Letters to a Young Writer Did What It Set Out to Do
The point of an open letter is to share an opinion or give thoughts on a topic. When we covered this topic, we briefly considered how effective the format is. Evidence points to open letters reasonably impacting the individuals who read them. Man, its effectiveness really hits home when you’re the one feeling that impact right in the soul. As a hobbyist writer who enjoys dabbling in fiction, Colum McCann’s thoughts and opinions on writing and the journey to authorship sure did what they were meant to do. They gave me such a unique perspective on writing and advice that I haven’t heard anywhere else. It was so effective, in fact, that I felt the need to read his entire open-letter collection to absorb all the advice hidden within his words.
The first letter I read was advice for writing first-person narration. Some of it is stuff I already heard before. Of course, you should know the plot you’re narrating, what the character(s) narrating the story is/are like, and how the narration might be unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a whole other can of worms that might be worth looking into if you enjoy writing or analyzing fiction, but that’s off-topic. What stuck out to me most was how some of his advice focused on non-plot-relevant, almost 4th wall-related details. I’m sure I and many others never considered the narrator’s location when telling the story, the time that has theoretically passed between the plot and the narration, and the character’s purpose for telling the story. Because, for most stories, these details don’t seem to matter unless the entire story is just a story within the story. But they probably do matter somewhat, despite how paradoxical it may seem.
Taking the core advice and making some writing prompts based on it would make for fine practice. How about this: write a small scene or story in 1st person. Now, rewrite the story as if the character told it while waiting in line at the bank. Now, rewrite the story as if the character told it on a rainy day in the comfort of their home. Now, rewrite the story as if the character told it near an active warzone. Now, rewrite the story as if the events happened yesterday. Now, rewrite the story assuming the events happened 20 years ago. Now, rewrite the story as if the narrator wished to inspire the audience. Now, rewrite the story as if the narrator wanted to tell it out of spite or revenge. Now, rewrite the story as if the narrator wanted to use their story as a cautionary tale.
The second letter I read was about getting an agent. I have no interest in publishing anything, but if I ever do, I’d follow McCann’s advice. Finding an up-and-coming author you like and contacting their agent is a genius move. You already know they’re successful because otherwise, you wouldn’t know about the author. So then you go, write yourself a dandy “cover letter” to the agent (even though you’re technically hiring them) and hope for the best.
Even though the advice on getting an agent isn’t something particularly relevant to me at the moment, some of McCann’s advice is metaphorically life advice in general. If your agent is trying to squash who you are and what you’re writing for more cash, fire them. If someone is hindering you, cut them out of your life. If something sucks, hit the bricks. Don’t fall for the sunk cost fallacy.
The final letter was about reading during your writing process or essentially drawing inspiration from other people’s writings. I got a small laugh out of McCann’s advice to not worry about stories that seem “identical” to your concept because it’s a fear I’ve often seen in online writing communities. It feels especially worse when you only found the identically conceptual story after you came up with the idea but before you’ve “published” it. But, as the letter said, that fear is only in your mind. No one will notice or care, and even if they do, your concept is unique in its own way.
The last thing I want to mention is how McCann advised against taking inspiration when you end a story. Endings are essentially the bow that ties the whole story together; it’s what the readers will remember most. Thus, it’s probably the most important place to add your pure self. No concepts and cliches frankensteined together. What happens is simply between you and the characters living in your mind. The End.