Thoughts on Writing #47: Different Strokes.: seanan

Thoughts on Writing #47: Different Strokes.

Welcome to the forty-seventh essay in my fifty-essay series on the art, craft, business, and occasional insanity that is writing. All fifty of the essays in this series are based around my original fifty thoughts on writing, which means I only have three essays to go. Hooray! Our thought for today:

Thoughts on Writing #47: Different Strokes.

And now, because context is king, our expanded thought:

It's okay to be silly. It's okay to be serious, too. If a serious writer sniffs at you for writing comedy, or a comic writer tries to call you a stick in the mud, laugh. You're the one who's doing the writing.

There's this amazing tendency among humans to go "what I'm doing is awesome, what you're doing is not." We apply it to everything, from flavors of ice cream to professional callings. The thing is, it's very rarely fair. We're almost never comparing two roller coasters, one of which has a triple inversion and a great storyline, the other of which has gone three days without killing a park guest. Instead, we're comparing kittens and puppies, apples and oranges, and sometimes, kittens and oranges. So how do we handle things with grace?

Today we're going to be talking about apples and oranges, why both are awesome, and why no one gets to tell you which one to put in your lunch box.

Ready? Good. Let's begin.

Apples and Oranges.

Humans are very fond of comparing things. We often want to know, without a doubt, that one thing is intrinsically superior to another, and we're perfectly happy to keep comparing until we achieve the nirvana of perfection. Sometimes, this can lead to some pretty silly comparisons. Was my trip to Disney World better than your Alaskan cruise? I'm going to say yes, for me, and no, for you (unless you were seasick the entire time, and will be joining me at Disney World in the future). No two of us are standing in the exact same spot. Unless we're comparing things which are functionally the same, and thus need to cater to the same sets of expectations, standards, and qualities, we're never going to come to a perfect consensus. And maybe not even then! I doubt most people give Disney World extra credit for being filled with lizards.

It is okay to like what you like. It is okay to do what you do. And if what you like, and what you do, don't happen to match up with what the people around you like or do, that's okay too.

(Please note that this is not me endorsing, say, mass murder. It's just that we're all reasonable sapients here, you can probably guess what I am and am not endorsing. If not, ask yourself, "Would Kate allow Seanan to do this?")

When someone presents you with an apples and oranges comparison—my science fiction thriller to your romantic comedy, say, or your coming of age story to Jim's wacky princess adventure—the only way to win is not to play. Remember that the world is huge, and it has room for all kinds of things in it. Apples and oranges. And that's okay.

Actual Quality.

Now, this doesn't mean that you don't have to be the best apple you can be. If you hand me a rotten apple, I stop judging "apple vs. orange: intrinsic value," and start judging "apple vs. orange: is it going to kill me." You need to tell the best story you can tell, regardless of whether it's an apple, an orange, or some strange new hybrid fruit. People will still prefer what they prefer, but even the most rabid apple-eater can sometimes be lured by a nice enough orange. It works the other way, too. Focus on quality rather than focusing on labels, and no matter what you come up with, it will be delicious.

This Fruit Metaphor Is Getting Silly.

Yes, it is. But that's actually part of the point.

Dismissing anyone else's preferred genre for reasons other than "the work is of poor quality" is just as silly as today's metaphor, and has much longer-lasting implications. You cannot force someone with a naturally comic turn of phrase to become dire and dark; if they're going to grow into that kind of writer, it needs to happen one word at a time. And you can't force someone very serious to become a comedian at the snap of your fingers. Lovecraft was never going to create the Discworld. For which we can all be grateful.

Write your stories, your way. Be amazing.

That's all you have to do.

rhoda_rants

August 14 2012, 20:22:40 UTC 4 years ago

New comment

Lovecraft was never going to create the Discworld. For which we can all be grateful.

Oh dear. The places my mind just went.

Great thoughts as usual, Seanan. It's been a while since you did the essay thing. I love reading these.

dewline

August 14 2012, 21:23:27 UTC 4 years ago

That quote could cause a few cerebral hemorrhages, yeah.

ironed_orchid

4 years ago

seanan_mcguire

pointedulac

August 14 2012, 21:15:23 UTC 4 years ago

This is an awesome essay, fruit metaphors and all.

Thanks!

August 16 2012, 16:09:42 UTC 4 years ago

Welcome!

anne_d

August 14 2012, 21:23:34 UTC 4 years ago

I don't write, but I do create things, and I love your attitude. I also love your way with words, but then, that's why you're a writer and I'm not. If that makes sense.

Also and too, snortle at Lovecraft was never going to create the Discworld. For which we can all be grateful.. Very true, and what a beautifully horrible idea.

