Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "critics"

Let's be honest. We creative types don't exactly have it easy. Everyone's a competitor. Everyone's a critic.
Personally I wouldn't have it any other way. It drives me to work harder. It drives me to do better. It drives me to reach goals I once thought unimaginable. It also drives me crazy.
Given that, I can't stop thinking about Tuesday. This coming Tuesday -- July 15, 2014 -- to be precise. It promises to be a banner day. I'll find out more about a paralegal certificate program I'm interested in taking to jump start the next phase of my career. Perhaps just as importantly (if not more so) I'll learn whether I'm a finalist in a national literary contest, and how I fared in a national short story contest.
There's money at stake in one case, and major street-cred up for grabs in the other. My pride's at stake in both.
I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm competitive. But I'm also realistic. The judging in creative contests is a largely subjective exercise. So my "banner day" may end in disappointment. If it does, it won't be the first time.
And it won't be the last.
Until next time, "That's life..."

For this week's illustration, I created a "word cloud" based on one of my all-time favorite quotations. It is, as Virginia Woolf so eloquently said, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people."
Given recent news about authors who allegedly fabricated material in well-known books chronicling personal experiences, I couldn't think of a better quotation or subject for discussion.
In order to properly frame said discussion however, I must first review the differences between memoir, autobiography and fact-based novels.
While memoir and autobiography are both non-fiction, there is a significant difference between the genres. Generally speaking, a memoir chronicles a certain period or aspect of the author's life. An autobiography is devoted to the author's entire life.
On the other hand, fact-based novels, or novels "based on true experiences" are exactly that. Consequently, authors of such novels can take certain liberties with character and plot development.
Those of us who have written memoirs and autobiographies don't have the same leeway. For memoirists, it is especially important to remain faithful to the truth no matter what. We must be brutally honest not only with our readers, but with ourselves. Trust me, I speak from experience.
In my memoir, I was incredibly honest not only about my experience with my ex, but about myself. Because I chose to be truthful about my life, some critics have said my memoir lacks conflict, a "story arc" and "character development." Others have said I included too much mundane detail.
Well, let's be honest. For most of us, life is boring and mundane. Daily drudgery is just that. Frankly there was nothing extraordinary about my life whatsoever until my former-husband's revelation turned it upside down. And although I endured a tremendous betrayal at his hands, there wasn't a lot of conflict between us even after he shared his secret.
I suppose some readers would expect me to invent these details to satisfy their expectations. But the bottom line is that an award-winning journalist, I never manipulated the facts to sensationalize an issue and as an author I refused to manipulate the facts of my own life just to make my book more "marketable" or "entertaining." After all, I wrote a memoir, not a novel based on true experiences.
Neither I nor my ex-husband, nor anyone else in my memoir are "characters" that had to be developed. I made a conscious decision not to cheapen my life experience by writing "true fiction" that could be bent and twisted to appeal to the masses.
Apparently a North Korean prison camp survivor who recently confessed to lying about some details in a best-selling book about his life wasn't inclined to hold himself to the same standards.
Neither, apparently, was a teenager who recently admitted that the events in his memoir, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, never occurred. In published reports, the teen, who co-wrote the book with his father, said he fabricated the story in order to get attention.
In one case, the publisher announced that it will stop selling the book. In the other, the North Korean prison camp survivor said he is now considering ending his human rights campaign. In any case I hope their stories serve as stark reminders that every action has consequences.
As for me, I have no regrets and I make no apologies. As the great William Shakespeare put it, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Until next time, "That's life..."

Lord, it's hot in here. And I'm tired - and cranky. My brain is feeling frazzled because I've been cramming for my Family Law final all afternoon. And I've got a guilty conscience because I should still be studying.
But it's Monday and that means I've got a blog to write, and well, now is as good a time as any... especially since I came across such an inspirational quote. Okay, okay, "inspirational quotation" for all of you grammar freaks out there.
It happens every so often. I read or hear something that really resonates with me. Frequently, the quotation that makes me laugh or smile, or groan, or want to put my fist through the wall, is something I come across while reading. Sometimes it is a "goodreads quote of the day," like this one.
I liked it so much, I shared it on Twitter, along with the editorial comment, "Hell, yeah!"
I think it resonated with me so strongly because, like many of you, I've spent years toiling away as a writer. Long before I became an award-winning author, I was an award-winning journalist. Now that was a thankless profession.
I spent more than two decades working long hours for what amounted to less than minimum wage along side and for people whom I freely admit I hated then and still do to this day. Yes, I hold a grudge -- and yes, I can assure you that the general public has every right to detest the mainstream media. Trust me.
But I digress. The fact is I never would have become an award-winning author if I'd never been a reporter. Working in the newspaper business for 21 years provided me with invaluable experience. Sure, I learned how to write -- and how to do it well. But I learned much more than that. I learned how to accept praise with humility and criticism with grace. I learned that a thick skin is essential and self-confidence trumps all.
I learned that writing -- in any form -- is a creative endeavor. As such, it is judged subjectively. Some people will love what you write with good reason and some people will hate what you write for no reason at all. A few people will let you know when they like your work... but don't hold your breath. Most people won't. Most people will let you know when they don't like something, but don't sweat it... that's just human nature and let's face it, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Yes, everyone is a critic... and as I just said, that's fine. Personally I don't care how many people hate my work, as long as they keep buying my book. Indifference is far more bothersome to me than someone's honest opinion.
Still I can't help but wonder if all of those critics understand or appreciate how difficult writing truly is. It takes more than skill. It takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude, especially for those of us who decide to share our life stories with the world. We do so knowing that readers will judge not only our stories, but the way in which we choose to relay them. In so doing we make ourselves incredibly vulnerable.
Yet when push comes to shove, we are not alone. Everyone has a story. So, to put it simply,"if you do not like someone else's story, write your own."
Until next time, "That's life..."

To paraphrase a famous wordsmith, it's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times.
Actually it hasn't been that bad.
My memoir cracked the top 50 in its Kindle category, reaching #30 last Wednesday. That's the lowest it's been since I finally bit the bullet and had an e-book published in 2014, so that was pretty cool.
Within the last week or so, I've also gotten my first one and two-star reviews here on goodreads, but believe it or not, that's pretty cool, too. As I've always said, it's important to accept praise with humility and criticism with grace. I appreciate everyone's interest in my work and respect their right to express their opinion.
After all, I'm not just an author. I am a reader, too. And as a reader I'm certainly not shy about sharing my own opinion. I mean, The Goldfinch won a Pulitzer and I HATED that book -- with a passion. Honestly, I'm not that crazy about Hilary Mantel's work, either.
But the one thing I always try to do, especially when I'm reading non-fiction or memoir: I always try to keep an open mind. It's not easy, but I try not to let my life experience influence my feelings about the book. If something really bugs me, I try to pinpoint exactly what it is. Is it the writing? Is it the story? Is it the way the author has chosen to tell his or her story? Am I judging the author or the author's life? Did I let any preconceptions influence my opinion or cloud my judgment?
For me, the answers vary.
What about you? Do you judge some genres more harshly than others? Do you pick up a book with an open mind or great expectations? Do you let your own life experience influence your feelings about the books you read? Do you judge the author or the book, or both?
Let me know.
Until next time, "That's life..."