"If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing."--Kingsley Amis
Speaking of annoying, have you met my little green buddy Ace Hansen ? If you're daring, you'll follow him on Twitter . He'll pester you, but maybe he'll make you laugh. And yes, he truly is annoying.
Have you written a book that has the potential to annoy people? I have. Several. And I'm proud of them. Last year I had the privilege of being at a conference with one of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson. In her keynote address, she dared us children's writers to go forth and disturb the universe. I love to write disturbing things. Shocking things. But there's a fine line between disturbing and annoying. And when we annoy, we run the risk of bombardment by huge balls of criticism. Can we handle that?
What do you think of Mr. Amis statement? Do you hope to annoy somebody with your writing? Do you dare to disturb the universe?
What do you think of Mr. Amis statement? Do you hope to annoy somebody with your writing? Do you dare to disturb the universe?
Disturb, I'd love to do that. Not sure ill annoy, but quite possible. Lol
ReplyDeleteI say go for it!
To disturb and annoy is my aim. ^_^
DeleteWell, I'm pretty sure I did, but I'm nervous for it to go into the world!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read it!
DeleteDisturb the universe? Annoy people to the point that they consider things they haven't thought of before? Disrupt the natural order?
ReplyDeleteMost definitely ;)
I like how you think. ^_^
DeleteI'm not a big fan of annoying people in person, but when it comes to fiction . . . sure. :)
ReplyDeleteYep.
DeleteI guess I think of "annoying" as irritating people, and I don't think I want to do that. But disturb--there's something. To ripple the waters, to make waves. Yes.
ReplyDeleteA literary tsunami!
DeleteHmm... interesting. I wouldn't say I'm an annoying writer but I do tackle tough issues. Maybe for me I like to make people think. Think hard about the world and the reason why they are here. My characters always ask tough questions and sometimes the answers aren't so black and white or exactly what they want to hear.
ReplyDeleteThinking is good.
DeleteWhen I think of disturbing the universe, I think of pushing the envelope of possibilities -- and I LOVE doing that! If folks find it annoying, that is ultimately their problem, not mine.
ReplyDeleteHow very mature of you. ^_^
DeleteMy latest project (for Middle Grade) will surely annoy some. Disturb? Well, a few will think I'm disturbed (and maybe I am :/). There will others who think I've stepped off the roof of a looney bin. But you know what? I'm having a blast. Researching, field tripping, looking into real (if you believe) sightings of urban legends / supernatural stuff, and writing fiction stories about it all.
ReplyDeleteI love Kingsley Amis' quote!
As for Ace, gosh I have to laugh. He made a comment on my blog a few weeks back. When I looked him up, I expected it to be an author / writer, and found his website. :)) Then I looked him up on Twitter, which I haven't been around much, and noticed him interacting with a few others. (I was still clueless at this point.) So I called my 14 year-old daughter in the computer room and showed her. She said, tweet him, so I did, and he asked me for candy! Imagine my surprise when I found out that Ace was you, or you were Ace. I love his character. He's fun, playful, and the middle graders will certainly dig it.
Annoy might not be the right word for what I hope to do, but disturb definitely works. I want my writing to get people talking and sometimes the best way to do that is to unsettle them.
ReplyDelete