Agatha Said, pt. 14
Happy April! I sat outside earlier today to get some sunlight and wow, I’ve missed that all-natural Vitamin D. It always seems to warm up my brain, shooting creative inspiration all the way through it. Speaking of creativity and writing, our quote this month is one that quite amuses me, and I think you’ll see why.
Agatha Said:
“An early story of mine was shown to a well-known authoress by a kindly friend. She reported on it sadly but adversely, saying the author would never make a writer. What she really meant, although she did not know it herself because she was an author and not a critic, was that the person who was writing was still an immature and inadequate writer who could not as yet produce anything worth publishing. A critic or an editor might have been more perceptive, because it is their profession to notice the germs of what may be. So I don’t like criticising and I think it can easily do harm.”
The Context: This section opens with this quote I wrote about a couple months ago where Agatha talks about how quickly criticism can squash someone’s creative spark. This month’s quote comes after her musing about assessing other people’s work. Unsurprisingly, she was often asked to evaluate manuscripts, but she remarks, “I don’t think an author is competent to criticise. Your criticism is bound to be that you yourself would have written it in such and such a way, but that does not mean that that would be right for another author. We all have our own ways of expressing ourselves.”
She does admit that the only evaluation she ever offered to writers was regarding the market, whether the writer’s word count fell within acceptable parameters. It’s clear by what she says that she encountered more than one person who swore their genius simply could not be contained within a specified word limit. She comments, “It is no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius — some people are, but very few.” She contrasts that approach with being a tradesman who needs to learn the technical skills of their trade so they can become skilled in their craft.
Why I Chose It: With writing, as with any artistic endeavor, it’s important to get feedback and assessment. But not all sources of evaluation are equal. Even the most well-meaning advice from a legitimate expert in the field can be wrong, as evidenced by the author who told Agatha Christie herself that she would never be an author. To be honest, I wish Agatha had named names here, but she was a classy dame, and it’s clear she harbored no ill will toward the author in question. And how lucky are we that she didn’t let that discouragement dissuade her? (Meanwhile, if I were Agatha, I would’ve quite happily sent the other author copy after copy of my bestselling works. With a note that said, “I guess I did okay for someone who would never be an author!” I know, I know. It’s petty.)
Agatha’s point here is still so relevant. Every writer has their own style, their own preferences, which will naturally assert themselves through a critique. I’ve personally received some strange and oddly specific writing advice. Some creative preferences are based on years of success in the industry, and for any new writer, it’s tempting to immediately accept those recommendations. It’s easy to see a successful author and think, Well they definitely know what they’re doing! But the truth is, they know what they’re doing in their writing. But they may not have the best advice for someone else.
That doesn’t mean that a writer can’t be a great mentor. There are some very talented authors who are uncanny at recognizing opportunities in stories and guiding writers toward improving their work. But it’s so important for any writer to remember, this is your story. You’re the one who has to talk about it. Your name will be on it. Make sure it’s something you’re proud of and that represents who you are, because otherwise what’s the point? Own your story. And don’t let discouragement destroy your passion.
