Do you have writers as characters?

aruna · Dec 25, 2006

This quote for a comment thread in Miss Snark made me think:

Unless it has a good dose of comedy or is nonfiction I hate it when writers write about a writer main character. Okay, maybe not, but when the entire drama of the book being about her trying to be a successful writer screams of MarySue-ism. I live that life, I don't want to read a fiction novel about it.

Do you like reading about writers as MC's? Do you ever HAVE writers as your MC?

I have twice done so. However, they are not novelists; in both cases, they are journalists, though one DOES write a NF book at the end.
In the first book, making the MC a writer was not really necessary.
In the second case. it was necessary, because that was the reason for her to start investigating. Her writer role was the very motivation for the story.

I actually like novels about writers. I've read a couple: Advances (forgotten author's name), and The Other Side of the Story by Marion Keyes are two of them.

What other novels about writers are out there?

Vincent · Dec 25, 2006

When I'm a fraction as skilled or popular as King, I may start using writer characters.

alleycat · Dec 25, 2006

Stephen King uses writers as main characters all the time (Misery, Lisey's Story). However, generally, the fact that the character is a writer is just a starting point. For example, Misery is really about an obsessed fan. Lisey's Story is about love from beyond (I'm reading the book now).

I wouldn't particular care for a book about a "writer writing" as the main storyline, but I wouldn't rule out reading a book like that if I thought it was a good one.

I've used reporters in a couple of stories I've written. They make excellent modern-day private detectives.

PeeDee · Dec 25, 2006

It's fine to use a writer for the MC, so long as you don't actually sit there and write. That bit of writing is really boring and no one cares, I'm afraid. Usually, when Steve King or Ray Bradbury write about writers, it's while they're doing all sorts of other stuff.

Who would want to read a short story about writing? Good lord. How boring.

"It's crap!" he said. And then he kept writing. "No, hang on, it's not too bad."
A moment later, he said to his empty office, "No, I was right, it's crap."

Inkdaub · Dec 25, 2006

I love writers as characters.

aruna · Dec 25, 2006

The two books I mentioned are interesting because the give a bit of insight into the publishing process. The novel "Advances" is really a behind the scenes look at the whole publishing scene - and if you're yet unpublished, a fascinating read, based on the author's own plunge into the limelight. Just remembered her name: Anita Burgh.
The Marion Keyes book is about a rivalry between two women, one of whom is "discovered" by an agent in a totally unrealistic way - her emails are sent by a friend to a top agent, who asks her to write a novel. As if! It's nevertheless interesting because again, it's about the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on between writers, editors and agents.

aruna · Dec 25, 2006

Here's the blurb for "Advances". As you can see, it's "women's fiction!"

Three very different women meet by chance at a glittering London party.

Aspiring novelist Kate Howard - shackled to an unfeeling husband, for years she's sacrificed everything for her family. She knows that she wants to write. But is anyone going to give her a chance?

Dedicated editor Gloria Catchpole - once she could have had the pick of every powerful man in publishing. Right now work is the only challenge she can handle.

Literary agent joy Trenchard - devastated when her violent husband kidnaps their daughter. The only way she knows how to fight back is to pull off the deal of the decade.

They're ready to make advances. How far will they go?

aadams73 · Dec 25, 2006

One that I absolutely love is "The Bestseller" by the now-deceased Olivia Goldsmith(IIRC she died during routine liposuction) Almost all the characters are involved in the publishing business in one form or another and it's fun to see how many bits of real people ended up in the book.

aruna · Dec 25, 2006

aadams73 said:
One that I absolutely love is "The Bestseller" by the now-deceased Olivia Goldsmith(IIRC she died during routine liposuction) Almost all the characters are involved in the publishing business in one form or another and it's fun to see how many bits of real people ended up in the book.

Yes, I remember reading that one as well, several years ago.
There's also The Information, by Martin Amis, whihc I haven't read but would like to. It's about literary snobbism: a literary novelist and a commercial one, the latter wildly successfull.

Andre_Laurent · Dec 25, 2006

alleycat said:
Stephen King uses writers as main characters all the time (Misery, Lisey's Story). However, generally, the fact that the character is a writer is just a starting point. For example, Misery is really about an obsessed fan. Lisey's Story is about love from beyond (I'm reading the book now).

I wouldn't particular care for a book about a "writer writing" as the main storyline, but I wouldn't rule out reading a book like that if I thought it was a good one.

I've used reporters in a couple of stories I've written. They make excellent modern-day private detectives.

The MC in Salem's Lot is a writer.

Novelust · Dec 25, 2006

I generally avoid stories with writers as the main characters - most of them send up the 'Authorial Stand-In!' red flag.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 25, 2006

MC

The nice thing about having a writer as MC is that the MC is then free to do whatever the plot requires because he doesn't have a nine to five job getting in his way. Having said this, I've only used a writer as MC once, and that was in a short story.

