Wednesday, April 7, 2021

#IWSG APRIL 2021 - Literary Snobbery?

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!        


April 7 optional question - Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

The awesome co-hosts for the April 7 posting of the IWSG are PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton!




A reminder that the IWSG Book Club is currently reading:  

Our March/April/May reads are…




The High Mountains of Portugal
 by Yann Martel is our fiction selection that offers a great
use and example of description.


Deep Point of View (Busy Writer's Guides Book 9)
 by Marcy Kennedy is our writing craft book with a focus on deep POV view.

Discussion Day for both books will be May 26, 2021!

The 2021 Anthology Contest is around the corner. Watch this space for more details. 


From time to time, writers go through those rough patches where inspiration may be low or we just need a new challenge to get the juices flowing.

A reminder that there are many challenges within the online writing community, to keep you on your toes.


Write Edit Publish Now is a great platform to polish your flash fiction skills. 

Will you let Freedom Morning spark a flash of hope for a systematically suppressed character?

Will someone break free - of chains, of the past, of a closed mindset - after years of living with them?

Or maybe someone will watch a brand new sunrise and come to a decision to start life afresh? Rise to a challenge?  :)  Overcome a hardship?

Take the artwork as a whole or in part and seed that into imagination. Your canvas is unlimited.

The annual A to Z Blogging Challenge is a great opportunity to write for an entire month. It’s also a great way to meet other creatives. More information HERE.   

Have you joined our FACEBOOK group? A reminder that on the first Wednesday of each month, IWSG members who have blogs can add the link to their monthly blog hop post on our Facebook Group. It's a great way to connect with other IWSG members! 

You can check out our swag, which includes stationery, keychains, mugs and T-shirts HERE

LITERARY SNOBBERY...

What is literary snobbery? This topic has been on my mind for quite a while... 
In a nutshell, it includes classic literature versus modern literature and physical books versus e-books. We all know that there are some people in the world who feel that one type of literature is "better" than the rest. 

Scenario: My “ordinary” story (think basic, predictable plot) is read by 100 new-to-reading individuals. This is the book that "hooks" these brand new readers...
Your “fancy” classic-styled story (think intricate plot filled with twists and a whopper of a surprise) is read by 10 000 avid readers.

Which story is more valuable/ significant/ beneficial {insert suitable word}? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Are you a risk-taker when writing? What is your perspective when it comes to literary snobbery? Have you considered signing up for the Anthology Contest, Write Edit Publish or the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge?

18 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

To the readers, it's valuable to them, and that's what matters!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I think a lot of readers stick with genre fiction because it's the predictability that's comforting to them. :) So I think your ordinary story sounds just fine!

Natalie Aguirre said...

I agree with Alex. I know some people are snobs about self/published vs. traditionally published or literary vs. more mainstream stories. I like to read what I enjoy.

Sadira Stone said...

For 28 years, I taught English classes--composition and "Lit-rah-chur." Some of the stories I was assigned to teach had great reader appeal, but many were dry and dense. I did what I could to liven things up and give students choices. Now I write steamy romance novels and, while I do my best to make the characters complex and the plots surprising, I love immersing myself in the kinds of stories people read for fun! I tried a local book club, but it turned out to be filled with literary snobs--a bunch of (insecure?) people trying to impress each othe with how smart they were. Heck, I know I'm smart. Bring on the smooches, car chases, sexy aliens, and flying dragons!

cleemckenzie said...

I can't be bothered with literary snobs. If a cocktail napkin's entertaining, I read it and enjoy it.

Love the WEP theme, but then I always do.

Rachna Chhabria said...

I too have met some literary snobs who look down on writers who self-publish or writers who write popular fiction.

Carrie-Anne said...

While I personally tend to prefer classic world lit, I've nothing against modern books, and abhor gatekeepers who think only a certain kind of "classic" is worthwhile literature, or even qualifies as a classic at all. Everyone has different tastes for a reason, and not everyone wants to copy Shakespeare and Dickens.

diedre Knight said...

I read everything. Snobs don't. Every new reader is valuable.

Liza said...

Anything that brings joy, or education, or interest, or release, or relief or anything positive to a reader is worth the read!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Literary snobs have tunnel vision and will never see the big picture.

Olga Godim said...

All I can say: I'm not a literary snob, just the opposite. I read popular genre fiction and, with rare exceptions, can't abide literary fiction. It bores me: all those beautiful passages and elaborate paragraphs with almost no action. Give me action any day, even if it is not written beautifully. Give me STORY.

Pat Hatt said...

No snobbery here and pfft to the snobs too.

Sarah Taylor said...

I think L. Diane Wolfe said it best. And if you never see the big picture you will miss out on some wonderful stories

Leigh Caron said...

I have a dear friend who is a literary snob. We have great debates about it. I keep telling her there's room for all genres and when I remind her that her novel is commercial fiction, not literary fiction she takes pause and our discussion then is over.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Michelle - I'm not a literary snob ... but I do prefer now to educate myself so I'm probably reading books others might not - yet I love a good crime or psychological novel ... and I do enjoy being here amongst IWSGers and WEPers, and WATWBers ... to mix and match ideas, stories and thoughts ... cheers Hilary

Anne Higa said...

Michelle,
That's an interesting way to put it! I don't know that it's necessarily an either/or for me. Have a great weekend!

Anne from annehiga.com

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I've had a thing for years where I've theorized that some of the 'classic' literature that we require kids to read in school turns them off to reading. Not that they shouldn't read it, but that exposing them to more modern writing might hook them.

Debra Renée Byrd said...

I agree with Susan. Having children read books written in 1800s or even the earliest 1900s nowadays isn't productive to their willingness to want to read. Even as a millennial high school graduate (class of 03), I was probably one of the few who loved to read The Great Gatsby, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Shakespeare. There are so many modern authors I've missed out on, though.

That said, there is a place for people still writing classical-style books AND people writing modern-style books. Neither is better than the other, and both have a market. Now, physical versus e-books, I have both and I love both. There shouldn't be a hierarchy. Just READ!