Blogger: Rachel Kent
A multi-published writer mentioned in conversation with another author that she always makes the heroes in her books look like actor Harrison Ford. You know, the ruggedly handsome, Indiana Jones-type. She claimed that her readers never noticed the look-alike heroes. She chose to continue in this “rut” purposefully because Harrison’s a good-looking guy and none of her readers had ever written to her to complain.
I believe this is a dangerous way to write and I really don’t understand why she’d do it. By intentionally reusing a “rut,” believing that nobody will notice, she’s underestimating her readers’ intelligence and that’s not a good idea. Plus, Harrison (young or old) might not be everyone’s choice for a handsome hero. Variety is a good thing!
Reusing a “look” is probably not a huge mistake, but it’s the tip of the “rut-iceberg” for authors of more than one book. It’s always wise to be intentional about creating unique characters and books.
Have you ever read two novels by the same author and after you finish the second book you realize that the two plots are essentially the same? The same thing can happen with nonfiction. A nonfiction author is usually an expert on one subject, and it’s easy for the author to accidentally write practically the same book twice. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that every author only has one good book in them; I know for a fact that that’s not true, but I’m pretty sure that the saying is around because of these seemingly mass-produced books. Change the character names and title or reorder the chapters, and you have a “new” book. Be wary of this in your own writing. You don’t want to fall into this trap.
Are authors in too much of a hurry to produce books or is it laziness? Do editors want authors to write practically the same book again if the story sold well? Are readers too nice to point out to the author the strong similarities between plots? What do you think causes authors to essentially write the same book again? I’ve found that series that go on for many books (usually more than 6) end up reusing themes and plot-lines. How would you suggest an author keep track of what he or she has already written? How do you keep track?
And please don’t name names if you are going to mention a specific example. We don’t want to hurt anyone here!
Keeping Your Agent Informed
Rachel, I am grateful for the frequency and quality of your blog posts here. Perhaps half of the rut problem proceeds from authors’ tendencies to have one of the characters bear a striking resemblance to the author, if not externally than internally. If the plot lines all blur together, that’s baaaad, as Arnold said in True Lies about the men he had killed, and those are darlings we should similarly dispatch.
Laziness is what my guess is. Lack of imagination might be another problem. A good agent should point the problem out.
I worry about doing this! My brain usually pings when I’m in the plotting stages and have explored a theme before. Instead of throwing it out altogether, I try to view it through the character’s eyes. If I can find a way to make it fresh, I’ll use it. If it’s a rehash of something I’ve done, I throw it out.
I’m with you, Jill. This is the same kind of thing I do too. I feel if we keep aware to ask ourselves tough comparison questions about our books we’ll be less likely to repeat. I also choose specific actors to “portray” my characters and since each book has their own set I try to choose diverse actors for the roles which makes me think diversely about their personalities too which helps shape my story.
In youth the only food I needed
was beer and pizza, or so it seemed.
Nutrition-advice went unheeded,
consequences went undreamed.
The danger of the rutted road
is that we service just one story.
Ensuring ourselves a lighter load,
we deny the Lord His Glory.
All paths lead to the narrow gate,
but the land is broad and wide;
some arrive early, some leave late,
and some won’t reach the other side.
It’s for love, and for God’s duty
that we must write a varied beauty.
Hi Andrew…this is a Keeper for me–thank you!
In my own writing, I rarely describe characters for just the reason you mention – my idea of handsome or beautiful isn’t ‘universal’. So basic descriptions come in only if it’s necessary to understand why something happens (the outcome of a fight, why one character is attracted to another).
As to writing the same book, I have found that re-reading (or at least skimming) previous stories helps immensely in keeping those old ideas fresh in my mind. Then if I find myself thinking, “Wait – that sounds familiar” I can think more clearly where I’d written it before – and adjust appropriately. That’s especially helpful because I do like similar themes – I just want to make sure I put a new twist on them.
Keeping track of stories I have written and submitted to various magazines, sites, etc. is very important. I make a list of everything I submit, including title and date. 🙂
This came up in conversation for me the other day. Having a formula that works is one thing. Writing the same book over and over is another. I once stopped reading a favorite author of mine because all her books seemed like the same story with difference character names.
Keep it fresh to keep readers engaged.
It may have something to do with branding, as well. An author may narrow the field in the types of heroes (or heroines) they create due to the line of books they’re writing for the same brand, and thinking those are the kinds that would fit best for those stories. Here’s where a bit of extra thought and imagination needs to come in, by creating unique characters for each plot while working within certain publishing guidelines.
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Thanks, Rachel, for this! As a writer, I always strive for variety in story and characters. Part of this is because I’m curious about a lot of things and partially because I am not yet published. I have common themes–second chances, the many aspects of love, fairness–but worry that I am not formula enough. “A Certain Romance Publisher” requires formula and I’ve resisted submitting to them, but lately, I’ve come to appreciate their feedback and willingness to take on an unpublished writer (I’m published but not in fiction) and am working on something I hope follows the tried-and-true stories and characters. I always thought readers want a story like the last one they liked and I was the odd duck for reading (and writing) a variety of stories. The Marketplace likes a popular story–look at all the remakes of movies. Don’t agents want something that has proven marketable? I continue to seek representation for my ‘different’ manuscripts but suspect my best chance at getting published is with the publisher above. What do you think?