If I try to be like him, who will
be like me?
That’s an old Yiddish proverb. {For
someone who doesn’t speak Yiddish, I’m full of Yiddishisms. If there was ever a
culture that looked at it itself with gentle irony and managed to balance humor
and pathos, it’s Yiddish.}
I don’t have this subtle balance,
and my utterings sound judgmental. So back to the ‘who will be like me’ point-
how do you convey a dislike for formulaic thinking, formulaic writing, and,
well, FORMULAS?
When I began writing I didn’t know
all the you’re-supposed-to-thises and
you’re-supposed-to-thats. I wrote,
and wrote some of my most original stories. Not formulaic, and also not
publishable. Eager to get more than form rejections, I learned to ‘be like
him,’ to know what is expected. To study the rules and by-pass them only for a
compelling reason. I still get a lot of rejections, but many are requests to
re-submit and encouragement for my writing.
In the back of my mind that Yiddish
voice, reminding me to ‘be like me,’ beckons me. Somehow I find myself
searching for this balance- to be like him, and be like me.
{Now I wish I knew Yiddish, because
if any language can embrace dichotomies and contradictions, this is it. You
know about two Jews and three opinions, right?}
When editors say they are looking
for something ‘different,’ writers on chat-boards have surmised they mean
‘something that is the same, but with a difference.’ Rare is the editor who is
really looking for something that has no trace of formula in it. Something
different.
Well, this is my struggle and my
*sigh* today. Come sigh like me…
I suspect most editors don't know what they're really looking for until the find it. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, Ann. I think this applies to all of us.
ReplyDelete"Something that is the same, but with a difference," thanks so much for sharing that. I think that's it exactly. Now as we try to apply that to our own writing, I'll sigh like you. . .
ReplyDeleteYup, same, but different. Actually, I'm a big fan of patterns and formulas (and math). I think it's one of the best ways to figure out how to stick your story into a pattern that works.
ReplyDeleteI like all the Yiddish sayings. Keep 'em coming.
Should have said that formulas are a must for scientists. Not surprised you like them, Vijaya.
Delete*sigh* Yep, know the feeling! I've decided that the magic trick is to write something wholly original yet within all the constraints modern publishing expects. Easy, right?
ReplyDeleteThis is why I write like me and hope for the best. ;)
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Mirka.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Vijaya here. Love math, love patterns. And love the Yiddish sayings.
ReplyDeleteI feel safe with formulas...that's why writing is hard...formulas are more subjective. How to find that original, fresh, yet same book idea is quite difficult! BIG SIGH....
ReplyDelete