A favorite New Yorker cartoon. Group of students on campus:”My writing workshop professor says to write what I know but what I know is writing workshops.”
Maybe the choice is because think their readers see a writer them as creative, imaginative, exciting people, yet tortured by inner demons, trying to express the joy, the sadness, the beauty and horrorof the world. Like a pre-rolled character that only needs to be tweaked any further. Kind of cheating, though.
I try to avoid it in my stories. And I know any time I admitted in a pub to being a writer, it might have got me a very brief status bump, but that devolved quickly into endless questions on what did I write, and that's not what they like, and why don't I write a story about [insert random idea]?
I also have a "never write about writers" rule. I do love some novels about writers (e.g. Apartment by Teddy Wayne), but it's a good personal check against self-indulgence and myopia in my own (fiction) writing.
I suspect a lot of it is the centralization of publishing and the fact most writers come out of Ivy League schools and MFA workshops. The days when you had someone working ten odd jobs (which would of course let them write about those things) and then becoming a writer are over.
A favorite New Yorker cartoon. Group of students on campus:”My writing workshop professor says to write what I know but what I know is writing workshops.”
Maybe the choice is because think their readers see a writer them as creative, imaginative, exciting people, yet tortured by inner demons, trying to express the joy, the sadness, the beauty and horrorof the world. Like a pre-rolled character that only needs to be tweaked any further. Kind of cheating, though.
I try to avoid it in my stories. And I know any time I admitted in a pub to being a writer, it might have got me a very brief status bump, but that devolved quickly into endless questions on what did I write, and that's not what they like, and why don't I write a story about [insert random idea]?
This goes for movies too! No more "movies about the movies."*
*unless your movie stars the Muppets, in which case please do make it about show business
I also have a "never write about writers" rule. I do love some novels about writers (e.g. Apartment by Teddy Wayne), but it's a good personal check against self-indulgence and myopia in my own (fiction) writing.
Yes! It's one thing if the story literally depends on someone being a writer- another example of that is The Shining- but otherwise, get creative!
I suspect a lot of it is the centralization of publishing and the fact most writers come out of Ivy League schools and MFA workshops. The days when you had someone working ten odd jobs (which would of course let them write about those things) and then becoming a writer are over.