What You Can Learn From Genre Writers

During my MFA program, the mere mention of "genre fiction" sent my fellow writers a-cringin'. There is a feeling of superiority that literary fiction writers have over writers who write mystery, romance, science fiction, erotica, and so on. Even most lit journals clearly specify that genre writers need not apply. I'm not defending genre writing in terms of prose or other artistic considerations (there's the lit snob in me again). But recently I was researching different drafting and editing methods online, and the best advice out there seemed to be from genre writers. Here's one good example from YA writer Holly Lisle.

In terms of productivity, genre writers have literary fiction writers beat. With the exception of a few truly exceptional literary fiction writers (Paul Auster, Don DeLillo, John Steinbeck, Charles Bukowski, Joyce Carol Oates, etc.) genre writers outproduce us about 5 to 1. You could stop me right there and try to slap me down with the "quality over quantity" argument, and in some ways you'd be right. But too often literary fiction writers look at each book as his or her magnum opus, and therefore spend 10 years writing them and often never finish them.

I think many genre writers have a healthy understanding that this is a job as well as a craft. You write a book, then try your damndest to get it published, meanwhile already starting on your second book. You could also say that it's easier for genre writers to write books fast because many write serials starring the same characters or the plots are formulaic to that genre. We lit fiction writers are not as original as we think, however. In fact, if I had a McGriddle sandwich for every "Mom with cancer" short story and half-ass metafiction novel I've read, I'd be fatter than James Gandolfini.

There seems to be a healthy acceptance in the genre world that what you write will be used and eventually end up in the bargain bin or landfill--because it will. Craftspeople like woodworkers, ceramists, and jewelry makers produce artistic products, sell as many as they can, and make more. Every writing instructor will tell you that writing a lot is the only way to make you a better writer. I realized that I was writing my novel particularly slowly because I was afraid of finishing. I didn't know what was next. But after getting some good advice online, I realized that I have to finish this damn book already and start the next one.

Those Who Can't Make Money Writing Teach Writing

Today is my first foray in a long time into the world of teaching. Many of my colleagues from my MFA program took the undergrad route, and most of them are teaching freshman comp 101. I chose to go the adult/continuing ed path, since that was the basis of my teaching experience. The upside is that you get to teach what you want if the program agrees to list your class. The downside is that the class depends on enrollment. If not enough people sign up, you don't teach it.

I'm finding this out the hard way with a couple schools that listed my courses and hardly anyone enrolled. There's a lot more salesmanship that goes into pitching a continuing ed class. You have to make it sound like a one-day conference at the Ramada Inn. "Write That Breakout Novel," "Get Rich With Writing," "Secrets of Fiction," and so on. But in most cases, you get a more interested audience than a bunch of bored business majors taking the required English courses for their degree.

I'm wondering how teaching--even part-time--will affect my writing? Often, I work better when I am busier. But teaching will no doubt detract from my writing time. Anyone out there want to share experiences about balancing teaching and writing? Please post a comment.
Thanks.

Weird Wisconsin: A Trip to Plainfield

Before the holidays, I embarked on a research trip/family and friend visit to Wisconsin. The research portion took me to Plainfield, Wisconsin, the location of my novel. I stayed in the one motel in town, a creepy 10-room place called the R&R. All guests had to register at the Mobil station down the road, and the R&R shared a parking lot with Spice, a franchised trucker-porn shop. Believing I would be killed that very night, I parked my rental call three doors down from my room, #7. The room was dingy, but livable for one night. As I sat on the bed taking off my snow-covered boots, I looked down a saw a purple press-on nail on the carpet. Classy.

During my 24 hours in Plainfield, I scoped the town for more literary locations, as well as landmarks. I found Gein's property out on a lonely wind-swept road containing a field of tall pine trees. I also found the Plainfield Cemetery and the location of Mary Hogan's bar. My last stop before heading back to Milwaukee was meeting with former Wautoma mayor Marv Wagner. We had a three-hour chat over breakfast about local history, politics, and folklore of the area. Wagner has proved an invaluable resource for the book.

So was the trip worth it? I would say yes. But I am in this never-ending mental debate about whether to invent the details to fit the story or try to do as much research as possible and match the story/setting to real-life? Any opinions?

Erik Reads at Guerrilla Lit

Shameless self-promotion time. For those out there in the New York City area, I'll be reading from my novel-in-progress "Plainfield" at the Guerrilla Lit Reading series, along with Jessie Male, Bernie Kravitz and Connor Coyne. This installment will be held on Wed. 11/28 at Bar on A, 170 Avenue A (@ 11th Street) at 7:30 p.m. For more info, check out http://www.guerrillalit.blogspot.com/.

Thanks.

