The books that make you want to turn in your pen
You writers know that there’s *really* only three kinds of books as far as we’re concerned:
1) The bad ones. We’ve all read them: the books so terrible, so painfully mediocre that every new sentence triggers your gag reflex. Yet...we (occasionally) finish them. They teach us a great deal about what NOT to do. And they leave us blissfully secure of our own future place among the ranks of the published. After all, we think, if this got on the shelves, my book is a sure bet.
2) The good ones. There’s a spectrum, but most of the books we read fall into this category. Some touch us more than others; we find our genres and our favorites and we devour them. Each teaches us something--at least something small--and we close their covers better for the time spent within.
Then there’s 3) The great ones. In the grand scheme of things, there a very few of these, but you know it when you find one. They are beautiful and wise and poignant and true. They leave us painfully aware of our own insignificance, our every weakness in our craft. They make us ask, “Why on earth would anyone want to read my book when there are things like this?”
The thing is, if we never touched this painful third category, our books would all be destined to end up in the first. Every great book challenges us. It helps us define our goals, clarify what we’re aiming for.
It reminds me of my favorite Michelangelo quote: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”
If we don’t reach for the heights, we’ll end up in the gutters. If we do stretch beyond that with which we're comfortable--we may not make it. But we’ll be that much closer for having tried.
(If you’re wondering... yes, I did just read a book in category #3. It was To Kill a Mockingbird, which somehow, amazingly, I had never read before. For a while, I kind of wanted to go burn everything I’d ever written. But I’m doing better now. I merely want to revise everything I’ve ever written...)
1) The bad ones. We’ve all read them: the books so terrible, so painfully mediocre that every new sentence triggers your gag reflex. Yet...we (occasionally) finish them. They teach us a great deal about what NOT to do. And they leave us blissfully secure of our own future place among the ranks of the published. After all, we think, if this got on the shelves, my book is a sure bet.
2) The good ones. There’s a spectrum, but most of the books we read fall into this category. Some touch us more than others; we find our genres and our favorites and we devour them. Each teaches us something--at least something small--and we close their covers better for the time spent within.
Then there’s 3) The great ones. In the grand scheme of things, there a very few of these, but you know it when you find one. They are beautiful and wise and poignant and true. They leave us painfully aware of our own insignificance, our every weakness in our craft. They make us ask, “Why on earth would anyone want to read my book when there are things like this?”The thing is, if we never touched this painful third category, our books would all be destined to end up in the first. Every great book challenges us. It helps us define our goals, clarify what we’re aiming for.
It reminds me of my favorite Michelangelo quote: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”
If we don’t reach for the heights, we’ll end up in the gutters. If we do stretch beyond that with which we're comfortable--we may not make it. But we’ll be that much closer for having tried.
(If you’re wondering... yes, I did just read a book in category #3. It was To Kill a Mockingbird, which somehow, amazingly, I had never read before. For a while, I kind of wanted to go burn everything I’d ever written. But I’m doing better now. I merely want to revise everything I’ve ever written...)
I'm not sure how many times I've read "To Kill A Mockingbird" - but I think each time you read it, you glean something more. It's a beautiful, raw, emotional experience to read it. A definite classic.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a really good book right now set in the time period I write, and I keep thinking, "Why can't I write like this?" But then I have to remind myself that I must use MY voice and not someone else's. Chances are, the author probably has writers he, too, wishes he could emulate.
Good point! I always love finding out what author great authors did emulate--I've begun reading George MacDonald lately after learning how much he influenced some of my own favorites: Tolkien, Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. (And he IS amazing!)
DeleteWhat's interesting about TKAM is that it's the only book Harper Lee ever had published. Writing like that isn't something that can be achieved in a two- to four-book-a-year schedule. I wonder how much she'd struggle to break into today's market that seems more interested in quantity.
ReplyDeleteSuch a deep post today! Wow. I love it. And I love how you broke it down into three categories. It makes me rethink my own perspective for sure.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I could've written that post ... except not as coherently. Yes, it's the #3s that make you wonder whether it's right to add to the pile of vast mediocrity.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I remember that there are some stories that only I can write. Maybe they'll never reach a #3, but these stories still need an audience (of more than one). And out comes my red pen too!
Wonderful post! I believe Mockingbird is the only thing Lee ever published, but what a book! Magnificent.
It makes me think of Oscar Wilde's saying that "We all are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars".
ReplyDeleteMichelangelo's quote is one of my favorites. It really makes you pause and reevaluate your goals.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE To Kill a Mockingbird! It's one of my top favorite books for sure; I re-read it every few years and love it more each time!
This is so spot on, Faith! Those "greats" do challenge us to be better and I'm glad they exist -- though I've been in the same spot where a book has made me want to burn everything I've ever written. ha ha! Now, go revise! :D
ReplyDeleteHmmm, blogger is being weird and not letting me respond to comments individually. So:
ReplyDeleteLaurel: Isn't that amazing? It's hard to believe that Harper Lee didn't have other gorgeous stories ready to burst out. But it's obvious that she put her heart and soul into her one.
Jessie: I don't know about deep. :) But I'm always glad to write something that makes us all think!
Vijaya: Yes, there are stories only you can write, and that IS the main thing that keeps us going. (And I'm so glad I had the chance to read one of your, unique, had-to-be-told stories!)
Rose: Someday I will come up with something for which an appropriate Wilde quote cannot be found. Someday. It might take a while...
Laura: I already want to reread it! :)
Amy: Yep, revising now. :)
I also love that every person has different books that fall into these different categories. I know what you mean about immediately wanting to put the pen down after reading a gorgeous book but I always find that those are the books that inspire me to pick up the pen and write better. And now I feel I must re-read To Kill A Mockingbird. It's been a long time. Such a beautiful book.
ReplyDeleteYep. By now, I'm definitely feeling more inspired than depressed. :) Wouldn't it be incredible to write one of the books that inspires someone like that?
DeleteWhat a great post. We've all been there. Thankfully, great books don't send me into despair as often as they used to. Much more often I find myself inspired by them. Which of course is much more productive ;)
ReplyDeleteYes! I wish I could arrive at that conclusion immediately--it seems to take a day or two of fighting the voices that tell me not to bother.
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