Kirsty's Advice

thethemeis: Risk

theauthoris: LiamD

     Simon didn't really understand. He'd thought his novel had been truly original, he'd thought anyone who read it would marvel at it's uniqueness whether they liked it or not - he thought he'd been taking risks. 

     But the publishers' responses (or those that implied his manuscript had been read past the title, at least) were unanimously decided - Twice in a Lifetime was 'retreading over tired grounds', it was 'borrowing all of its style from great literature but had no substance to accommodate it'. 'Ultimately', as Tomahawk Publishing Ltd. had gut-wrenchingly put it, 'it reads like a bad fan-fic, without the fun of knowing the characters.' Such responses were not something Simon was expecting to hear. 

     'Try not to dwell on it too much, my love,' Kirsty soothed gently from her reclined position on their three seater. 'It's your first attempt - I bet all the greats were rejected at least once before they made it big. You just need to keep at it.' 

     'I know, but...' he let out a growl as his face twisted into a grimace of strangled frustration. 'I don't know where I went wrong.' He took a mouthful of tea while he ordered his thoughts. That always warmed him in the cold autumn and winter months. Their small flat did have central heating but they rarely used it since, Kirsty had reasoned, it was better to save money in the cold than waste money in the warm, when times is 'ard. Simon had laughed, and then agreed. 

     'I tried so hard to find something nobody had ever done before. I genuinely thought it was original. But the books they say I've lifted things from... I've never even heard of most of them. I mean, "Replay",' he gestured at the letter containing the reference, 'Who the fuck is Ken Grimwood?!' 

     Kirsty laughed, despite her other half's clear distress. They both took a sip of tea and then, after she had controlled her laughter, she spoke. 'To be honest, this is something I've been thinking about for a while' she said. 'At school, one of my music teachers once said that all the greatest composers are equally good thieves.' 

     Simon blinked. 'What?' he said. 

     'Well, I think that can be applied to all artists,' she explained. 

     He looked at her blankly, so she continued. 'Maybe you approached the novel from the wrong angle. If your only aim is to do something nobody has ever done before, then you're ignoring the knowledge and writing technique that has been developed over the years through popular literature. It's like you were trying to reinvent the wheel. How many sci-fi books had you actually read before deciding on to your story?' 

     'Not many,' he admitted. Sometimes Kirsty's tendency to speak in metaphors was endearing, but today Simon was finding it slightly irritating. 'But I don't see what this had to do with-' 

     'You can't push boundaries if you don't know where they are! It's like trying to invent a flying car without knowing anything about engines or aviation' she said. 

     Simon could see that somewhere in the midst of analogy, she had a point. 'Ok, so you think I should read more of the genre, do my research, then return to the planning phase and come up with something truly unique?' 

     'Well...' She gave him a sympathetic look. 'Not exactly.' 

     Simon looked incredulous. 'But that's what you just said!' 

     'No it isn't, not really; I said you were approaching the novel from the wrong angle. If a story is unique, what does that matter if the storytelling is weak? Themes, character development, narrative flow, aren't these things more important than originality? Sure, an original story idea is great, but until you've developed your long story writing skills to a sufficient level, you'll never do it justice.' Kirsty was trying hard not to hurt his feelings, but some advice can't be given without telling people things they don't want to hear. 

     Simon stared at their plain beige carpet thoughtfully and, after a time, responded. 'Perhaps you're right. Perhaps if anything I should be taking as few risks as possible.' He paused while he thought some more. 'But where does the thievery come into it?' 

     'It's obvious isn't it? Borrow what you like, what works. Adopt, adapt and improve!' she winked. 

     'Ah, the motto of the round table,' he replied, and they both laughed. There was another brief pause for more tea. 'You know,' he said as the warmth trickled down his throat, 'you're way too smart to be a teacher.' 

     'Isn't that the idea?' she asked with a chuckle. 

     It's times like this, Simon thought to himself, that make me realise how lucky I am. He was suddenly hit by an idea. 

     'This was a pretty inspiring conversation. I might use if for a short story.' he exclaimed. 

     'That's the spirit!' Kirsty smiled, stood up, kissed Simon on the cheek, and left the room. Simon started writing.