make you more aware of yourself as you will find that your fingers know a lot more about your emotions and thoughts than your conscious self sometimes realizes.Sometimes I write something just to myself, for myself, to exorcise an old demon that has been around too long.Keep writing and sharing.Mike
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