Last month I talked about needing to find the "New." New voices. New storytelling.
https://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-old-and-new.html
This month, I'm back on the same topic, but different.
I think that I nearly lost something in the art of writing. There's a mindset among so many indie writers at the moment that you must produce to thrive (to even survive). You must climb on the gerbil wheel of telling story and run for all you're worth, hoping you never tire so badly that you fall off the wheel.
"Burn out!"
"Writer's block!"
"Crashed career!"
For crying out loud, I've given conference lectures on this point. They go something like this:
"I call it the Readers' Clock. Amazon is all about big data. And their big data has made them create an algorithm that rewards authors with a higher ranking if they release something every 30 days. Written Word Media (Bargain Booksy & Freebooksy owner) did a survey in which readers said they wanted to hear from an author via newsletter at least once a month. So we've got to hit that clock."
And sure enough, if we do, we see sales take off. Sustainability problems kick in. (But those issues are discussed endlessly in other places, so I won't dwell on them here.)
I suspect that Readers' Clock is even more prevalent in the world of voracious romance readers than other genres, but I know it's in the others as well.
Like last month's post, the question I need to ask is how does this apply to me. I'm prolific. In among all of my novels, I've released a brand new short story every month for the last 5 years. I've certainly been ticking away at the Readers' Clock.
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| http://www.mlbuchman.com/the-ides-of-matt/ |
I also look at the cost to the story itself. Let me really sidetrack here for a moment. There are writers who make a very nice living by telling a common story. They write well, fast, and are entertaining. And there's a sameness to those stories, which many readers find to be a comfort.
This isn't me.
I write to understand the characters, storytelling, and myself in new and different ways that I never had achieved before. I fully believe in the effectiveness of the Readers' Clock. As a reader, I want more stories from my favorite author. And if I don't find it, I'll wander off and find another writer.
But as a reader of people pursuing the Readers' Clock's rhythm, I often see what I would call a Loss of the Art of Storytelling. There becomes such a need to "crank out" story that we forget to "tell," or perhaps even better, "pursue" story. I've had whole manuscripts rejected by my alpha reader for precisely that disease. I made that reader promise me: "If it isn't a step forward, at least in some way, from anything I've ever written--Reject it!" And they have.
It hurts like a punch to the heart. But after the pain, I pull back and I look at the story or the characters and I discover depth, richness, variety, technique, craft--elements I had left out due to thoughtlessness, lack of awareness, skill, whatever.
This whole post has just been me thinking aloud about my own career, so here's my next thought:
The craft, the art of storytelling is the ultimate Readers' Clock. My career is established. It's up and running, but neglect could kill it so easily. Is that neglect in missing some artificial release cycle? No, the true neglect would be losing the art of storytelling. Because good story is why we read.
Lately, I've been trying to think more about why I'm telling a story than how soon can I tell it. I want to discover how to speak to the reader so clearly that my alpha reader will never balk.
I love story. It's why I became a reader. Now, as a writer, I must be eternally vigilant to recall my passion for story ahead of my need to keep boosting sales.
Did I achieve this in my upcoming October 30th release? I like to think so. I explored character types I haven't written before. I added complexity of a villain who has an agenda of her own. And I worked to truly marry my love of romance and my joy of thrillers. Yes, I am pleased. Next, I'm... Well, I'll be pursuing my rediscovered love for the found art of story, I know that much.
Coming October 30th (e-, print, & audio)
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| www.mlbuchman.com/books/midnight-trust/ |
M.L.
"Matt" Buchman has over 50 novels, 70 short stories, and a
fast-growing pile of audiobooks out in the world. M.L. writes romance,
thrillers, and SF&F…so far. Three-times Booklist "Top-10 Romance Novel
of the Year." NPR and B&N "Best 5 Romance of the Year." RITA
finalist. As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has
bicycled solo around the world, he is awed by what's possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.