Provrb1810meggy · Dec 25, 2006

I'm fine with writers being MC's, unless publishing comes off as totally unrealistic, which it does in many books. Personally, I haven't written any writer characters. I do have one idea about an avid reader turned writer, but there's much more to the plot than her writing a novel.

scarletpeaches · Dec 25, 2006

I have no idea who or what this 'Miss Snark' is but my opinion of her/him/it is based on the fact they said 'fiction novel'.

veinglory · Dec 25, 2006

I think it is enough of a cliche that it needs to be done very well. I especially think that full time writers written by people who are actually part time writers can be quite unrealistic.

PattiTheWicked · Dec 25, 2006

Like Pete said, I don't want to read about writers who are writing. That would be like reading a novel in which the main character was an accountant, and spent all her time... accounting. Yawn-o.

On the other hand, if the fact that they're a writer is secondary to the Actual Story, then that's cool. One of my favorite books is AS Byatt's "Possession," which is about a pair of scholars who research a pair of writers. Sounds dreary, but it's actually a beautifully crafted love story.

WriterInChains · Dec 25, 2006

I loved Misery & Bag of Bones, so a writer as MC doesn't turn me off (even though I wouldn't pick up "Advances" based on that jacket copy). One of the supporting characters in my current WIP is a struggling writer & college student, but his writing is a very minor part of his contribution to the story (it's not even mentioned a half-dozen times so far & I'm almost finished w/the draft

). I doubt I have a chance in hell of pulling off a full-time writer as MC at this point. I've been self-employed before, but I doubt running a die cutting biz is much like writing full-time!

Like Beezle said -- if I ever turn into another Stephen King, I may give it whirl.

UrsusMinor · Dec 25, 2006

scarletpeaches said:
I have no idea who or what this 'Miss Snark' is but my opinion of her/him/it is based on the fact they said 'fiction novel'.

Miss Snark is an agent. Female.

"Fiction novel" is an in-joke with her--it's one of the things she suggests you write in a query if you want to be assured of immediate rejection.

She also recommends peculiar fonts, stationery with unicorns prancing on the border, sending along gifts, and including single-spaced multipage synopses.

UrsusMinor · Dec 25, 2006

Martin Amis' The Information, mentioned above, is excellent--but incredibly mean-spirited.

Other good books with writer MCs: Donald Westlake's The Hook and Martha Grimes Foul Matter.

All three of these feature two writers as MCs, one successful and another less successful.

I haven't written a story with a writer as an MC, but the novel I just started has an MC who pretends to be a writer.

Del · Dec 25, 2006

My book has a writer in it. It isn't a contributing factor, just what he does on the side. He could as easily have been a photographer with out changing much. He just needed that creative quality.

Higgins · Dec 25, 2006

Scholars and Scientists and Journalists

aruna said:
Do you ever HAVE writers as your MC?

Writers in the classic drink a lot, have cats, special pencils and stay eccentically at home with VERY INTERESTING OPINIONS...no, ah , no, but scholars, scientists and journalists have made MC appearances.

janetbellinger · Dec 25, 2006

My heroine becomes a writer in Tracing Raindrops but the novel isn't really about that. It is just her vocation as the plot happens around her. Now I'm wondering if I should change her vocation to something else but I think I'll leave it even though it would not be hard to do. I amk coming to a point where I think I may as well just stick to my story instead of changing it every time I hear agents and editors don't like this or that. Because changing it still doesn't result in a sale and I will destroy the plot if I continue.

IrishScribbler · Dec 25, 2006

I enjoy reading about writers, but that's something to which I can relate. I like when authors play with writing within the story. Though not everyone may like the movie, the idea in Stranger Than Fiction comes to mind.

scarletpeaches · Dec 25, 2006

UrsusMinor said:
Miss Snark is an agent. Female.

"Fiction novel" is an in-joke with her--it's one of the things she suggests you write in a query if you want to be assured of immediate rejection.

She also recommends peculiar fonts, stationery with unicorns prancing on the border, sending along gifts, and including single-spaced multipage synopses.

I stand corrected. Right. Oh, wait...does that mean pink notepaper sprayed with perfume isn't a good idea, then?

AnnieColleen · Dec 25, 2006

Sort of - I have a historian/writer character. Her story is the frame story; the main story is her ancestor's story that she's researching/recording. Remains to be seen how that'll work in the end.

scarletpeaches said:
does that mean pink notepaper sprayed with perfume isn't a good idea, then?

I dunno, Miss Snark might go for the mean pink notepaper. So long as it's not the nice cutesy stuff.

Do you have writers as characters?

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