Writing Wednesday: Back to Basics

Again, today's writing tip is inspired by my daughter, the singer. We went to an audition today and as she listened to her competition, she said over and over again, "Don't sing that song unless you can hit the note." And over and over again, the competition sang songs like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Adele. And they couldn't hit the note. Some were oblivious that they hadn't done it. Some tried in various ways to disguise the flaw, by skipping a particular section or by keying it down a full octave. I suspect that none of the judges listening were fooled by these mistakes.

If you are a writer, this applies because I think a lot of writers make the mistake of trying to tell a story that doesn't lend itself to a simple structure or to an easy point of view. Yes, there are writers who can do this with their debut books, but not many of them. If you are writing a first novel, don't try to do stuff that you aren't confident about. Don't use techniques that you aren't rock solid on. My daughter says that if you can't make it sound effortless, like you can hit a half octave above that note, then you shouldn't try it in an audition, where you're likely to be nervous. Don't do it in writing either. If you are worried a story is going to require skills you don't know, it may teach you a lot to write that story, but it may also take you years to do it. It may never work. Most writers have more than one idea, and you might start with a simple one. There is nothing wrong with telling a simple story beautifully. And that's what singers need to do, not do the hardest song out there, but sing a song, even if it is "Happy Birthday" so well that you leave people wanting more.