Relevance
So last night, Baby Girl came into my room and wanted to watch American Idol. This despite the fact that I was 1) on the phone, and 2) hacking up a lung. So how she heard a thing, I have no idea. Anyway, it was something they call "60s Night" in which singers had to pick a song from the 60s to sing. And the judges--particularly the snarky Simon--kept criticizing these singers because they were not "relevant." At least that's what I got out of it in between talking to my best friend, then sister, then my mother . . . and hacking up said lung. It wasn't that the songs were old. It was that the singers couldn't make the audience relate to them.
Relevance.
I have a book which has an opening story arc in Darfur. Nearly every book I write mentions the main character praying. Mentions Buddhism. In ROCK MY WORLD, one of the rock groups even collects food for the homeless at its concerts. Mark Terry writes about a Homeland Security troubleshooter. Can't get much more relevant than that. Edie Ramer has written a book about women coming to grips with breast cancer. Relevant.
But there's more to relevance than politics or religion or health issues. There's EMOTIONAL relevance. At a book's heart, I think most readers want to relate to the main character. If the main character is so removed from the lives of nearly everyone else, then the book will lack relevance. In other words, I have critiqued books in which the heroine loses everything that has ever mattered to her in her entire life. And doesn't react. And the author will say, "Well, Susie Q is a very tough person. She just wouldn't react to it." And that may and well be true. But if you haven't drawn Susie Q well enough for us to even begin to fathom that, then she will cease to be relevant.
In Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven, when Lily has sex after losing her breast, the scar feels hideous to her, and her lover kisses it--every inch of it. I tried to invoke EVERY person, not just women, who has ever, in this appearance-oriented culture, made love with an enormous sense of insecurity--to invoke the relevance of a scar, or being "imperfect" and its relation to our sexuality.
There isn't a person alive who isn't touched by love, laughter, small moments and large moments of emotional beauty . . . and by loss, illness, pain, and eventually . . . death. We're all going out in a pine box, folks. Or, judging by my recent post on fears, a LOT of us are getting cremated. But the bottom line is this quote from the Dalai Lama:
Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of I, and we´re all the same in wanting happiness and in wanting to avoid suffering.
~Tenzin Gyatso
FIND that element in your stories and no matter what you write about, your words will be relevant.
Thoughts?
33 comments:
I like bringing the praying into the book. Talking to God, connecting to the universe or whatever you call it brings us closer to ourselves. When my kids were younger they expressed interest in Wiccan. I thought, if you're going to do this lets find out all about it. So we got books on Wiccan, researched it. Then came Paganisum, Judism and eventually worked our way around to Buddism. I always went on the premise all religions have good and bad aspects. Live a good life, harm no one, etc. I think Buddism is one of the more perfect religions.
I'd hope my writing brings the message of acceptance of all in a way without preaching. Of course each book is different but there is an underlying current of God, Karma and destiny.
Good post!
Hi Aimless:
I agree. I think relevance is about finding that commonality.
Peace!
E
Thanks for the mention. I think one of the hardest things about creating characters isn't necessarily creating them, but giving them enough dimensions so they function in the role they're playing in, i.e., troubleshooter for Homeland Security, but still are recognizable as a human being.
This is probably worse in spy novels and action-adventure novels and P.I. novels. One book on writing the mystery noted that one of the apparent traits all private eyes appear to need is the ability to take physical abuse to such an extent that it's 'unbelievable.'
An interesting (to me) example of this has to do with two seminal characters in contemporary crime fiction: Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch and John Sandford's Lucas Davenport.
Bosch's character is driven and obsessive and believes that if you don't treat being a homicide detective as a calling on par with being a priest or a monk, you should get out of the business. The guy essentially has no life outside his job, but Connelly deftly shows what that has done to Harry.
Davenport in one of his books seemed to be responding to Bosch's musings, suggesting that he didn't actually have a "calling" but had an "interest." He loves putting the bad guys away. But he's got a sense of humor and a life--a marriage, kids, friends.
Both of them seem very human. And they both write like a dream, which helps.
But you can take an awful lot of these cop novels or action novels and find a cardboard cutout that feels no pain, has no life, dreams, aspirations, feels no guilt about killing, etc. And yet, despite that, some readers seem to respond to them. Go figure.
I think it is relevance that separates the really good fantasy or science fiction from the junk. Relevance in terms of philosophy, morals, and ethics…all the stuff that guides people’s lives…is what helps suspend disbelief to make the story work in those genres. The background and the story may not be “relevant”, but the underlying “human” issues, even when some of the characters are not human, are what really propel the story.
I think fantasy and science fiction writers make a huge mistake when they try to rely on the technology or magic to carry the story. It still has to be a relevant human issue that carries the weight. Star Wars is a perfect example of doing it right. The real story isn’t the light sabers and “The Force”. The real story is one person’s rise and growth working for good, his spiral into darkness and his ultimate redemption…a redemption that only occurs at the very end of his life.
Mark:
GREAT examples. Yes . . . it can get ridiculous sometimes in those grenes, but then it requires a really effective drawing of a world to make you believe in that P.I. or that homicide cop. I adore Andrew Vachss's books. They are absolutely relentless--completely and utterly--in their depiction of brutality and ugliness, and the underbelly. But I really don't doubt the world. I may not always want to read it or be in that world, but when I do choose to immerse myself in his books, I believe Burke exists.
