Okay, think I’m almost done. I spent almost six weeks re-writing the same chapter and doubting that I ever had any real talent for this in the first place. This is what makes writing so difficult and what makes me so angry when artists and others just assume ‘anyone can do it.’ Well, pal, anyone can’t. I’ve been writing professionally for 28 years, and *I* can’t do it.
As for the violence thing, that’s been largely the problem, me adding in fighting and running and so forth and then reading it and wanting to leap in front of a bus. It just feels so fake. I can see the reader rolling her eyes going, “Oh, please.” Oddly enough, as some have pointed out, here, when I have the bad guys clobber each other, that seems to work. A nifty throat-slitting in a men’s room worked out real nicely, actually, and seemed completely organic to the story.
But, I have otherwise written myself into a fairly impossible situation, where nobody is really motivated to harm our protagonist, so the best we can get are these moments where the reader *expects* Cliché Violent Act #12, but it doesn’t happen. This gets old fairly quickly, so I need to comb through and prune these moments a bit so there aren’t so many of them.
At the end of the day, I personally think we, as a society, have become inundated with violent acts of increasing levels of improbability and silliness in our art forms. So much so, perhaps, that maybe we’re beginning to expect such outrageous stuff in our actual lives. I think the real action of a drama are the human conflicts, not the bar fights. And, if I thought the bar fights worked, I’d have left them in. But, right now, it just feels like, every 50 pages or so, ‘There Priest Goes Again.’
I found it curious that, despite the hype, the film American Gangster really didn’t have all that much Gangster in it. If you step back a bit from the overly-long film, I doubt there are terribly many acts of violence (and only one actual sex scene, although there are several scenes of topless women working in a drug lab). I liked the film (more on that later), but I was watching for the violence. I thought what was there was useful, needed and appropriate, and that Ridley Scott used some restraint in not making any of it too over-the-top. I actually found that to be a comfort, and felt better about the overall ratio of violence to drama I am working with.
The point of which may be moot, anyway, for the complexities of concept, the book being too religious for secular publishers and too secular for religious publishers. I stopped by a Christian bookstore the other day and scanned through some of the stuff on their shelves. Blehh. Bland, watered-down rounded-edges stuff that either makes God seem like a Boogeyman (that Left Behind stuff) or the Quaker Oats guy (the lame historical romance stuff. What’s the point of a historical romance novel without bodice-ripping?!?).
I sincerely doubt that Christian bookstore—or any other—will carry my book, which de-constructs the black church in specific and fundamentalist Christianity in general. I wanted to write about the real world, not some sanitized, fake Falwell-approved version of it. The violence, sex, ruthless backstabbing and cussing in the book will only seem shocking to white Christians, as black Christians experience this every day.
Conversely, I want to talk about faith—real faith—not sanitized, watered-down inoffensive TV faith. Any expression of faith—of any variety—is bound to offend someone. I want to have as honest an examination of faith as is possible within the reasonable limits of a whodunit, and not get chastised by my publisher (as I did in my Green Lantern novel, where my editor was an atheist who continually accused me of trying to proselytize through my manuscript because the Spectre kept talking to and about God. I (and, thankfully, DC) had to continually remind the editor that The Spectre has worked for God for 70 years. It’s always been God. I told him, far from my forcing my beliefs on people via this book, this editor was forcing *his* atheism on people by demanding we never refer to The Spectre’s boss as “God.” So, we simply called him “The Boss.” Then he complained about the capitalization, but DC backed my play).
Politics and religion are tricky subjects to work into novels, I suppose. Religion most especially, unless you are undermining or debunking something a la The Da Vinci Code. Appeals to real faith will likely offend someone, so I can imagine secular publishers not being terribly interested. But, from what I saw the other day, Christian publishers are far worse. The homogenized mush I browsed through yesterday really alarmed me, that Christian publishers (or, perhaps more accurately, Christian retailers) shy away from anything with real edge to it. It’s all Pat Boone down there, this brainwashed pap. It’s almost as if Christians—and, I suppose I’m mostly talking about white Christians—are afraid of most anything that challenges their beliefs, even if the one challenging it is a believer as well. I figure, anything you believe in ought to be able to stand a bit of scrutiny. Your truth shouldn’t have to go into hiding or resort to censorship in order to be true. It ought to be sturdy enough to withstand someone occasionally kicking the tires.
