That's when I read this quote by Kristin Cashore:
"In the end -- and I mean this 100% -- what matters is what you think of your book. Don't get me wrong, this can change based on the intelligent commentary of others. Speaking personally, criticism by others has absolutely helped me to see my own books more clearly, in all their flaws. But don't forget that some of the people who express reactions to your books will actually be judging a green triangle as if it is a failed attempt at a yellow square. Those criticisms hurt, but they're not actually relevant to your process. It's safe to let them go."
--From Kristin Cashore's Blog (Advice to New Writers)
Even if you're not a new writer, I strongly recommend reading the entire article.
These wise words by an author I deeply respect helped me decide to fight for my green triangle.
Have you ever felt like your green triangle was judged as though it were a yellow square? What did you do?
Good post. Yes, I have felt that way. And like you, I first melted then picked myself up and moved on. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteThanks for the link! I like that post. It's not so much what I've written, it's who I am. After graduating from college some close friends started talking about how I started changing with my first job-- like I wasn't truly an oddball all along. I'm working on a story about that right now, and how I accepted myself as a Green Triangle.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
It's good to be a green triangle. ^_^
DeleteThanks for the link! It's so nice to know that someone else out there is writing the worst helicopter instruction manual, as well. ;-) It's funny -- I sort of feel like my blog is something of a green triangle. When I first started, I was actually told by another writer that it would not "work." Seriously, she told me to "give it up." Well, I'm still having fun with it these many months later, and ultimately -- what other people think about what I'm doing is really none of my business.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know when to listen, and when to stick out your tongue!
DeleteOh, how I feel ya, babe! Right now, though, my WIP is a bit of an identity crisis. Just trying to figure out what she is. Kind of like my MC. Thanks for this great bit of love!
ReplyDeleteMaybe she's a purple trapezoid? You're welcome. ^_^
DeleteI'm so glad to hear you say all this, Ms. Blue Hat.
ReplyDeleteI read that post by Kristin Cashore, too. She's a really great cyber-mentor for all of us. People do tend to put authors in a certain genre box. That's mostly because, well, they loved the genre box the first time! They want more of the same! But at some point you have to stretch a bit. Some people will stay with you and some won't. Those are the moments you must say, "Oh, well" and carry on.
I hate being boxed in. Writerly claustrophobia. ^_^
Delete"Have you ever felt like your green triangle was judged as though it were a yellow square?"
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Once you publish, it's inevitable: someone somewhere will judge you for not writing the book they wanted you to write, or the book they wanted to read, or the book they thought you were trying to write, or the book they thought you should've written.
"What did you do?"
Nothing. It helps when you have your green-triangle vision in your head; then you can put the yellow-square comments in perspective. But you can't argue or defend. There *will* be readers who see the green triangle. That's your audience.
And I have to tell you, the whole term "green triangle" resonates with me because of these lines in Try Not to Breathe:
"Val had painted a lot at Patterson ... 'abstract portraits' of Jake and me, using finger paint. Jake was a bunch of skinny black lines. I was a blue cloud ... when Jake saw his, he said, 'I think of myself more as a green triangle.'"
That's such an interesting coincidence, Jenn!
DeleteI think of myself more as a purple and red hexagon with black and white stripes. ^_^
Thanks for the wise words.
Heehee. Here's another coincidence, Jenn. I'm using the name "Blue Cloud" on a writers' board, and I thought I was being unique in using that term. It's something I said to my husband in Rotterdam--it rains a lot there--"Oh, look! Blue clouds!" (meaning a bit of sky poking out from the greyness.)
DeleteBarb: I like to think I've channeled some universal images, then! ;-)
DeleteAneglina: Yeah, I can see you as a purple and red hexagon. But you have some sparkly stars too.
Yes, I've had my yellow square (sorry, I don't like green ;-)) judged as an orange circle. At first it hurt, but eventually I realized that the person critiquing my manuscript just didn't get what I was trying to do. I was able to put her comments into the file labelled, "Not relevant for me." There were plenty of other yellow-square appreciators out there, and I found them. :-)
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for yellow squares!
DeleteI just read Kristin's quote this week somewhere too! Weird.
ReplyDeleteI think you have to weigh every piece of advice and then go with your gut, go with what feels right for YOU and for your story. There are some people who probably won't enjoy reading what I'm writing because it's not their typical read or genre. So be it. If four out of five love my work and one doesn't, I'll glean what I can from that critique and move on.
But I understand the crush factor. I'm often devastated when I get back critiques like that.
Also, I feel like I've got a green triangle this time too. Green triangles, FTW!
Trust the gut! Yep.
DeleteMost definitely! Recently, I went to the LA TIMES festival of books and saw Miwa Messer speak, the director of the Great New Writers program at Barnes and Noble. After the talk, writers kept coming up to her asking her questions about saleability, genre-switching, all of it. And her response to was always "Just write the story you need to write."
ReplyDeleteI know it sounds simple, but I think of those words a lot. If Miwa Messer can have confidence that the best book a person can write is the one she needs to write, then I can have that confidence, too.
Good luck with your WIP!
Even if that story is a strange, green triangle. ^_^
DeleteI adore this! Thank you for sharing this happy bit of insight.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. ^_^
DeleteI read that article, too, and I so needed it! My last ms is a green triangle, and it's been judged as if it were a failed yellow square (but I've received some great green-triangle love, too!). It is so important to recognize that criticism for what it is!
ReplyDeleteIt takes courage to fight for our green triangles. Here's to our green triangles finding their right homes!
I read this article the other day and LOVED it as well. Keep fighting for the story that is YOURS. I believe if you stay true, it'll become infectious.
ReplyDelete