The First Rule of Write Club
By Cathy Yardley | February 6, 2024 |
“The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.”
Fight Club, the book and the movie, comes at you like a right hook. In my experience, you love it or you hate it. But unless you’re tragically hipster or a Gen Z nihilist, the last thing you are is ambivalent.
Which brings us to the topic of today’s post.
Welcome to the Suck.
I’ve been in the publishing industry for nearly 25 years. It’s always been the Wild West. Lately, though, it’s been looking less like a Western and more like a post-apocalyptic dystopia. We went from High Noon to The Hunger Games in six seconds flat.
In this landscape, your story is either a Sherman tank, or a ghost.
“One size fits all” fits no one.
I can’t tell you how many writers I’ve talked to who say their story “could appeal to everyone… anyone from age ten to seventy, any race, any gender, any walk of life!”
No, it really, really doesn’t.
Because nothing appeals to everyone.
Hell, I know people who don’t like pizza, and if that’s not proof there is no universally appealing thing on earth, I don’t know what is.
More importantly, appealing to everyone should never be your goal when it comes to writing, especially now.
“Universally appealing” generally means average, safe, standard.
That’s DMV beige. That’s unseasoned boiled chicken breast.
That’s ghost territory.
Turning it up to eleven.
It started with the rise of the internet, when a plethora of images, information, and interaction were suddenly, literally at your fingertips. Ironically, in a time where we have the largest buffet of brain candy in the world, people are starving for all the choices.
(If you’ve ever spent an hour perusing Netflix titles while choosing nothing, you know what I mean.)
As a result, it takes something truly vibrant, amplified, and dare I say polarizing to connect with the right readers… the ones who will not only love your work, but spread it like an underground rebellion through their various whisper networks.
In this environment, “meh” is the enemy. Ideally, you want people to either love it or hate it, but by God, they have strong feelings either way.
That’s what we’re looking for. Strong feelings.
But how do you do that?
- Start with the right project. Impact has to be baked in at inception. Start by identifying three main elements: personal passion, reader experience… and, quite frankly, a hook that could bring in a marlin.What are you genuinely thrilled to write? What will readers in that genre adore about it? And in the intersection of those two, what will surprise them, compelling them to find out more about it?
- Amplify. You’re then going to turn up the volume on these elements. Ultimately, you want to write things that make you grin and rub your hands together gleefully. Even if it initially feels self-indulgent, a darling that’s going to be slaughtered later, toss it in.
Repeat with reader experience. Think about what draws readers to your genre. For example, in mystery, they love the puzzle, the challenge. They want the clues, the twists, the red herrings. They want to feel smart, but challenged. They want to know they could solve the murder – but still be pleasantly surprised at a fair, believable, yet unexpected finale.
Add depth to your characters without “reinventing” the genre or sacrificing pacing. Play off their expectations, leading them to a lull of “oh this again” before belting them with a surprise.Look for universal fantasy elements, those primal emotional hooks that are irresistible, and incorporate them as often as possible. What are the core emotions for the story and the set pieces, and how can you make them shine? How can you look at each scene, and think about adding in things that will delight your readers?
Finally, what are your (for lack of a better term) “viral moments”… the stuff that’s going to get people talking? Not in a general “I really liked this book” kind of way. In an “Oh my God, that scene, the one at the wedding? I couldn’t believe it!” kind of way. Specific scenes that make them strong-arm friends into reading the book because they’ve got to talk about it with somebody! - Distill. In a world that has the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD, you’ve got mere moments to make a strong impression. Once you’ve got all the delicious and deliberate material, you’re going to distill the experience down for the most impact. Streamline and reduce. Look at every element – characterization, plotting, pacing, dialogue, setting – for ways to tighten, strengthen, enhance. Story level and scene level. This is a diamond that you’re carving for drama, and polishing for emphasis.
You do NOT have to write “explosive genre” for these principles to apply.
Nobody’s telling you to drop that evocative tale about grief and growth to write The Fast and the Furious, Part 22.
I’m also not suggesting that your quirky Miss Marple-styled sleuth suddenly whip out an AK-47.
But if you’re writing books that showcase and delight in the language of the story, something more “upmarket” or “literary fiction” for example, you need to lean in and enhance that. Your “right readers” love you for your voice. Make sure that you’re giving them that gift to the fullest extent.