August 16 2012, 16:10:05 UTC 4 years ago

Yay!

Charles Ellis

August 14 2012, 22:49:46 UTC 4 years ago

Lovecraft was never going to create the Discworld. For which we can all be grateful.

So, am I the only one who thinks that could have been awesome? Lovecraft did write comedy on occasion. "Sweet Ermengarde" and "Pacifist War Song" come to mind.

August 15 2012, 01:48:51 UTC 4 years ago

Did he intend it as comedy?

mac_arthur_park

August 14 2012, 23:18:39 UTC 4 years ago

Thanks for the pep talk. I've actually been fretting that what I'm working on is too out there (two words: telepathic chihuahua).

lysystratae

August 15 2012, 02:02:23 UTC 4 years ago

I'd give it a look; one of my favorite series has a dog that thinks he's the reincarnation of Elvis.

leesalogic

August 14 2012, 23:57:50 UTC 4 years ago

Sometimes it's too easy to get caught up in "my side, your side" with my passions, but then I tell myself that this world is great because there are so many different things to experience and that I would be sad if I had too much of the same.

August 16 2012, 16:10:39 UTC 4 years ago

Exactly.

dragonsally

August 15 2012, 00:16:13 UTC 4 years ago

Lovecraft would have had a ball with Long Earth!

August 16 2012, 16:10:51 UTC 4 years ago

...scary because it's true.

labelleizzy

saoba

August 15 2012, 02:19:47 UTC 4 years ago

Many excellent points.

(My immediate reaction to Lovecraftian Discworld was 'Eek! Bitey Luggage from the deep!')

marence

August 15 2012, 16:08:31 UTC 4 years ago

(My immediate reaction to Lovecraftian Discworld was 'Eek! Bitey Luggage from the deep!')

I want to read that story.

phoenix_singing

jamileigh17

August 15 2012, 03:15:14 UTC 4 years ago

Ah, my old nemesis, confirmation bias!
And I think I need to take this line and put it up on my writing wall. "Write your stories, your way. Be amazing."

August 16 2012, 16:11:13 UTC 4 years ago

Go for it.

gwyd

August 15 2012, 06:30:13 UTC 4 years ago

Wait, Disney World is full of lizards? Now I want to go!

August 16 2012, 16:11:23 UTC 4 years ago

So. Many. Lizards.

Deleted comment

August 16 2012, 16:11:33 UTC 4 years ago

Awesome!

mardott

August 15 2012, 16:29:46 UTC 4 years ago

Life is too short to worry to about critics who are unhappy that you didn't do what THEY wanted.

My first book was SF time travel / romance about the Titanic. Because I was in several Titanic historical groups, there were many Titanic experts whose noses were too high for them to give the book a chance. One even begged me to create a time machine so I could go back in time and not write this book. That was just based on the blurb. He hadn't read the book, of course.

My opinion is that he'd be happier sticking to genres he enjoys reading, and let others who like SF/time travel/romance enjoy my book. There are many of this persuasion who are also in Titanic groups.

August 16 2012, 16:11:45 UTC 4 years ago

Agreed, on all points.

biguglymandoll

August 16 2012, 02:25:25 UTC 4 years ago Edited: August 16 2012, 02:26:14 UTC

Reading the comments above, I'm just glad I'm not the only one whose train of thought totally derailed at "Lovecraft was never going to create the Discworld." I'd pay real money to watch Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg face down Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth while the Luggage ravages the dead streets of R'lyeh.

August 16 2012, 16:11:57 UTC 4 years ago

...

Me, too.

biteybatgirl

August 16 2012, 03:43:13 UTC 4 years ago

I always wanted to be a true literary author- Pulitzer prize, Man Booker prize, and Nobel prize all lined up nicely on the mantelpiece. At the end of the day, however, I don't much care to read those types of books and I certainly don't have the talent and mindset to write them.

Does this bother me? Sometimes.

Does life go on? Absolutely.

I write what makes me happy and I write the kind of stuff that I would want to read. :-)

August 16 2012, 16:12:09 UTC 4 years ago

I think that's a good place to be. :)

azurelunatic

August 16 2012, 06:10:06 UTC 4 years ago

And further extending the fruit metaphor far past the breaking point, just as making sure that any pesticides, bird crap, and/or spiders are not actually on the part of the fruit that is going in your mouth (spiders can be brushed off gently in many cases, unless the spider is larger than the actual fruit, in which case, the spider can have the fruit), basic spelling and mechanics check is an excellent choice no matter what genre. (No. Seriously. The spider can have that tangerine. Outside, preferably.)