Posted on by Mrs. Mouse

Simple and Sincere

Novel readers and children share a common characteristic.  Both have a nose for sincerity. If they catch the faintest whiff of guile or disingenuousness, you’ve lost them.

In writing and teaching children, you must be sincere.

I pondered this when I watched a videotape of my first grade music students. They sang about falling leaves, and the excitement in my voice as I guided them was obvious. Their faces and singing voices reflected my enthusiasm.

Watching the tape reinforced my suspicion: students respond to me because I love their songs. Though I’ve sung opera and studied the classics, I haven’t lost my taste for the simple things. I find simple truth in “Shoo, Fly” and simple beauty in “All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord.”

When I sing the songs of childhood, I believe them in the most hidden labyrinth of my soul. They resonate with me, and not because they’re “cute”. Fun, certainly. Entertaining, beyond a doubt. But if a song smacks of cuteness, I refuse to sing it. My students are too precious to patronize. They deserve simple, powerful songs that convey joy, truth, and beauty.

So do readers. They deserve a story we believe in, one that conveys truth, joy, or beauty, and preferably all three. They won’t be pandered to. They will respond to a book that burns its way out of us with tears, smiles, excitement, pain, or revelation. They will sense the engine of passion behind each line, in the subtle rhythm of a story we had to write. That doesn’t mean they’ll love the story. But if we tap into that rhythm, they might continue reading until the last page, until the last chord fades.

Honest, uncontrived passion. That’s what students and readers crave.

Did you ever try to write a book that didn’t resonate with you? Did you keep at it until it did, or did you scrap it and move on to a new project?

16 Replies to “Simple and Sincere”

  1. Great question, Gwen! I’ve tried to write a whole bunch of books that didn’t resonate with me after the first 10,000 words or so, and I’ve scrapped every one (with no small amount of frustration). If I’m feeling that way that early in the game, I know I’ll absolutely despise it by the time I get through my zillionth round of edits. Plus, my own reading list is too long to bother with books that I can’t fully enjoy—I wouldn’t expect my reader to trudge through a novel I can’t fully stand behind. Great post! (:

    1. Thanks, Rebecca. I fully agree and have had to scrap a few novels myself in just the same manner. Once in a while a new idea for character, setting, or plot will renew my interest, but if it’s short-lived, then I move on to another project. I can’t expect readers to enjoy a book I didn’t enjoy writing!

      Have a wonderful Saturday. 🙂

  3. I got 50K into a 60K story once that wasn’t working. I never finished it because it wasn’t me and I knew instinctively it wouldn’t resonate with readers. Looking back with several years of craft study behind me, I know the problem: it didn’t reflect my voice. I was trying too hard and attempting to “write to the market.” I returned to what I knew and loved, writing with heart and passion. The resultant story will be released in July as my debut novel.

    1. That is an excellent testimony to writing not only “what we know” but “who we are”, Keli–with passion and heart. Wow, I’m impressed that you got that far and still scrapped it, but I’m not surprised. You’re a hard worker and you won’t settle for less than your best…we’re so blessed to have you here at the Cooler!

      Have a great Saturday. 🙂

    1. That’s exactly it, Patti. Sometimes I write a chapter I think is wonderful, then come back later and wonder what I was thinking! 🙂 But if I’m writing something I’m excited about, at least the rewriting and revising isn’t such a chore.

      Thanks for weighing in, and have a fantastic weekend!

  5. I wrote and rewrote my first manuscript because it just wasn’t working. Parts worked–and other attempts to write were just a beginner’s attempts to write a novel. While I never scrapped the entire manuscript, I did take 50k and dump a huge chunk of it so that I had only 20k words left.
    However, I still loved my story and felt like something worthwhile remained. So I stayed with it … and ultimately landed a contract.

  6. That’s a wonderful story, Beth. You must have felt strongly that something about the novel was worth salvaging, and that gut instinct was right on! I’m a big believer in gut instincts in the creative fields. I’m glad you followed yours, and I’m sure you are, too! 🙂

    Thanks for weighing in, and have a blessed Sunday!

  7. Oh yeah, I wrote 30K on a story and walked away from it because it wasn’t working emotionally for me. I didn’t care about the characters. I figured if I didn’t, no one else would either.

    1. So true, Erica. Not liking your characters is a huge red flag, since a writer is going to spend a LOT of time with them during writing, edits, and more edits!

      Thank you so much your input. 🙂

  8. You are absolutely right. The only pieces I have ever written, whether fiction or nonfiction, that I have ever sold were ones to which I had some kind of visceral connection, that carried some kind of genuine passion. Go figure.

    1. “Visceral” is one of my favorite words, JoAnne…it’s so important in the arts to feel that “gut-deep” reaction, I think. If we don’t feel it at least sometimes when writing, I doubt we can expect readers to experience it.

      Have a wonderful Sunday evening! Thanks for weighing in. 🙂

  9. Authenticity. Uh-huh!

    Between speaking to women and working with third and fourth graders, I know adults are the easier audience. I appreciate the honesty of children, which will show immediately when you’ve lost them rather than feign polite attention and tune you out the way an adult might.

    Readers don’t need to feign interest either. You’ve made some wonderful and VERY helpful points here, Gwen. GOOD post! ♥

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