Beyond that, how can you engage your reader through your prose, keeping them turning pages when you’re not relying on plot momentum and character GMC? These days, it can’t just be a simple “this writing is beautiful” because there’s a lot of talent out there. As a writing coach, I’m working with upmarket/lit fic authors who are seeking ways to add commercial hook to their beautiful prose. The writing enhances the storyline; the commercial touches help the prose have more audience reach by infusing it with primal emotional power.
Incidentally, I know there’s going to be someone reading this who’s thinking: how do you strategically “amplify” something that’s so intuitive, fleeting, or gossamer, without destroying it?
Now, I am an unrelenting genre fiction writer, to my core. My skin’s pulp novel pages over steel. My brain’s programmed in plot points. My writing is about as gossamer as a Howitzer shell.
But some of my favorite books are lit fic (or adjacent), and what I’ve noticed? They embody that voice throughout, and it bleeds into the choice of story. It shapes the characters. It’s the entire experience.
I’ve read other books where the language feels forced, preening as it calls attention to itself. The standout novels, on the other hand, are like fever dreams, especially the delicate ones. You get immersed it in, and want to weep when the experience is over.
That’s what I mean by choose, amplify, distill… even for literary fiction.
“Oh, is that all I have to do?”
Yes, I know. This is a tall order.
My writing career is based in romance, a notoriously overstocked genre. It’s hard to weather the trend cycles, much less break out. I’ve been writing for nearly a quarter century, and I’ve got a strong midlist rep… but again, in this environment, the midlist shrinks to a pinpoint. When you’re writing for a living, it’s easy to get pulled into the worries: how do I game this market? How do I choose the right course?
Imagine my surprise, then, when I wrote the most bonkers, delightful (to me), amplified romance of my life. I’d sold it on proposal, but I actually giggled nervously as I sent it to my editor with the caveat: if you hate this, I can rewrite it.
That novel, Role Playing, came out last year.
In a field full of twenty-something protagonists, its characters are 48 and 50. It takes a typical romance trope (grumpy/sunshine relationship pairing) and twists it. My male main character is a “cinnamon roll” – a sweetheart. My female MC? A barely domesticated honey badger. (Not in a cutesy way. In an “I will cut you” way.)
The hook: the initial mistaken meet cute, in an online game. Due to how they were introduced, and the fact that they’ve never met, she thinks he’s in his twenties. He thinks she’s an octogenarian. Needless to say, when they finally meet, hijinks ensue.
It’s a romantic comedy that still covers serious, realistically grounded problems, ones that people in my age group face. It has diversity, because my life is diverse.
It fit the Venn diagram of my personal passions (geekery, queer rep, the introvert experience, being an “older” person in the world) and what the audience clamored for (a sense of realism, funny banter/exposition, sweetness without being saccharine or sanitized, and genre surprises.)
It has two or three truly “viral” scenes as well, and a quote that you can find in almost every review.
It was lucky, because it released just as there was a nascent awareness that there were readers who wanted “later in life” stories.
It has also been the most recognized, awarded, well-reviewed, and successful book in my entire 25 year career.
I was scared to pitch it, but I practically channeled it once I leaned in and embraced the fear of it. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it.
Which circles us back to the opening of this post.
“Last rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club… you have to fight.”
This final rule always fascinated me.
The Club founders knew that, to truly experience the transformative power of it, you couldn’t just watch. You had to participate, move past the fear and the pain and get to the other side.
Writing is the same.
Therefore, the first rule of Write Club is: if you can’t see how to do it, you have to write.
Not twenty-four-seven. Not past the point of burnout. Know your limits, play within it, etc. But if you’re daunted by what I’ve just described, and fear you can’t surmount the high expectations? The only way out is through.
Write something that scares you. Write something that obsesses you. Write something you think you’re not ready for.
And have your writing comrades around you, to help you get up when you feel like you’re down for the count. Since you’re here at Writer Unboxed, you’ve got a leg up. It’s one of the best communities I know, and I have to say, I’m glad to be home.
Gear up and buckle in. We’ve got stories to unleash. Let’s write.
How do you feel about “amplifying” your writing? What can you do, now, to dial it up to eleven? What makes you nervous or resistant to trying?
Cathy Yardley has published over 33 novels, novellas, and serialized fiction, both traditionally and independently. In 2011, she started RockYourWriting.com, with the mission of helping novelists make a living. She has helped hundreds of authors as a developmental editor, writing coach, and through her “plot sessions” – one-on-one calls that get authors from concept to plot points in one hour. She’s also written the Rock Your Writing series of reference books, taking authors through the writing cycle, from concept to completion. Sign up for her newsletter, and you can receive free downloads to help you plot and revise your novel.
