Part 2: Writing is like American Idol

So you are probably tired of me comparing the two but I have one more important thing to add in light of Katherine McPhee being in the bottom 2 this week. Or Lisa Tucker getting the boot, for that matter. Can these ladies sing? Duh? Both have powerful voices and they can sing like angels. They didn't get the least amount of votes because they can't sing. They lost votes because they didn't use their 'voice'.

Confused? Singing is like writing. Chris has his own style. He doesn't compromise. He knoww what he wants to sing and no matter what the era, he finds the right song for his style. Or in writing, we call it 'voice'. Katherine's mother is a voice teacher for goodness sake. Katherine has a perfectly controlled voice but the song she chose did not fit her voice. She did not come alive, (her words didn't jump from the page) she didn't make the song her own (add her own twist to the storyline) and so she was reduced to "another karaoke performance" as Simon would say.

I have to admit, I was a bit disgusted at all the performers this week. Every week I tune in and hear the judges say the same thing. Don't chose a song that is made memorable by the performance/singer if you aren't going to change the song and make it your own. After the fifth week of hearing this, I wonder if some of the contestants get it. Change the arrangement to make it your own. Okay, two contestants get it. Mandesa and Chris. And those two, my friends will be your only two Idols-wanna-be's performing in the finals.

What about Taylor and Paris you ask? They will make the top 6, but they won't win. Why? Taylor is a Vegas headliner waiting to happen. He would love to do three shows a day with his style of entertaining. He isn't going to make a bunch of top 10 hits, but he could easily be the Wayne Newton of our generation. And Paris? She is darling and will do great things. But not this year. She hasn't found her 'voice' yet. She can do so many songs well, but she hasn't found her niche yet. She does amazing Jazz but I doubt she will be satisfied with such a small audience. The girl wants the big time but isn't ready.

My point? As writers you have to know your voice. You can't copy someone else's. You will fail everytime. If you try to copy how Nora Roberts writes, then you are just another karaoke performance of Nora. There is only one Nora. Find your style, which could be very similar but change the arrangement to make it your own. How many of us will enter contests and get reviews back from judges and still not get it, just like a Idol contestants? How many of us will miss out on publishing because we don't take that advice to heart or can't comprehend what we are being told? When will we get our Oprah, "AHA" moment that will take us from being unpublished to published? Well my friends, that is up to you. Think long and hard about your current WIP. Is it a karaoke performance or did you make it your own? Did you find your voice?

Once you can do that, then the judges, editors, agents, etc will cheer and call you a star. Until then, listen to the Simon's and mine for the nuggests for truth. He maybe brutally honest but he is right. Sadly, I have agreed with him 100% of the time this year. Only I would frame my judgements in a more palatable way.

-Serena

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Writing is like being on American Idol...Kind of

I confess that this year I am an American Idol addict. I didn't watch it all the other years, past the initial rounds. Yes, I wanted to watch the bad singers. I didn't want to hear them get brutalized by Simon but I wanted to be a fly on the wall and listen to their stories. I am constantly amazed by the ones who really think they can sing and clearly can't. Oh, I'm not talking about the ones who are so so and can probably do one or two songs well, but the ones who are flat out awful. Because, my friends, that's alot like the writing world. And karaoke is to American Idol what RWA is to the Romance writing industry. Let me explain.

Karaoke has allowed many so so or bad singers to get on stage, in front of an audience and perform. Bad singers get that luke warm response but the ones who are just okay, get more enthusiasm. Just enough to encourage them to continue with the same song, every night. But when they try something new, they aren't as good.

So, imagine an organization that tells you all the insider information on craft, industry trends and even allows you the opporunity to meet agents and editors face to face. Yes, now you can see where I am going with this.

It used to be that the bad writers were so obvious that they could easily be dumped in the 'thanks, but no thanks' pile but now its harder to make the clear distinction. The grammar is better (though mine is sometimes out and out atrocious), they are following the submission guidelines and their stories might even be relevant to what is hot right now in the industry, but they just aren't up to par. With alot of work, they could make that manuscript saleable. And then it would probably do below average or barely skim the line above that.

So what does an agent/editor do? Do they take that really raw manuscript that shows a small amount of promise and put tons of man hours into coaching the author and suggesting revisions only to find the author is not capable of taking the suggestions and molding the manuscript into its potential? Or do they pass and hope the next project from this author is better?

Every rejection is an opportunity to get better. They might not like your current work but that doesn't mean you can't get better at your craft, find a more arresting angle, discover the genre that let's your voice sing and then bam, you get dialogue with the agent/editor. They see something remarkable in your project and think you can take it to the next level. The saleable/publishable level. The Randy/Paula/Simon level.

And you revise. You revise until you've polished it like a pretty gem and you resubmit. Will they suggest more revisions, will they give you the dreaded "No" (echoing down a dark hallway) or will they take you to Hollywood?

Personally, I am pulling for Chris because I love any guy who marries a gal with kids from a previous marriage and loves them like his own. He works hard to provide for his family and works hard pursuing his dream. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and really grasps what this competition means and what he needs to do to win it. Sure, he isn't as darling as Kelly Pickler but lets face it, Kelly will be eaten alive in that industry without someone to hold her hand.

-Serena

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-Serena