At our monthly Writer's Call meeting last Saturday i had an enjoyable and stimulating discussion with my lovely and literary-intellectual friend, Val, over a glass of French wine.
The setting at Bar des Amis was just ideal; The theme colours in the room were chocolate brown, deep plum and beige, the lighting soft and elegantly encased and yes, easy listening jazz music playing in the background. The walls took on the paler of the three colours, complemented by an array of classic artworks flaunting both conventional and contemporary ballet. Halfway down, the walls were lined by comfy chocolate brown seating positioned idyllically for little group huddles. Indeed the bar soon filled with groups of young men and women as well as older women escaping, temporarily, from the realities of the world outside.
Val and I were seated not too far from the entrance and just close enough to the bar which was positioned centrally in a traditional French style. As we discussed and compared works of her favourite writers, Charles Dickens and Jane Austin to modern writing and film we pondered over the essence of a good read and came to a conclusion that the success of a 'good read' lies in the balance struck between how much the writer refrains and involves the reader. By making their plot palpable and creating almost vivid scenery the writer manages to reel in the reader, but keeping back certain elements and not giving too much detail permits and encourages the reader to imagine and explore their own creativity, at least within the writer's setting.
I also learnt something about taking risks, especially with books. Val is a latent writer with a classic taste for literature; latent only because she does not nearly exhaust her writing skills. When she chooses a novel, she will pick a SAFE author, one whom she is familiar with or whose reputation precedes him/her. When i asked her why she was very clear that this is an investment of her finances. She prefers to buy her books. If she is buying, she needs to know what she is getting and it had better be something to her taste. I on the other hand told her that i like to experiment with authors and genres of writing. As i explained my reading habit i realised that my reason for my broad and slightly eccentric read is because i don’t make a financial investment on fiction. Like a typical student, i exploit the public libraries across Westminster, Barnet and Camden boroughs.
So have you ever considered what happens to new, up-coming writers (like myself and Val) not yet with a reputation but hoping to be read and maybe eventually replace the Jane Austins, JK Rowlings on the bookworms' home library? There is a war out there.