Do books make us better people? - a post by Nicole

I don’t know about you guys, but I have spent the last month and a half thinking about that study that came out about how reading literary fiction leads to greater empathy and social intelligence. Has everybody seen this from the NY Times? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/i-know-how-youre-feeling-i-read-chekhov/

I had such a strong reaction to this news. At first I felt kind of smug about it. Shouldn’t we all be proud that our work has some real social value? If you read or write literary fiction, you may be actively contributing to making the world a better place! As a reader, you may respond to someone in your life with greater compassion and understanding—or through your work, you may be making others more compassionate to each other. Isn’t that amazing? Even if the advances for literary fiction tend to be rather low…and even if these kinds of books typically don’t sell hundreds of thousands of copies…Hey, wait! Why aren’t more people reading literary fiction? They really should be.

After thinking it over, I started to question the results of the study. It seems they didn’t include non-fiction books that were person-centered. Certainly there are many non-fiction books that might also lead to increased empathy (for example, THE STORY OF MY LIFE by Helen Keller). And while the study suggests that commercial fiction may not have the same effect (one of the head researchers of the study speculates that it may be because commercial fiction is more plot-driven, or perhaps the characters are less nuanced and complex—more “sympathetic,” which is admittedly can make for more pleasurable reading but may not force our brains to work as hard)…Does that mean that commercial fiction is less socially valuable?

Then I felt a little bit annoyed. Who cares if literary fiction makes us better people? Is that really why we read or write?  And does everything have to be sanctioned by science to be worthwhile? Does reading or writing have to have some practical value to make it an okay way to spend our (rapidly diminishing) free time? Can’t we just read for pleasure, for escape? For no good reason at all?

The whole thing really made me stop and think about why we read—why I read. Books have been a big part of my life ever since I was a little kid, riding to the library on my bicycle with the streamers on the handlebars and the empty basket that I would load up with books of all kinds. Reading was—and continues to be—a way to understand the world and the confusing, flawed, and beautiful people in it. Without books…well, I might not be lost, but I certainly wouldn’t be who I am today. And if nothing else, I’d be bored.

My favorite part about reading has been the opportunity to feel connected with rich, complex, nuanced characters. I still remember characters in books that have meant so much to me that they have made me want to emulate them (for example, Atticus Finch in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD). Characters in books have helped me to contextualize the behavior of some people I might otherwise just think are awful (for example, the narrator of Dostoyevsky’s NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND). Sometimes characters are morally flawed, “bad” people, but we like them anyway. Just like in real life.

If I had just one piece of advice for writers of any kind of book—literary or commercial, fiction or nonfiction—it would be not to neglect the people in them. Put time into character development. Your sentences may be elegant, your plot perfectly structured…but without characters who feel real and who jump off the page, the story will probably fall flat.

Does it matter if literary fiction makes us more empathic? I don’t know. Maybe not. We don’t necessarily read to become better people, nor do we write to make the world a better place.  But if you take time on character development, you really can’t go wrong.

What do you think? How do you breathe life into your characters? Do you have any tips to share with other writers here?

Is the stress getting to you? A post by Nicole

Yes, we love our work. And yes, we are lucky to be doing something we are so passionate about. But there is no avoiding the fact that this whole business of writing and getting books published can be a very stressful endeavor. 

As a writer, you carefully hone your craft, you pour your heart and soul into your work, you start down the path of seeking representation and getting your book out there…and then inevitably…you wait. You wait for trusted readers to get back to you with comments, you wait for agents to respond to your queries, you wait for editors to respond to your submissions with (hopefully!) an offer, you wait for your book to be published, you wait for reviews and sales figures…and all this waiting can really get to you.

In my years working in the publishing business, I have seen writers, agents, and editors alike who simply cannot take the pressure. Sometimes they give up and do something else with their lives, and sometimes the anxiety gets to them and they end up doing something hasty that they live to regret. Please don’t let this happen to you!

Here are some tips and ideas for these anxious times:

Seek out support
If you are not a member of a writer’s group, find one. Writing is such a solitary business. Sometimes the best way to deal with anxiety and fear of rejection is to seek out other people who know first-hand what you’re going through. Writer buddies can listen empathically and help to calm you down before you unintentionally lose your cool. You can get advice from people who have gone before you, and even better, you can get valuable feedback on your work along the way.

Keep your goals realistic
It’s hard to survive in this business without ambition. Ambition will help you recover from rejection along the way and allow you to bravely put yourself out there again and again. However, there are times when it’s appropriate to rein it in a bit. If you expect nothing less from yourself than an instant New York Times bestseller or critical recognition that you have just written the next great American novel, you may find yourself feeling frustrated.  Keeping your goals realistic will take some of the pressure off the process and allow you to enjoy the small victories along the way.

Don’t hit send on that email!
We’ve all seen the disaster that can result when a person caves to anxiety and sends off an emotional email without thinking it through. I’ve seen many talented writers fall into this trap, destroying potentially valuable relationships with people who really are there to help. Writers seem to be particularly vulnerable to this—maybe it’s because for so many of us the written word has become an important—sometimes our only—emotional outlet. I’m not saying those feelings you have aren’t completely valid or that you don’t have every right to be upset about whatever the issue may be… But it’s better practice to keep electronic communication with people in this business straightforward, brief, polite, and professional. If there’s a delicate situation that needs to be handled, please don’t hit send without speaking with your agent or a trusted friend about it and considering possible repercussions. This brings me to another important point…

Mind your manners
Publishing is a small business, and relationships are important. Don’t forget to be kind, polite, and thoughtful to everyone you interact with along the way. That lowly editorial assistant may not seem to have much clout, but in fact, she may be the one quietly advocating for your book behind the scenes. Also, since publishing tends to use an apprenticeship model, consider this: she may turn out to be one of those big shot people making the decisions one day. Take the time to learn her name, and don’t forget to thank her for the little things she does on your behalf, even if it’s just taking a message or responding to your email.  

Throw yourself into the next project
When you’re stuck waiting, don’t just sit there biting your nails. Instead, why not indulge in an all-consuming hobby that takes you to new worlds and eats up all your anxious thought processes? In other words, write another book! It will be a good distraction, and chances are as soon as you throw yourself into a new project with new characters, your old project will sell. 

Remember it’s not just you
As a writer, you are not the only one sitting on pins and needles, hoping that people will fall in love with your work. Although we may try very hard to project calm and confidence, the truth is nearly every agent and editor I know shares these feelings of anxious uncertainty from time to time. When we agents fall in love with a manuscript and put ourselves out there with an offer of representation…we want you to like us. We may spend the day anxiously checking our email and voice messages, hoping you’ll decide to let us represent you. When we send out your manuscript, we hope editors will fall in love with your work too—and we read into every little communication with them. When editors do fall in love with your work, those editors may anxiously wonder if their offer is attractive enough to make you choose them over some other publishing house. They want you to like them too. Then, of course, we all wait around together, biting our nails, hoping the readers out there will love your work as much as we do and validate all our efforts.

Hang in there! You’re not alone.