It is the happiest of times. It is the saddest of times. It Is a period of genius. It is a period of ignorance. We are the epitome of empathy. We are a disgrace of indifference. It is a decade of growth. It is a time of regression. We are the enforcers of justice. We are subdued and conformed.
Paradox of Life
Dickens’ eloquent paradox of 1775 in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is no less true today. Despite the strong opinions we have on embracing diversity, we gag diverse voices with regimented rules that stunt our ideas, thought and words. We have free speech, but covered with red tape, ‘born free’ as Rousseau put it ‘but everywhere enchained’.
Literary Crisis
My point is that we have lived in a messy world since before 1775, so it’s contradictory to expect our writing to follow tidy, regimented rules to express our experience of this messy world. Not only might these rules interfere with the authenticity of a writer’s voice, but these rules also limit diverse stories from being told and heard as they are often told by writers who come from other worlds and other rules. No wonder we have a current carbon copy literary crisis where protagonist, antagonist, plots and scenes are different yes, but alike in making many members of our human race feel like they are unrepresented in our library of literature.
Cultural Devices
I’m not suggesting that we throw writing rules to the side. I’m an English teacher, so clear, expressive, engaging writing make my pulse race and my heart, happy. I am, however, suggesting that we reimagine the priorities that make a good story. I say we pay more attention to clear, consistent purpose and voice, decorum meters, where sense and sound of a story are rhythmic and match; and we should focus on accurate and well-placed imported vocabulary that reinforces cultural diversities. This will give writers, particularly foreign ones, an equal playing field to embody the page and show us themselves: Who is a hero and who is a villain? What human experience is worth telling or left out? Instead of dictating a list of language devices endorsed by who knows who, we should encourage diverse writing elements like Chekov’s Gun. Our sheep-like approach to appropriate writing tools is the culprit, I think, that leaves incredible stories living forever in writers’ draws, never to see the light of day because of insignificant red tape.
Wabi Sabi
Where did this obsession with writing perfection come from anyway? Is perfect, engaging? I’m not convinced. I was recommended a novel by a refugee student during an English Conference last year. She said it sparked her enthusiasm for studying in Australia because she finally saw herself authentically represented in literature. ‘The Rugmaker of Mozar-e-Sherif’ by Naja Mazar does not fit the narrow rules of good writing. And yet, it engaged this refugee, who went on to make a success of her life, so much that she credits her whole success to this one book. Is that not every writer and teacher’s dream?
I think we Australian writers and teachers needs to get with the program. Italians know it, Sprezzatura. Japanese know it, Wabi Sabi. We need to learn it too: a little flaw improves things.
“Where did this obsession with writing perfection come from anyway? Is perfect, engaging? I’m not convinced.”
100% agree with you, Louise. There’s a fiction book I read more than a decade ago that I’d describe as a genuine diamond in the rough.
It would score poorly in an unpublished writing contest and probably attract 1 star reviews because the writing craft was lacking in multiple areas.
But… the author is a fantastic storyteller with engaging characters and despite point of view glitches, run on sentences, less than perfect grammar etc. the storytelling was powerful.
I was so hooked into that story that I stopped seeing the flaws in the writing because the story was alive in my mind. I can still remember specific scenes from that story, more than a decade later.
Story always trumps beautiful writing, imho. Thanks for sharing your thought provoking post. 😊
Narelle, I’m so glad you saw beyond the flaws to the author’s writing gift and kept reading. As a teacher to international students, I’m passionate about building their confidence so they can teach me about their world, in the spirit of diversity, and develop their writing skills along the way. Sometimes we quiet their voice and crush their self esteem in the pursuit of more than they are capable of at the time.