Writing is like dawn and dusk-one has to give way for other, and both cannot rule at the same time. I was reading Aryn's "The God Of Animals" and was inspired by how powerful her story is. See, most readers love happy endings and they love it when something good happens to a character, but when the character is in pain and endures so much suffering and depression, then research shows that most readers hate the book. It's no wonder romance stories, adventures, crime stories all sell more than any other books. If you look at the New York Times Bestseller list (http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-01-15/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/list.html ) you'll find this to be true, with only two or three having some hint of the issues humans face.
So, what is the truth about writing?
I believe that beauty lies in both good and bad. It is there more so in the bad-and for anyone to dare look on the bright side even when things are wrong it surely means a lot. My background in Literature makes me question some of the best books ever written, or better yet some of the characters that have left a mark in my memory. I do wonder if books like Romeo and Julie, Hamlet, The Kite Runner, Gone with The Wind, Evening News, The Tale of Kasaya, The River Between, Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, The River and the Source, The FountainHead, Angela's Ashes, A Tale of Two Cities, Ulysses, Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment- I wonder really if all these books are happy-go-lucky books.
See, the thing I cherish most about great books and better yet even great writer is their ability to show a character for who they really are. For lets be honest- a character that depicts a person possesses strengths and weaknesses, how else could a reader relate to a character who seems perfect? On the other hand, most readers in an attempt to deny the fact that they are imperfect- seek to identify themselves with characters who are sketched as perfect but this only lasts until the last page of a book is turned!
I was going through some of the reviews readers made online about Aryn's book and found it depressing that most stated they hated the book because it was full of pain, depressing and that she did not get some of the details on horses right. But, on reading the book what I felt was the character's experience-the things she went through as a twelve year old and the struggles she witnessed in her Father's ranch, his dream of having children take lessons, and keeping the ranch alive and full of people-all this and the pain of not having her sister around and her Mom struggling with depression-Alice (the main character) struggles to create a world of her own where she decides what happens to her-and though it's sad, isn't this true of all kids? If a child is going through a tough time in their life, they revert to something else that makes the pain go away if only for a moment. Her book captures suffering and also Alice's ability to overcome it without some knight in shining armor coming to her aid, for what it is and isn't that what writing is all about? Isn't teh best writing the one that merges the dawn and dusk in such a way that the reader can learn not one but many things from it?
I don't know what your truth may be about writing, but that's mine and I reckon you can check up on http://www.arynkyle.com for more on The God of Animals.
So, what is the truth about writing?
I believe that beauty lies in both good and bad. It is there more so in the bad-and for anyone to dare look on the bright side even when things are wrong it surely means a lot. My background in Literature makes me question some of the best books ever written, or better yet some of the characters that have left a mark in my memory. I do wonder if books like Romeo and Julie, Hamlet, The Kite Runner, Gone with The Wind, Evening News, The Tale of Kasaya, The River Between, Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, The River and the Source, The FountainHead, Angela's Ashes, A Tale of Two Cities, Ulysses, Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment- I wonder really if all these books are happy-go-lucky books.
See, the thing I cherish most about great books and better yet even great writer is their ability to show a character for who they really are. For lets be honest- a character that depicts a person possesses strengths and weaknesses, how else could a reader relate to a character who seems perfect? On the other hand, most readers in an attempt to deny the fact that they are imperfect- seek to identify themselves with characters who are sketched as perfect but this only lasts until the last page of a book is turned!
I was going through some of the reviews readers made online about Aryn's book and found it depressing that most stated they hated the book because it was full of pain, depressing and that she did not get some of the details on horses right. But, on reading the book what I felt was the character's experience-the things she went through as a twelve year old and the struggles she witnessed in her Father's ranch, his dream of having children take lessons, and keeping the ranch alive and full of people-all this and the pain of not having her sister around and her Mom struggling with depression-Alice (the main character) struggles to create a world of her own where she decides what happens to her-and though it's sad, isn't this true of all kids? If a child is going through a tough time in their life, they revert to something else that makes the pain go away if only for a moment. Her book captures suffering and also Alice's ability to overcome it without some knight in shining armor coming to her aid, for what it is and isn't that what writing is all about? Isn't teh best writing the one that merges the dawn and dusk in such a way that the reader can learn not one but many things from it?
I don't know what your truth may be about writing, but that's mine and I reckon you can check up on http://www.arynkyle.com for more on The God of Animals.
I think so too. Fantastical happy-go-lucky writing puts me to sleep.
ReplyDeleteyeah, there's more to stories than simply happy endings and all that stuff...been trynna prove my pal wrong for years, seems like she believes fairy tales are the best she's ever read.
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