The Useless Web

As I venture deeper into my novel, I'm finding the Internet--sadly enough--more useless. Sure there are some great resources for academic research, but often you get only an abstract instead of the full article. Or the site is organized in such an obtuse way that I spend a half hour repeating multiple searches and still come up with nothing. Wikipedia is well-organized and thorough, but I feel that I have to get two confirmations elsewhere of any fact I pick up from there. Google Scholar articles are usually too obscure or specific to be useful. Lexis-Nexis is good for current events but not for historical research.

I'm beginning to come to terms with the fact that the Web is not the easy way out. Sometimes the traditional ways are still the most effective. So I think that means I'm going to have to work the phones for experts and spend hours in the library.

Am I wrong or just not finding the right sites?

Erik

Writing Tragic History

My first journalism job after college was an editorial assistant for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I answered phones in the newsroom, typed agate (obits, military notices, events calendars, and so on), took dictation from reporters in the field, and edited stories for the community sections. I learned two valuable lessons in that newsroom.

1. There are only two things you are NEVER allowed to screw up: obituaries and winning lottery numbers.

2. I did not want to become a reporter for a daily newspaper.

I learned lesson #2 by watching the young reporters in the newsroom. Most cub reporters start by covering the police beat, because of the long hours and relatively straightforward nature of the reporting. There are no "insiders" or Deep Throats, just victims, witnesses, and cops. The reporter covering "cops" as we called it, would spend his or her shift listening to a police scanner. They learned the code numbers and geography of the city. If something went down, they would dash out and drive to the scene.

If the incident was significant (big car accident, shooting, home invasion, rape, etc.) the reporter would call in the story. Sometimes the reporter would have to yell amid the commotion of sirens, crowds of onlookers, and grieving family members. Although the excitement of the cops beat was enticing, I knew I didn't have it in me to approach a mother as her son lies dead on the pavement, riddled with bullet holes, and try to get a good quote.

In researching my novel "Plainfield," I am reminded of that time in my life. Along with studying the anthropology of Central Wisconsin at that time, I am also performing phone interviews with residents, asking them to recall a time in history they would much rather forget. Some are barely old enough to remember the horrific crimes of Ed Gein in anything other than scary bedtime stories and local lore. But some, such as sheriff's deputy Ron Thurley, remember that time vividly. Thurley served as the county's jailer for many years, and recalled the time when Gein was captured and spent time in the Waushara County jail.

The residents I've spoken to have been generous and insightful. And for that I am very grateful. But that is not to say everyone has been cooperative. As I expected there were people who refused to assist in my research. I tried to explain that I was not writing another sensationalized "true crime" book on Gein, but some felt that anything written on that subject only opened old wounds.

So the question of the week is whether anyone has had a similar experience while researching a work of fiction or nonfiction, and how you chose to deal with it. What are the ethical implications of writing about a tragic event either using or circumventing the people directly related to that event? I look forward to hearing your stories.

Erik

Researching Everyday Life in a Different Time

One of the biggest challenges I am encountering while writing the novel "Plainfield" is finding good, reliable sources that cite the objects of everyday life in the early 1950s. Wikipedia is a good place to start, but I am very apprehensive about basing specific details on this source alone. Recent stories about nefarious editing practices on Wikipedia have further amplified this notion for me.

In some ways, it is easier to write about an earlier historical time, such as the Civil War or the turn of the century, that about the early 50s. The reason for this is that the 1950s were a truly transitional time for American technology and culture. Television, Tupperware, plastics, power tools, processed food, and modern kitchen appliances all came to prominence during this time. And because I'm writing about a small Central Wisconsin town, it is difficult to know the timetable as to the adoption rates of such technologies (or even know on average how many people had such items in their homes in, say, 1953).

Oral history has helped answer some of these questions (more on gathering oral histories coming soon), but many of my interview subjects were very young during the period in question. And it is sometimes risky to make assumptions about an entire group of people based on one subject's memories.

Therefore, I have spent countless hours trolling the Internet for good source material. In the beginning of the novel, I was looking up every detail as I was writing the first draft. But that process became incredibly time-consuming, slowing down the creative process. Now I'm putting in placeholders, then going back in the editing phase to fill in blanks.

Here are some helpful historical sites that I've found so far. But I'd love to get your recommendations and hear about similar challenges for you and how you tackled them.

Infoplease timeline: A good general timeline on big historical events from 1950 to 1999.

PBS Living Center: Although a bit sparse, this interactive exhibit has some useful items, such as a Sears catalog from 1950.

American Social and Cultural History: This Smithsonian Online exhibit has a vast list of links to social, cultural, military, domestic history and more.

Fifties Web: As an alternative to IMDB, this is a good place to find old TV shows. Just watch out for the pop-ups.

The Nifty Fifties: Contains a list of useful 50s links.

Also, I've found that browsing magazine ads from this period is a good indicator of what products were available/popular during this time.