In praise of commercial fiction

Some Friday Reading recommendations (and some thoughts about big books)

Real quick: I updated Wednesday’s post about working with developmental editors with a list of my favorite freelancers—duh!—I should have included those resources from the get-go. Setting the clock back has made my brain cells slushy—I’m sure I’m not alone. Now on to our Friday post!

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I started officially working on a new novel back in April, although I’d been walking around thinking about it for a while before that. We’re in November now, and I have re-written the opening chapters to this darn thing more times than I can count. I actually mean that. I have written it in the voice of at least 7 different characters; then I settled on one character but she changed personalities five times. I’ve tried the opening chapters in first person, I’ve tried them in third, I’ve tried them from multiple character perspectives, I even tried a Greek chorus approach, inspired by Eugenides’ “The Virgin Suicides.” I want to say that I’m finally on the right track, but I thought that last July so…I’ll just keep writing and rewriting this thing until I get it right.

I am hoping that this will be a commercial novel. People throw around the word “commercial” quite a bit: when I use it, I mean to qualify a book that has the potential to be widely read. A book that feels accessible to many, even if it’s smart.

And let me tell you something: those books, at least for me, are the hardest ones to write.

A lot of people tell me that my first two novels (TOUCH and I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU) were page-turners; fun to read and easy to get through. Well! They were not easy to write. To my mind, the more commercial a project is, the more it has a plot, and I find plot insanely difficult to pull off. Thank goodness readers don’t get to see the kitchen sink behind our novels, because there are a lot of chicken gizzards and burnt cheese and ruined soufflés up in that thing.

I mention this only because I’d like to stick up for my colleagues who are writing commercial fiction. I want to remind everyone that, so often, the books that go down easy are the toughest ones to ace. If I can pull this new book off, I plan to reward myself with the writing of a novel that feels French and slim and plotless. Plotless book: j’arrive!

In the meantime, though, let’s talk #FridayReads:

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

I finished Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong last week: absolutely outstanding. Highly recommend.

And this weekend, I read my first-ever Elizabeth Strout (I know! I’m sorry, I have no idea why it took me so long to catch up). I started with My Name is Lucy Barton, and now (to be expected!) I’m on an Elizabeth Strout tear.

My beloved app Libby just sent me Tana French’s Trespasser, which I’m reading at bedtime and during my middle-of-the-night wakings, which is not the best way to go about things, because I imagine that this thriller is making me wake up.

What about you— what are you reading? There are so many great books out this fall, and yet I find myself gravitating to books published quite a while ago. I’m a backlist kinda gal, I guess.

• The deadline for The Cabins Catskills DIY retreat is rapidly approaching! Groups of up to 4 people can apply, and you don’t all need to be working on the same project. (But you do need to be creative people working on something.) All details are at thecabinsretreat.com

• December 28th at 5:30pm the witchy artist behind Dirt Kicker Broom is teaching a winter broom making workshop via Zoom! Abbey’s brooms are so beautiful, they’re basically sacred objects. You can sign up here.

• Are you trying to get a book proposal done before year’s end? Did you know that I have a one-hour masterclass that teaches you how to ready a book proposal for the seventh circle of hell that is the current market? (Plus, I teach you how to make it sound like you have a killer platform, even if you don’t.) You can watch some teaser videos and check the course out here.

One hour, fifteen dollars: it will change your life.

• And if you’re doing #NaNoWriMo¹ this month, I have a 30 day accountability and confidence-boosting program where I send you super nice text messages and encouraging voice memos every day. I think I might sign up for it myself to get through the cypress swamp that is plotting this darn book I’m working on.

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Otherwise, what do you all have going on this weekend? I’m looking forward to making time slow down. All these commercials about the Christmas holidays already? They’re freaking me out!

xoxo

Courtney

1. If you are doing #Nanowrimo in November, you’re probably going to need a developmental editor come December. A reminder that I include my list of favorite freelancers here.