Sunday 27 June 2010

Writing to Form.

I read this tonight in the submission guidelines for a new, small press magazine publisher.

The bulk of our editorial staff and slush readers are products of writer workshops. We suggest it is a fundamental part of the process of producing great fiction.

Fundamental, eh? I don’t think there’s much need for me to comment, except to ask what I suppose is an unanswerable question:

How many of the writers of what is widely accepted to be ‘great fiction’ ever attended a writers’ workshop? Unanswerable maybe, but I think we could make a pretty good guess.

I considered revealing the name of this new publication, but decided against it. It’s pretty dire but I have no wish to mock. No doubt the editors mean well.

5 comments:

KMcCafferty said...

Fair point good sir. When I think of "great" authors (or ones I favour), I don't exactly imagine them sitting in a writers' workshop. But I suppose, "who knows"

JJ said...

Emily Bronte couldn't even spend three months at school without coming close to despair. I suppose you know she was half Irish.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the editor here meant well, as they mean well all over the internet advising on how to get published. There's so much (crippling) advice on how to write a "good query" letter for example, that you will surely stifle all your individuality if you try and follow it. What a breath of fresh air to imagine how Emily would take such advice.

JJ said...

It was the phrase 'a fundamental part of the process' that bothered me, because it effectively says 'this is the only right way.' And then they went on to push the whole beta reader thing. 'Have you had your work read by at least two other people...' etc, etc. Writing by committee is what I call it. How about 'Say what you want to say and back your own judgment, and then don't care if everybody else thinks it's crap.' I just don't know any other way to be.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree. The "writing by committee" idea is part of the commercialization of absolutely everything which is plaguing us. I suppose once in a while an individual manages to get through, so we should be happy about that :):(