Not a paperback writer

Like most days, this morning I read the daily installment of the Writer’s Almanac. Each day literary or historical events and authors (whose birthday it is) receive a brief write-up. In today’s edition, Alice McDermott’s life was the subject of one of the brief biographical sketches. At one point McDermott is quoted as having said that “In fiction you have to be fairly specific. And I know how Irish-Americans in the New York area talk, what kind of couches they buy, and what kind of plastic slipcovers they put on the couches. ... But I'm more interested in what's going on in their heads than what's going on their couches."

What struck me about this statement is that there is not an equivalent group about which I have a similar understanding (particularly when it comes to the ability to re-create speech patterns). It also struck me that in many cases this understanding of a particular culture or group would be particularly important in many forms of fiction. When I think about some of the more effective fiction I have read it is precisely for this reason that it is effective, the characters inhabit a place that is made real by the author understanding of their circumstances. Obviously, in some instances, such as with fantasy or science fiction, the understanding of the place comes from the inherent connection that the author has to the creation of the realm about which he or she is writing.

Moreover, I realized that I can’t differentiate between characters, or more accurately ensure that they have unique and identifiable voices. If I attempted to write a piece of fiction with several characters they would all speak with the same bland voice. An example of dialog might be:

“Hello” said John.
“Hi” responded Dave.
“How are you today?” asked John inquisitively.

And on and on it would go until I reached some arbitrary page or word count. Trudging through this would be a painful, pleasure-less process that might only be endured by family members and those that seek pain as a form of pleasure (and whether there are any individuals who accomplish this end through the reading of bad writing is questionable at best).

I guess this means that, along with ‘doctor’ and a few others, ‘fiction writer’ should be stricken from my list of available or potential careers.