I had fun working on this. I’d like to create a whole sub-genre of fiction designed to make Christians lose their bullshit fake-faith, and replace it with something purer. That’s what this work challenges the reader to do. A shame I doubt anyone will ever publish it.
14 Comments
I love stories about faith, be it Christian faith or otherwise. Acts of true selflessness and faith always move me and make me want to read or find out more, so even this Godless Heathen (tm) would read your book.
I'm with you on the violence thing. If feels phony on many levels when I write it, so I end up being clinical about it, which just doesn't work. However, I've also found when there are psychological and emotional ramifications to violence (Jack Bauer breaking down and crying in a season finale of 24 springs to mind)it leads to compelling character arcs.
If you can't do it, I'm just gonna torch my novel now!
scrawled by Hysan | November 6, 2007 5:27 PM
I am sure you have a few potential publishing contacts of some sort :p I thought one of the purposes of writing was to make aspects of the story relevant, over-the-top violence or not. The creative deaths by the Spectre's hands in your GL book and the fast-paced confrontations of quirky and oft humourous scenarios in BP and DP come to mind. Much like the Saw movies, it may not likely happen to the reader/viewer, but it is quite possible to at least consider the averages in the character's world, which is based on the real world in some way. I think that back and forth helps make for a good story.
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'However, I've also found when there are psychological and emotional ramifications to violence (Jack Bauer breaking down and crying in a season finale of 24 springs to mind)it leads to compelling character arcs.'
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Hysan
This wasn't just one of the best ways to end that season, but it highlights one of the many ingredients to any worthy story: Consequences.
scrawled by circ | November 6, 2007 7:21 PM
First Off thanks for answering my question. As akwared as it is I am glad that I am not alone. I am glad that you wrote it even if you feel it will never be published. We all need things that are outside the box. If you really want to challenge peoples faith talk about anthropolgy and history pertaining to the Bible but i digress. thanks again
scrawled by mdwaire | November 7, 2007 3:00 PM
I still think you could get the antagonists to attack the protagonist simply by playing on the expectations. "Hm, if we leave her alone completely, she's going to get suspicious and think it's a trap, instead of continuing to go in the direction we want her to. But how much force will be too much? Hoskins, get me Caine on the phone, I have a...professional question to pose to him."
Obviously, you can't do too much of this, and if your viewpoint is nailed to the protagonist it's a lot harder to reveal smoothly. But it'll get you at least one fight scene with the protagonist kicking ass.
scrawled by Dave Van Domelen | November 8, 2007 8:45 AM
Priest, whenever you finish the book, let us know when the book is due out..
I'm curious-- how is your book compared to the "hood fiction" that's very popular now?
scrawled by christopher currie | November 8, 2007 10:07 AM
"Hood Fiction"...? Huh?
My story, "Zion," is about Michael Dallas, a black female FDNY arson investigator who was sleeping with a married church pastor who becomes a suspect in the firebombing of his own church. This sets off a murder investigation that reveals a conspiracy between high-powered police bosses and the Colombian mob, with a group of black pastors helping to launder drug cash through their weekly offering counts. The ongoing themes are about the nature and relevancy of faith, and it challenges conventional thinking in those areas.
I don't think the project is overly preachy, but I am, of course, biased. It is set primarily in the Rockaways (in NYC), so I suppose there's some element of the 'hood in there, but it's hardly "about" the hood. It's about religious phonies getting rich, crooked cops, pious crooks, political reversals, and, well, falling in love and what that does to you.
I think people can enjoy it just for the whodunit, but may find the frequent discussions of faith--after all, the centerpiece are a group of pastors--annoying. Christians should enjoy it but will likely pooh-pooh it because people are saying "shit" here and there. Well, grow up. People say "shit." They really do. Pretending they don’t just to make you feel better works against the entire *point* of this book: is religious faith relevant anymore?
