Since it’s the fourth of July, I thought it fitting that I write something about freedom. No, I’m not going to wax poetic about the men and women who’ve served their country and lost their lives or about the soldiers, who are still out there serving today. We each have to come to terms with that particular aspect of life.
The kind of freedom I’m referring to today is writing freedom. When I first started writing, I didn’t know anything about the business end of publishing. My only concern was finishing a book. I wrote what I was familiar with, which happened to be historical romance. I was fifteen years old at the time and actually turned that book in as part of a creative writing class assignment. It would take several more years (and writing classes), before I’d eventually take writing seriously.
I was fortunate that my first publishing experience allowed me to write anything I wanted. There were no boxes to fit in, no genres to chase. I could write whatever popped into my head. This gave me the freedom to experiment. And experiment, I did. I wrote historicals, time-travels, fantasies, sci-fi’s and contemporaries. Once I landed my first N.Y. publishing contract, the experimenting stopped. I was told by various experts that I needed to focus on one or two genres to build an audience. I do think that’s good advice…as long as you don’t stop experimenting on the side.
For some reason, and I’m as guilty as the next, most published writers stop believing they have the freedom to write whatever they want once they sign a contract. They build their little world in a genre or two and find themselves unable to escape their own construction. I realize there are outside influences that come into play once you’re published, but ultimately, they are not the ones in control. Although it’s easy to believe that’s the case.
Lately, I’ve encountered a lot of miserable writers. A portion of their misery is due to work load. Many are taking on extra projects to keep their income steady and their families fed. Others have fallen into the faux trap of believing they have to write a specific type of book in order to stay published. That was me three years ago. I’d fallen into that trap. I had convinced myself the only way I’d stay published was if I wrote similar books to what I’d produced in the beginning. Fortunately, the book that hounded me wouldn’t go away. It brow beat me until I wrote it.
It was during the process of writing that book I rediscovered freedom. It tasted and felt so good that I made myself promise not to lose sight of it again. I’d like to believe I have stayed true to that promise. I now write whatever takes my fancy, while remaining conscious of commercial viability. I try not to worry about my publishers disliking my work until it’s submitted for consideration. (That’s when I sweat major bullets. *g*) I’ve found it’s the only way I can stay true to my vision and write the things that I want to write, the things that I NEED to write. Having the freedom to write the stories that I want to write, keeps me sane in this business. It also allows me to enjoy the act of writing, which is something I didn’t do when I felt trapped.
So next time you’re feeling imprisoned by your writing, look around, the keys to freedom are always within you.
We have a saying in business development
that goes something like this…
‘In order to do a great job,
you must risk losing that job.’
When your task is innovation,
you’re going to get it wrong
from time to time
and then
you’ll get your a$$ fired.
If you want job security,
go into another field.
I think that applies to the creative arts too.
by Kimber Chin July 4th, 2008 at 8:39 amI have sympathy for writers
trying to balance paying the bills
and
being creative.
A real challenge.
Heh. Here’s to freedom!
by Charlene Teglia July 4th, 2008 at 8:53 amComing back to add, there can be a lot of freedom working within certain constraints/requirements, although it may take some trial and error to find the balance. Commercial viability and artistic expression can work together.
by Charlene Teglia July 4th, 2008 at 10:53 am[...] and editors want fast writers. All very interesting. Even today’s Romancing the Blog post, Freedom, by Jordan Summers references this issue, albeit [...]
by Links « Jorrie Spencer July 4th, 2008 at 1:32 pm[...] You can find me at Romancing the Blog. [...]
by Jordan Summers » Blog Archive » I’m Not Here Today July 4th, 2008 at 2:55 pmKimber, I think it’s easy for authors to forget from time to time that they have at least some power over this great machine. Once you do that, then it’s really hard to get perspective on the situation. That’s why I wrote this entry.
by Jordan July 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pmCharli, I agree. There have just been a lot of authors lately who seem to feel they’ve lost control over the work. (ie what they’re writing or having to write) I’ve heard it on so many sites that I thought it needed to be addressed. One of the scariest things a writer can do is strike out in a bold new direction, but sometimes it’s needed in order to survive mentally in this game.
by Jordan July 4th, 2008 at 3:09 pmGood post, Jordan, and excellent points.
by raine July 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pmAnd good news for those of us who think we might perish if we had to write the same thing over and over and over and…
IIRC, one of the reasons Candice Proctor stopped writing historical Romance is because she was being pressured to keep to one period and area, and she felt stifled. What a loss to the genre her departure was.
by Robin July 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pmThanks Raine. I just think it’s important that writers remember that they can write whatever they want.
by Jordan July 4th, 2008 at 5:14 pmRobin, There is a lot of pressure to keep producing what is selling, which is fine as long as you feel like you have some control over the writing. If not, it’s time to try something different (ie a new genre). I know that doesn’t always make the readers happy though.
by Jordan July 4th, 2008 at 5:16 pmInformative post, Jordan, thank you!
I really hope writers can stay true to their art as much as possible. I understand the need to make a living, but I’m also all for an author *not* jumping the shark.
by Heather July 4th, 2008 at 7:08 pmHeather, I don’t think on a whole a lot of authors jump shark.
by Jordan July 4th, 2008 at 7:13 pmGreat post, Jordan. It’s very tempting to stay with what we know, keep doing what works. It’s a safe place and publisher’s love it. Sometimes, though, we just have to write the book that calls.
by Liz Fielding July 6th, 2008 at 2:34 amMy father was an avid reader. He was also tremendously proud of my determination to write. And the last lesson he taught me before he died was the greatest gift he ever gave me.
The last lesson my father taught was that my muse is a vital part of me and that my happiness only depends on whether I love what I’m doing. That for the stories inside me to shine, they have to be told the way I see them. He taught me that I was standing in my own way, trying to shape those stories into copy cats to fit my perception of industry desires, feeding my own frustration, killing my own personal definition of success. And as long as I was doing that, I could never be happy.
The freedom that understanding gave me was/is priceless. Now, I only contract books I’m dying to write, and when I propose them, I don’t worry about whether the plot points or elements are “acceptable”. I worry about whether I’m going to love writing this story, love being with these characters for the duration of the book. I worry about whether I can do them justice, but I what I don’t worry about is whether this book is commercially viable. It either will or won’t be, but that viability has no place in my creation process.
Oddly though, as soon as I started writing my stories the way I saw them, they sold. One right after the other.
by Sarah McCarty July 6th, 2008 at 8:37 amLiz, That’s the thing. It’s NOT a safe place to stay. It’s an illusion of safety. The market shifts too often for anything to be truly safe, unless you’ve reached the level of Nora, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc. That said, I do understand the temptation.
by Jordan July 6th, 2008 at 3:12 pmSarah, ***The last lesson my father taught was that my muse is a vital part of me and that my happiness only depends on whether I love what I’m doing. ***
Your father was a very wise man. It’s easy to stop loving what you’re doing if you’re not following that muse and writing the stories as you see them. I just wish more writers had the courage to do so. They certainly have the freedom.
by Jordan July 6th, 2008 at 3:19 pm