Hi Cathy! This is such a smart piece that I will be both rereading it and sharing it widely. It is both diagnosis and antidote for women’s fiction writers who are suddenly being told their (okay, our) stories are too quiet. Congrats on the success of Role Paying and for cracking the code! You’ve given us a lot of food for thought—and may have just sent my WIP in a radical new direction!
Hi Kathryn! I’m so glad you liked the post. Women’s fiction especially is a difficult field to differentiate yourself. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
YES! Thanks for sharing this. But it’s not so easy to do…
That is very true! Although it reminds me of that Ted Lasso quote: “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse… if you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” LOL! Thanks for commenting!
Hey Cathy — I may be a fantasy author that doesn’t employ fantastical elements, but if there’s one thing I learned from our time working together, it’s that there are always tools at our disposal to amplify our best elements.
This piece will definitely poke the banked coals to flames for a ton of our fellow writers. Plus, it’s just a ton of fun! That’s so you. Thanks, and congrats on Role Playing. (I’ve been meaning to read it, so thanks for the “better late than never” nudge.)
Vaughn! I have been so thrilled to see your fantasy novels out in the world, and the reviewers who are finally getting to see how wonderful they are!
Thanks for commenting, my friend. And I hope you enjoy Role Playing. :)
Awesome! Happy to be in Write Club. Guess that means I have to go write.
Thanks for the inspiration today.
You’ve got this! We’ll both get some writing done, LOL.
This really resonates for me today. Thank you! It’s just the boost of practical but also visionary advice I need right now. It also reminds me of my first paid writing project, 20 years ago: I saw a contest prompt and immediately an outrageously cheesy line came into my head. “They’ll never fall for that” was my first thought. I wrote it anyway and submitted it. “I’ll just go deposit this large check” was my final thought. :)
I feel like it’s definitely an environment of “ask forgiveness, not permission” at this point, more than ever. They can always tell you to rein it in, but they won’t bother to tell you to bump it up. Wow on the “large check” by the way!
As a member of Write Club who is nearing the end of somewhat polished first draft and is also thinking it can be rewritten if the publisher doesn’t like it, I needed this one-two punch. I have to give myself permission to love my story. Thanks so much for this!
Congrats on seeing the finish line of your manuscript! I think that too many of us are hesitant about our writing… apologetic, embarrassed. Confidence is very difficult to learn if you’re not inherently gifted with it. But you can build it up, I’m discovering, and “fake it till you make it” is very real. Good luck!
Cathy, thank you for this wise take on the Write Club! I’m in it for the long haul and aren’t we privileged to do what we love doing?!!! It’s exactly the encouragement I need to put some of the scary stuff on the page (I’ve learned to write scared) …and then not throw it out (haven’t taken this next step).
It’s great to see you again, Vijaya! We are absolutely privileged (and occasionally cursed! ) to be in this profession. Sounds like you’re on the right track!
Wahaa! Love this post, Cathy! You made me chuckle and nod from start to finish. It’s going on my corkboard. LOL. I’m sending your post to clients and fellow authors, but the heading will be about voice. You nailed that slippery bugger to the wall. Voice is best achieved when the author spills it all on the page, deeps uber deep, explores all avenues, yet gets right to the tippy point without apologies. You’ve done this in one page. Gotta love it.
Hugs,
Dee
Thanks, Denise! It’s hard to do what we do, especially to the lengths that we’re expected to go through, but it’s worth it… for our readers, and for ourselves. Great to hear from you!
Hi Cathy, and thanks for your candid, meaty post. You’ve been in the trenches a long time, and succeeded. This means all of us at WU do well to pay attention to whatever you have to say as you promote Role Playing. From my back-bencher position as a fiction writer, I am sure you’re right when you describe publishing today as looking “less like a Western and more like a post-apocalyptic dystopia.” I’m also sure that “meh is the enemy.” But what is anti-meh “in a world that has the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD”?
This is why the whole, to use your phrase “fever dream” approach to the market and to genres has led me to re-define myself as a hobbyist. I’m good with being a happy warrior, a fighter, but today’s rules of the game don’t make sense to me. MY big challenge lies in figuring out how to find and then gain the attention of what you call my “right readers.” That would be readers like me who aren’t moved by shock-and-awe tactics aimed at holding the attention span of goldfish. When I self-publish my upmarket midlist novel later this year, that will be my greatest challenge, not ginning up emotions that induce apoplexy.
