Of fiction and fairy-tale
I have a lot of judgment inside of me, which was one reason to start writing. Here are some unfiltered opinions on writing.
Writers tend to write about writing quite often. Most contemporary fiction in the first-person narrative has a protagonist who writes about their experiences of love and hate, resulting in said book. For as long as I can recall, I have felt the overwhelming urge to write a piece of work that would make others feel what certain novels make me feel. This is a confusing set of sentences to follow, I am aware, which makes me an unreliable potential writer. What stops me from writing this down is
1) the lack of a storyline from start to finish,
2) the lack of a dedicated audience that would make my book an NYT bestseller (for what the title is worth), and
3) laziness.
I have seen my fair share of budding writers in high school, I have had my fair share of ventures in writing. I still see a few poets pop up here and there with a self-published book. (Do they realize that they are robbing themselves of the promise that comes with an actual debut?) The problem with writers of the generation is that there are too many of them, the market is saturated with people who have low-quality, aesthetically pleasing things to say. The market is also saturated with people whose favourite book is the Harry Potter series, because that’s the last (and possibly only) book they read. This audience is not interested in buying your poetry collection because frankly, who reads poetry?
I try to spend some time reading every month. It helps that the IIM Ahmedabad library is very well stocked with something for everyone’s taste. It also helps that they welcome book suggestions from members of the institution. (Members, please use this facility!) It is not only a calming activity, but also helps me make time for myself and have an actual personality. I think I will get a new Kindle soon, though.
I recently picked up Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, which is a collection of essays penned down in 2015 (translated to English in 2022). The substance of the book is Murakami talking about making a career out of writing over a period of three decades and the kind of dedication that takes, beyond talent and inspiration. One might not have a story to tell, but writing regularly and producing successful novels consistently is a cultivated skill.
This brings me to another of my favourite rant topics, the Despicable Wattpad-ization of Romance by Colleen Hoover. To give you a brief overview of her discography, she has had 6 books come out since the pandemic started. That’s one book every six months. To give you a reference point, Taylor Swift, who is re-recording her releases pre-Lover era, has only had 5 albums come out since the pandemic started. As one would expect, the books lack any plotline, and are simply thriving off of the success of It Ends With Us in all its toxic glory. In fact, Rupi Kaur (of Milk and Honey fame) walked so that Colleen Hoover could strut on the runway of commercialized fiction.
To clarify, my problem is not with fiction increasingly becoming a part of popular culture. I welcome it. It is heart-warming to watch the gatekeeping loosen up enough for literature to be understood as influential content. Sally Rooney (again, controversial) is an example of this. However, when art starts being created to fit what is selling, it cheapens the quality of it. This contradicts the first part of this blog, that why would one write something that no one wants to read? I think there is a difficult balance involved here.
What is this balance? I wish I knew. To be able to crack it someday would be a dream. The urge to write something remains constrained by this unknown subject. I comfort myself with the facts that Murakami did not write Hear The Wind Sing until he was 29, and that I would have more interesting times to write about than I do right now. Until then, I will whine and absorb and judge and dance.