In my post "Competing Values: Profits Take on Principles", I began discussing the conflicts involved in writing as an art and writing as a trade. That is, it is a great challenge to find a balance in what you wish to write and what the market wants you to write. By studying the case of Perez Hilton and his celebrity blog, I demonstrated how from the profit-principle relation (or often dichotomy) issues of ethics, responsibility, reputation, and income arise. While satisfying all of these elements can be daunting, it is possible. In this post, I will provide you with two examples of writers in different genres--ones who suffered from misplaced motives and one who achieved a fulfilling blend.
They got lynched
While journalism carries with it certain social responsibility, it remains a market –a competitive one. The desire to publish articles that will gain readers and turn profits can potentially obscure truth in a given piece. For instance, when the major papers recognized potential for an exciting story in Private Jessica Lynch’s experience of war in Iraq, the want to put a good story together overwhelmed the responsibility to put a true story together. The result was a greatly sensationalized, exaggerated story consisting of many falsehoods. (Source)
After the Pentagon declared in April 2003 that Lynch maintained extreme bravery throughout both her captivity in and her rescue from an Iraqi hospital, publications jumped on the opportunity to sell sentimentality, portraying Lynch as a symbol of strength, patriotism, and freedom. The New York Post, for example, published an article titled, "How Daring Midnight Ballet Brought Back Pfc. Jessica From The Enemy's Evil Clutches." (Source)
Once Lynch returned and once the attention died down, the realities of the story emerged, revealing her to be treated much better than the media described. For instances, Lynch obtained her injuries from a Hummer crash, not from Iraqi soldiers, as many articles claimed; she wasn't imprisoned, she was hospitalized; there were no Iraqi military in the hospital and she was appointed one of the two nurses on her room's floor. (Source) To watch Lynch speak of her real experience and the manipulation of it, visit A conversation with Jessica Lynch.
In the hunt for a marketable story, the papers and newscasts relied on unnamed sources for the information they published and failed to consult other resources. They could have spoken to Lynch herself to confirm their stories, for instance. Although their motives became confused, they could have saved the credibility of their pieces (and themselves) by properly researching and confirming their stories.
The publications and authors that printed the misleading recounts were forced to reexamine the details and print retractions in attempts to restore public trust. In October 2003, for instance, New York Post published a correction story titled "Saving Private Lynch from Misinformation." This damage is the direct result of their over-focus on gaining readership and profits, as they overlooked accuracy to feed the public's hunger for stories to hit heartstrings.
He hunts harmony
The industry of fictional literature is often divided in high and low genre. In his article, Good Books Don't Have to Be Hard, book critic Lev Grossman discusses how modernism stole the heart from the Victorian novel, and when I say heart, he means plot. As modernists felt a chronological story in which all events tie up at the end was not realistic, they created novels more representative of their realities. (Source)
Further, modernists also wrote at a level more difficult to read, unlike their predecessors, like Dickens, for instance. Think James Joyce's Ulysses or Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. As this limited reading to the intellectuals, a trend began that made readers feel that an easier read was something for the lower classes, a part of "lowbrow culture.”
Grossman and many other literary experts agree that today we are in need of another shift, one that supports the interesting, but still intelligent, read. According to the Association of American Publishers, in 2009, sales of the traditional hardcover literary novel dropped 17.8% while sales of the entertaining young-adult novel rose 30.7%. (Source)
Here, we see an opportunity to cash in on the pleasurable novels that some consider cheap thrills. But, in this and many other profitable writing markets, there is also an opportunity to create a hybrid of sophisticated literary intelligence and popular entertainment. (Source)
Writer Michael Chabon has been very successful in using popular genres as interesting outlets for his literary expertise. While his path as a writer began with a campus novel, it has since traveled to comic books in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay), to detective fiction in The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and to adventure romance fiction in Gentlemen of the Road. He combines areas of literature, “highbrow” and “lowbrow”, which have traditionally been strictly divided. In bringing new depth to these popular genres, Chabon has found his comfortable and creative balance between profits and principles.
Writing Rule(s):
First of all, don't get sloppy. While writing professionally does carry the stress of tight deadlines, no shortcuts can be taken in checking facts. In all fields, loss of credibility can be a career killer.
Secondly, in your hunt for harmony, be creative. Be inspired by Chabon's success in inserting "highbrow" techniques in "lowbrow" forms. Know that when a certain genre is being widely read, it is also being widely written. You need a fresh angle to stand out and impress.
No comments:
Post a Comment