Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
I thought this would be a nice cheery way to end my In Fiction series. What do I mean by zest in fiction?
Zestful Writing
For me it means having a sense that the writer loved creating their characters and plot so much, it comes through unmistakably on the printed page. P.G. Wodehouse and his sublime works are a fabulous example of zest in fiction. Yes, he wrote, he drafted, he re-wrote but the love of the craft and what he was coming up with shines through with all of his books.
And it is that I love. You get the sense the author loved the entire process of bringing a story out (though inevitably there will be times they didn’t. The point is you, as reader, never get a sense of that when you read the final piece).
Golf… is the infallible test. The man who can go into a patch of rough alone, with the knowledge that only God is watching him, and play his ball where it lies, is the man who will serve you faithfully and well.
P. G. Wodehouse
This is just one wonderful example of Wodehouse’s zestful writing and is made all the more so for me because I don’t like golf! I tend to side with Mark Twain’s comment about golf being a good walk ruined. Mind you, there is a lot of truth in the Wodehouse quote, is there not? Often humorous, zestful writing will come out with deep insights. The writing is coming from the heart here after all.
Oh and just to prove every writer has their rougher times, here is another quote from Wodehouse.
I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit.
P. G. Wodehouse
Okay, update the technology to computer or tablet, and I think most writers will sympathise here.
Another glorious example of zestful writing comes from one of my favourite episodes of The Goon Show. In the episode The Man Who Never Was, you get this magnificent exchange. (And I’m including a link to the whole script but please, if you’ve never done this, go and listen to the Goons. Still hilarious after all these years and much, much better than a lot of what is currently on. See http://www.thegoonshow.net/scripts_show.asp?title=s08e21_the_man_who_never_was for the script). (I would be surprised if the likes of Milton Jones, Paul Karensa, and Tim Vine, who are all fabulous word-players, are not inspired by The Goons here).
Bloodnok:
Shut up! Achtung, gaflooden gablootz! Admit it, you’re a spy!Spy:
I’m not a shpy, I’m a shepard!Bloodnok:
Ahhhhh, Shepard Spy!…
Every time I hear this, I do think of how much pleasure Spike Milligan must have got from writing that line. He’d set up the gag beautifully, the punchline arises naturally out of the situation, and to know that something simply is just going to work brilliantly I hope was a joy for him. (It deserves to be).
Discipline
This seems like a strange thing to mention in conjunction with zestfulness but it isn’t really. I wonder how many drafts Milligan went through to get to that fabulous line (and the so many others he came up with). The discipline of accepting you need to re-write and re-write and re-write etc is vital to help any writer produce their best work.
Now you can get to a point where you are tired of seeing the same script, story etc. That’s when you take a break from it and then come back to it after a suitable break. Only then can you see the script with fresh eyes. Recording your story on something like Zoom and playing it back at a later date can help too as you are taking in the story as a reader would. It makes it easier, I find, to pick up faults.
The Joy of Writing
The joy of writing is in knowing you have put out the best you can at the time you wrote the story or blog post or novel. I can look back at my earlier stories now and immediately see how I could improve them but they are where I was at writing wise at the time. That’s fine. I’ve no doubt I’ll look back at this post later and think I should have put this in, taken this bit out etc.
What matters though is enjoying the writing to keep on keeping going and this is where discipline comes in again. To get to the zestful stage of writing, you have to go through times when all you seem to be getting out of writing are the pips!
The pips of rejections, not hearing back etc. You need to be committed to your craft and accept that there is always room for improvement. I find this keeps me on my creative toes and encourages me. I want to get better with my stories all the time and that’s a good thing. It means I push myself that bit more. It’s in that pushing the real creativity comes and further ideas for stories and blog posts. It is the love of writing, my own personal zest if you like, which pushes me on like that.
Keeping the Zest Going
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the support of other writers. They’re the best placed to understand the ups and downs of the writing life after all. But there are times when the support of others is just what you need when you seem to be getting more than your fair share of the writing pips mentioned above.
It helps a lot to know other writers go through this too. It isn’t just you. Getting feedback on your writing is helpful too. You don’t want the old soft soap here. You do want the “this works well”, “wasn’t sure what you meant here” and so on kind of comment. When you do get the feedback of “loved this” etc., that will be even more welcome knowing you have worked hard on your writing to get to this point.
I find going to certain writing events helpful. Reading the writing magazines can also be helpful both in terms of advice on improving your craft but also in reading about how other writers became published authors. You need to feel connected to the larger writing community I think. Most of our time is spent at our desks on our own. By engaging with other writers, you won’t just make friends, you’ll pick up useful tips as we all share information.
Every writer I’ve come across is generous here and that generosity is not just useful in and of itself, it can help make you feel you are part of the wider writing world. Every writer I’ve come across has to fight Imposter Syndrome every so often which is so damaging to confidence.
Conclusion
No writer is going to be zestful all the time. Tiredness, human frailty generally, the news etc can all get in the way. But as long as you are enjoying writing most of the time, you are on the right lines.
Happy writing. It should be for you and your reader, no matter what it is you write.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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Great blog.
Thanks, Lynn.
Thanks for these blogs, Allison. Getting constructive criticism is not easy and people are sometimes upset if you do not take all their advice. Walking away for a while and then going back to a problem can be a valuable move.
Zest is an intangible property. Often you realise that a writer’s soul isn’t in the piece he or she is writing. Often the last few pages of a book are hurried and improbable. The writer’s only aim is to get to that final full stop.
Many thanks, Mike. It has been a pleasure to write this series. What matters is enjoying your writing, whether you seek publication or not. Being creative is its own reward. Seeing that helps with the zest element!