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.
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!