What NOT to Read When You're Writing

I made a terrible mistake recently, which resulted in a psychic setback in the marketing of my novel, COME THE HARPIES. Over my long career as a writer, I learned that it’s best not to read fiction while writing a novel. It’s even more important that if I violate that rule, it’s best that I not read great fiction, because it can totally compromise the self-confidence factor.

I recently broke that rule. I just finished reading a great writer. Though technically I’m at a stage where I’m now marketing my book to agents, it should’ve been okay to return to great books. However, I’m also reviewing my draft again and tweaking and tweaking, a process that could go on for a while. Thus, I should’ve stuck with non-fiction until I sign an agent contract or give up the ghost.

The great writer in question is Zadie Smith, and the book was her smash debut novel called WHITE TEETH. OMG! WHITE TEETH is a tour-de-force. It overflows with humor and wisdom, incredibly well-drawn characters representing a wide gamut of ages, races and cultures. She demonstrates a total mastery of setting, dialect, and emotional range. She covers religious fanaticism ranging from Islamism to the Jehovah Witnesses. Her scope as a writer seems without limit, covering a period from the 19th century to 1992. Her breadth takes you from London street culture to the rarified world of science and technology. Her talent seems infinite. And…she was 25 when she published this book!

Needless to say, Zadie Smith and I are not on the same planet talent-wise. But if she’s five times better than me, then she’s probably five times better than most other professional writers. But that realization doesn’t help much when you’re trying to write and market a book, which requires a maximum of enthusiasm and confidence on the part of the author. I shouldn’t have read that book and I’m paying the emotional toll of unworthiness for it now! 

If it’s any consolation, not all critics were enamored of WHITE TEETH, and it has a below 4 rating on Goodreads. It was criticized for being overwritten, too many main characters, a seeming disdain for most of the characters on the part of the author, tedious and plodding plotting and way too much detail and storylines. Yeah, I can see that. But I also see that books like INFINITE JEST, J.R., GRAVITY’S RAINBOW, and FINNEGAN’S WAKE could be similarly criticized. These books are demanding and certainly not page-turners, but they brilliantly display the otherworldly gifts of their authors, including the great Zadie Smith. 

I suppose as writers we should be satisfied and try to appreciate our more earthly gifts, and accept the fact that the greats don’t come along that often. I think what I need to get me out of the dumps is a nice factual history of the Korean War or maybe a sloppy detective story.