Day 2: Writers writing for writers
So I don't want to give an extensive list of who did this technique first. So I'm just going to gloss over all the people who came before and try to focus on the subtle ironies and humor that comes with writers writing for writers.
Let's clarify.
It's the kind of story that Kurt Vonnegut might've written if he included himself in his own story. The kind of story where he would interact as a writer with his characters (some of them being surrogate characters for himself, he would even go so far as to make them writers as well) and he would see through them as the author sometimes does and his characters would ask things of him and his God like powers. And all the while, people would have their minds blown and enjoy that feeling. And that's good. English professors would dig deep into the book's text finding every subtle nuance with every single word put under the microscope. And that's pretty good. And then there are his fellow authors, his peers, who may look at this story in disgust, but if it's done right most will nod their head, smile, or just plain laugh out loud in complete entertainment.
And that's genius.
This is what I mean. When part of the story is aimed at those people who the author feels are peers, sometimes even loved ones. Stephen King, on several occasions, has made mention that he writes jokes or humor to entertain his ideal reader (his wife) and that the big pay off for him isn't about the money that could be gained from a story, but to see her big belly laugh or a large grin pass across her face. His wife being both an author and a loved one, he gets quite the value pack for the words he shares with her.
I'm not sure if every writer does this at one point or another. And maybe we are all being influenced by those that came before us, carrying around some century old joke that we passed in subtle (and not so subtle) reference. But what I am sure about is that we do it because we want that recognition that comes from a peer. To see your peers read the jokes you've placed in there and to have them laugh at it, that is a writers form of glory.
When done well, even the audience is clued into what's going on, like the sound effects or voices that sprinkled "America's Funnest Home Videos" the audience is given the tools to see and enjoy the joke, even if they don't completely understand it.
Rarity of genius is the sad but true state that any artist must face. The truth of any system in reality is that it follows the nature of the bell curve. There is a huge mass of people who are average. There are fewer who are above or below average (above is probably where most popular writers reside). There are only a handful every century or so who are the best of the best (and subsequently, the worst of the worst, but we won't mention those here). And maybe the joke is that even the greatest writers were probably their most horrified critics. Perhaps Vonnegut sat at his table and threw away thousands of pages as he worked toward his final manuscripts, the whole time thinking, no one will get this, and in a huff let his work be sent out into the world.
Perhaps other writer's laugh, not just because of the sweet joy and value the joke has given them, but because they get it, even when no one else will.
Let's clarify.
It's the kind of story that Kurt Vonnegut might've written if he included himself in his own story. The kind of story where he would interact as a writer with his characters (some of them being surrogate characters for himself, he would even go so far as to make them writers as well) and he would see through them as the author sometimes does and his characters would ask things of him and his God like powers. And all the while, people would have their minds blown and enjoy that feeling. And that's good. English professors would dig deep into the book's text finding every subtle nuance with every single word put under the microscope. And that's pretty good. And then there are his fellow authors, his peers, who may look at this story in disgust, but if it's done right most will nod their head, smile, or just plain laugh out loud in complete entertainment.
And that's genius.
This is what I mean. When part of the story is aimed at those people who the author feels are peers, sometimes even loved ones. Stephen King, on several occasions, has made mention that he writes jokes or humor to entertain his ideal reader (his wife) and that the big pay off for him isn't about the money that could be gained from a story, but to see her big belly laugh or a large grin pass across her face. His wife being both an author and a loved one, he gets quite the value pack for the words he shares with her.
I'm not sure if every writer does this at one point or another. And maybe we are all being influenced by those that came before us, carrying around some century old joke that we passed in subtle (and not so subtle) reference. But what I am sure about is that we do it because we want that recognition that comes from a peer. To see your peers read the jokes you've placed in there and to have them laugh at it, that is a writers form of glory.
When done well, even the audience is clued into what's going on, like the sound effects or voices that sprinkled "America's Funnest Home Videos" the audience is given the tools to see and enjoy the joke, even if they don't completely understand it.
Rarity of genius is the sad but true state that any artist must face. The truth of any system in reality is that it follows the nature of the bell curve. There is a huge mass of people who are average. There are fewer who are above or below average (above is probably where most popular writers reside). There are only a handful every century or so who are the best of the best (and subsequently, the worst of the worst, but we won't mention those here). And maybe the joke is that even the greatest writers were probably their most horrified critics. Perhaps Vonnegut sat at his table and threw away thousands of pages as he worked toward his final manuscripts, the whole time thinking, no one will get this, and in a huff let his work be sent out into the world.
Perhaps other writer's laugh, not just because of the sweet joy and value the joke has given them, but because they get it, even when no one else will.
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