P.S. I’m going to read Role Playing. Not because I read the romance genre, but because the voice here in your post has me hooked.
“What is anti-meh ‘in a world that has the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD’?”
You might re-read the passage about not needing to be in an explosive genre. This isn’t about “ginning up emotions” so much as enhancing them, which, if you’re really invested in showcasing your writing, is exactly the challenge you should love. It’s not about being flashy. It’s about being MORE. Taking risks, leaning in, writing with your whole chest. I am not sure what your benchmark is for “quality of writing” but if that’s what you love, then my suggestion would be, amplify that.
While I’m flattered that you’d read ROLE PLAYING (and hey, who doesn’t love a sale? ) I think I’m going to instead suggest three of my favorite “lit fic adjacent” stories that are what I would consider amplified. Two of them aren’t even current, but to me, they’re perfect. They are:
The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern (which is “quiet” yet so atmospheric it is the definition of fever dream)
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson (grounded in realism, but the voice is so precise, so coolly evocative, I want to eat the pages)
This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Indescribable!)
That last one is the most current. The voice is tangible. While it is technically about a war, it’s not an action story per se: it’s epistolary, an exchange between enemies who are intrigued with each other. It’s a slow, imaginative love story that is not a romance, a speculative fiction novel that doesn’t showcase space opera. Also, it has one of the most amazing hooks I’ve ever read: “Burn this before reading.”
Wait, BEFORE?
It’s a tiny, almost nonsensical comment, but it sets up a time-slipping adventure in a way that has the reader asking: “what’s going on here?” and turning pages. If you want to see writing craft that shines without being blow-em-up, the lyricism in this shines. Right up your alley, perhaps. Good luck!
“You need to lean in and enhance that. Your “right readers” love you for your voice. Make sure that you’re giving them that gift to the fullest extent.” Thanks for this, Cathy. If my fingers hesitate over the keys, I will remember your words and go WRITE AHEAD.
Your readers are looking for exactly what you can give them, trust me. Go for it!
As a writer on the skyward side of fifty, who hasn’t landed a book deal in years, and recently parted ways with my agent, my current motto is to write as if there are no Fs left to give. Your post fueled that goal today. Thank you!
As it happens, publishing is discovering that there are readers over fifty! And I am a posterchild for no Fs left to give, so I applaud your motto. Kick some ass!
Thanks, Cathy, for your insight and clarity. In a writing world filled with coaches and advice, your article shines. The Grateful Dead come to mind: “If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine…” I look forward to immersing myself in your words/thoughts. Be well!
Thank you for your kind words! I’m glad you liked the post. Happy writing!
My God. I thought it was just me seeing the planes crashing on the beachhead. This is the downside to living like a cranky hermit crab—I mean writer: We don’t realize that other people are witnessing the same thing.
After 30 years in the biz, I know exactly what you mean about a Sherman tank versus a ghost. My one foray into women’s fic? My agent loved the book, but couldn’t sell it.
Because romance was an overcrowded, increasingly contentious field, I bowed out for a while. Picked up some ghostwriting gigs and gig writing in general. Then a packager reached out to my agent, and here I am, back in romance. But it’s a premise that “would hook a marlin.” Too much, I initially thought. But I was wrong.
Your piece clarified a lot of things for me. Thank you for sharing your considerable wisdom. Mad respect, lady. You keep on keeping on.
Nice to see someone who’s been in the trenches of Romancelandia, too. We are a tough crew. But yeah, it’s been bananas even for us, and we’ve seen a thing or two. Mad respect back atcha, and hang in there.
I’m so glad to see you back on WU, Cathy!
Authors are supposed to be influencers now in order to sell their work, but what you wrote here made me realize that our content may need to be seen as “influencers’ fodder,” too. Is it something influencers will want to talk about?
I really appreciate the prompts! Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned, and huge congratulations on your success with Role Playing!
Welcome home!
With influencers, or even just readers, it’s the Venn diagram again. What do you love, what do they crave… and where is the intersection? It’s not necessarily trying to engineer something inorganic as bait. The more authentic you can be about what you’re interested in writing, the better. But it’s definitely being aware of that shared passion, and how you can really emphasize it.
I’m glad I can share what I’ve been learning with such wonderful people, and hopefully you’ll all find it helpful. It is so, so lovely to be back! :)
I laughed out loud at the cave and Wi-Fi image, and then kept reading… :-) Now, good grief and for heaven’s sake, I have to buy the book!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest of the book! :)