E
JLK:
Exactly. Funny . . . I try to keep my blog posts in check length-wise so that some of the topic can be explored in the comments. So I decided NOT to discuss fantasy and paranormal, and maybe leave it for another post. But yes. How relevant are vampires and zombies, or magicians and fairies. But it's about the human relevance--not the bag of tricks. Yeah, the world has to be drawn to wonderful detail, but it's the heart of the book that matters.
E
I'm with you. On my current WIP which is told entirely from a single first person POV I've worked hard to establish that relevancy. Without it the novel will never fly.
It's Stephen King's genius, isn't it? It's every one of his characters seem like real people, like the person next door or down the street. The situation's they're in are bizarre, to say the least, but they all seem human.
Travis:
It's every writer's quest, I think.
Now that I have distance, I know why some works in my college creative writing class were routinely slammed. The writers in question kept writing these psuedo-intellectual pieces--lofty and well-written, but with no human relevance in question. I knew I hated their writing, and I knew my professor kept telling them they needed to re-do it, but it SEEMED so smart. It was that relevance angle that was missing. I just couldn't critique it accurately.
E
Mark:
Yes, I think of Thinner, and some other works. It's just utterly human.
E
Erica, High Heels in Heaven was the first book of yours I read, and it made me dig out your other books. As someone who's been through the disease, I thought you did a great job with the emotion and the physical area. I related.
In my current book, one of the issues is rape, but mostly it's about family and friends. Like it says in the Dalai Lama quote, people trying to find happiness.:)
Thanks for mentioning me. My characters pray too, even the ones who don't believe in God.
Hi Edie:
I don't know if you read my essay in Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl, I Learned from Judy Blume (the anthology). High Heels was really born from my having Crohn's disease and what I went through. At one point, during my divorce, my ex-husband threatened to subpoena my medical records as proof I could not adequately parent because I was ill so often. I can't tell you what that destroyed inside of me . . . the fears that the legal system would see me as less than a perfect parent. So the book really drew on a lot of that, and I have heard from many, many cancer patients, their families, and people who have faced "scars" of a different sort.
Your book sounds great, Edie.
E
I love watching American Idol. My money is on this guy.
His performances are relevant because whatever he touches he makes his own. He has his own style. His own "voice." He doesn't seem overly concerned about his hair and clothes, like some of the contestants. At 17 (!!!) he's The Real McCoy.
Authenticity goes a long way toward relevance, IMO. In music and in writing fiction.
I think most of us can spot a phony a mile away.
Jude:
Nope. Don't like that kid. Cute though he may be. I'm votin' for the guy with the dredlocks. Love him.
But that aside. . . . YES, music is another place. People talk about "keepin' it real" or being "authentic." Same with writers.
E
Care for a friendly little wager?
:)
Jude:
Nope. Because I said I DON'T like him--but that doesn't mean I don't think every little girl in America won't be calling up those numbers they flash to vote for the cutie pie.
E
Jude:
As a gambler . . . I don't take bets based on what I think the outcome should be, rather what the outcome LIKELY might be. Did you ever see Guys and Dolls (movie version), when Marlon Brando says, "Daddy, I think I got cider in my ears." ;-)
E
Of the guys, I like the Aussie the best. Some of the girls were great too. At this point, it's hard to tell who will win.
Erica, I didn't read the essay. I'll check it out. How horrible your experience must have been.
In my current book, I got my black moment from something you said in an old blog. When I sell, you'll be in my acknowledgments. :)
Here's your fave, Erica. His name is Jason Castro.
I like him a lot, too.
BUT, cuteness and charisma being equal, IMO, I just don't think Jason has near the voice David Achuleta has. But who knows? Jason might prove me wrong in the coming rounds. We'll see. :)
edie:
Well . . . holy crap . . . . I had no idea. THANKS!
:-)
E
Jude:
I don't know. I'm a sucker for a guy with a guitar.
E
edie:
P.S. . . . I like the Aussie guy. My sister LOVES him. But . . . you know, it's weird . . . I sometimes like the ones who are less polished but seem to have a lot of heart.
E
Erica, I'm not religious, but totally spiritual and those Buddist quotes you post always resound with me. I'll have to get some Dalia Lama books. And relevance IS key, so true.
Yet another great post Erica. This is another aspect that can really make or break a story. I'll be adding it to my list of things to be looking for in my stories when I edit them.
You're so right. The human-ness is everything. I think I read somewhere that physically, 99.9% of each human is identical to all other humans.
ladonna:
Another Buddhist writer to check out is Thich Nhat Hanh. His writing is very clear for people who don't have a lot of background in Buddhism--very practical for Westerners.
E
Hi Ewoh:
I think--and mind you, I hadn't thought it until I wrote the post--that this really CAN be a make or break issue.
E
spy:
We're all brothers and sisters, even if a lot of the time the human race forgets that.
E
I love this post...often, it's the vulnerabilities of a character, where they let themselves down, that reveals them to me and makes me love them.
As always, thank you! :)
MicheleL
PS I like Dreadlock Guy, too :)
LMAO @ "Or, judging by my recent post on fears, a LOT of us are getting cremated."
I think trying to be "smart" gets us sometimes in writing. Often what speaks to me the most is just what's honest.
Michele:
Great minds think alike. ;-) I just really like that singer.
E
zoe:
Brilliant insight, yes.
Snark can undo a book. It can be seen as the AUTHOR's cleverness, not organic to the story.
E
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