Writing Ain't Binary Part 2

Are our stories -- mine, yours -- "literary" or "commercial"?

Funny you should ask. A question I recently tripped over in the dark. A question that, in retrospect, and no doubt for many writers, is "as clear as day".

"Plain as the nose on your face."
"The elephant in the room."
"The moose under the table."
"If it had been any closer it would have bit you."
"Huh? You didn't know that? Really? Seriously?" 

And so forth.

It all started when a highly respected member of our Writing Group shared her rejection note for a short story. It said something to the effect of "We regret blah blah. This story is more of a literary piece than is suited to our publication". It was a wonderful story written by a skillful, highly-regarded and much-published writer.

Then, on more than one occasion, another experienced, highly thought of and much published writer made, on more than one occasion, a comment like this: "Of course, you wouldn't do it that way if you needed to generate income / make money / sell a lot of pieces." And, then, noting the work of another writing colleague she said, "He's more of a literary writer than I am. But a good kind of literary writer."

Then, I received feedback from an editor who said, "I made a few changes to improve the narrative flow. Let me know what you think." What I thought was -- narrative flow? Up to now, I have used the 'narrative' as a coat rack where I can hang my kindly (more or less) insights into human nature.

Then (we're almost finished) another writing colleague posted this quote from Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: "In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring', the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling."

Now with, as they say, 20/20 hindsight the fact that the majority of readers are seeking a rattling good story that speaks to them and lifts them out of their world, is obvious.

At the same time, it does not mean that we all need to write mass market paperbacks. Or free verse with no capital letters or discernible rhyme schemes. Or 800-page novels with tragedies spilling our of every rat infested tenement. 

But, for me, it has been an eye-opener that in my own development as a writer I need to focus more on plot.

I have decided to investigate how to write a mystery novel. And maybe even do it. Or start it. Or something.

My new goal is to write a longer work that is, by its very nature, plot-necessary. One that is not plot-exclusive though. With both literary (character; craft; thought) and commercial (plot; action; entertainment) aspects.

"In for a dime, in for a dollar."