Asking that question in a vacuum (or even in a church) is disingenuous. If you're going to ask that question, you need to ask that question in context with the world we actually live in, not the sanitized one Christians wish we did.
DVD: I really didn’t want to do the "let's shoot at her so she'll think we're after her!" bit. For one, I have another book I'm getting ready to shop where that goes on (look at me shilling, here). For the other, I tried it and it just didn't feel honest.
I think I've actually dealt with the violence bit by having the bad guys whack each other over the head a few times and by shooting Hosun in the face (something I've always wanted to do). I've got one chapter left to do-- a big set piece with a high-rise fire that promises to have a lot of action, and, as someone else suggested here, once it's done, and I take some time off to do other things, I'll re-read it and see if it needs more action scenes. I just don’t want to do *stoopit* action.
scrawled by priest | November 9, 2007 3:36 PM
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'Well, pal, anyone can’t. I’ve been writing professionally for 28 years, and *I* can’t do it.'
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It's interesting to me at this point that you wrestle with this. I thought after all these years and experience you'd be past the more labour than love routine, it certainly seems so in your writings. I am beginning to wonder if I'll continue talking to myself and shadowboxing as I live in my writing asylum for dilettantes...
scrawled by circ | November 9, 2007 6:37 PM
I suspect you will.
In my experience, writers who become content with themselves begin sucking. Writers who think they're the joint usually start churning out crap.
Most good writers and, I'd imagine, most brilliant writers, find some struggle as part of their process.
Brilliant writing usually makes me want to give up. And, if I don't write every_single_day, I get blocked, intimidated by the process, and it takes *forever* to get me kick-started to the point where my confidence is there.
I assume the day is fast approaching where I'll slough off writing for a month or six and never write again. It's a horribly self-flagellating process. Like hitting yourself in the face with a 2x4.
scrawled by priest | November 10, 2007 3:17 AM
Oh, and don't kid yourself, pal, we're *all* dilettantes.
scrawled by priest | November 10, 2007 3:18 AM
Speaking of not just anyone being able to write, any thoughts on the WGA strike?
Oh, and don't know if you saw, but they're doing a What If based on one of your stories...
WHAT IF? SPIDER-MAN VS. WOLVERINE
COVER BY: JOHN ROMITA JR.
WRITER: JEFF PARKER
PENCILS: CLAYTON HENRY
INKS: CLAYTON HENRY
LETTERED BY: NATE PIEKOS
THE STORY:
Spider-Man is a killer.
In 1987, Peter Parker followed Wolverine to Russia, who was on the trail of a friend working for the KGB. Realizing that the KGB would eventually kill his friend, Wolverine wanted to put her out of her misery. Peter tried to stop him, but accidentally killed the friend instead. Haunted by his actions, Peter fled home into the waiting arms of Mary Jane.
But WHAT IF…Peter never went home? WHAT IF…the Spider never came out of the cold?
Rated T+ …$2.99
IN STORES: January 16, 2008
http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?id=8027
scrawled by Matt Adler | November 11, 2007 6:57 AM
I fully support (fictionally) shooting Hosun in the face.
scrawled by Dave Van Domelen | November 12, 2007 8:10 AM
Just out of curiosity, who is Hosun?
Best,
ERIC
scrawled by Eric | November 13, 2007 4:51 PM
Hosun S. Lee is a very tall Korean fellow with a quirky sense of humor. He was a regular on the rec.arts.comics* boards, which, I believe, is where I met him. He used to troll here occasionally, but I haven't heard from him in awhile.
He came to Colorado Springs once to visit me and I picked him up from the airport. I remember seeing him for the first time coming up the escalator. He just kept rising and rising. I've never met an Asian fellow quite that tall.
I have borrowed Hosun's quirky voice for Dallas's partner in the book, Hosun S. Park. so, yes, those of you who know him, imagine Hosun as a firefighter who's also a cop.
scrawled by priest | November 14, 2007 11:21 AM
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Priest.
Have a blessed holiday season.
Best,
Eric
scrawled by Eric | November 19, 2007 3:28 PM