Become a Literary Pathologist

This past week, I have been focused on being a reader. Since Monday, March 4, 2013 I have read three books. I really enjoyed the stories; but more than that I spent the time looking at how the story was written from a reader’s point of view.

So, I ask you (my readers) when was the last time you dissected a book? When was the last time you were a Literary Pathologist? Then, when was the last time you applied that to your own work?

Remember, we are not only writers! We are dreamers, weavers, bards, teller of tall tales, wordsmiths, publicists, publishers, business owners, and marketing departments. It is our responsibility for putting a product on the market that the reading public wants to read. If we don’t do that, we are being dishonest with ourselves and our art. Sure there is that altruistic notion that why don’t we do art for art sake.

I propose, we smiths of the written word have an obligation to those who are readers of the written word. In today’s world and unlike the world up through the first half of the 20th Century, art will remain undiscovered if we the artist does not promote our art and produce art that the reading public wants to read. We all have our genre of what we like to read and what we like to write. Get to know your genres as well as you know yourself. Don’t forget to research what works and what does not work within your genre.

As wordsmiths, our art is the weaving of the story that is rattling around that orb we call a skull. I feel a wealth of stories bouncing off the inside of my cranium with unrelenting potency. Our job is not to reinvent the stories. Our job to weave it in such a way our readers will draw themselves into the story. We have to respect our readers.

Our art requires us as artists to make our stories interesting and moving forward at all times. I enjoin you all to become Literary Pathologists. Without pathology of the written word, we become a self-indulged bore. Let’s find what stimulates our reader’s appetites!