Taste

The Weekly Journal



According to the ads -- it's America's favorite pizza -- now either they're lying, or America has no taste...


January 22, 2007

A friend asked the other day why I don't just write something that will sell. It wasn't meant to be an insult. "You know you can write," they said. "So just write something commercial, so that you can do what you want."

At first I wanted to smack that person. I was insulted. Can you imagine saying to Van Gogh, "Nobody wants sunflowers, paint fruit; that we can sell."

But once I calmed down, I understood that they were only trying to help. I'm not afraid of rewriting, or hearing constructive criticism; in fact, I love taking on feedback and folding it into what I've got. But I can't write what's not me. I wouldn't be any good at it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not down in Nashville trying to crack the country market.

I know too many songwriters trying to sell songs who don't listen to country music. "Can't stand it," they admit. "But it's the only market that buys songs, so I'm writing for it."

They might get lucky, but they stand a better chance of winning the lottery.

The successful Nashville writers eat and sleep country. It's in their veins. I learned a lot about how to craft songs down there, and I often incorporate that structure to support my voice and musical vision, but I know better than to waste my time selling something that isn't right for the market.

My opportunity is doing me the best I can.

The same applies to the writing.

I enjoy commercial fiction and read a lot of it. Often, it’s the overtly literate writing of a Foer and Pynchon, that turns me off. But I'm not mainstream. The same goes for TV. Deal or No Deal, America's Number One TV show, makes me sick. Most of the reality shows bore me. But I will admit -- I enjoyed the first Survivor, the first two Apprentices, and one of the Idol seasons. After that, the category became a blur.

Looking outside of culture for examples might hammer home the point. Subway is the number one sandwich chain in the country. There's a better sandwich shop in almost every American town, and yet, Subway is tops. The same could be said about the cool,local pizza joint compared to a national chain.

I could start a sandwich shop or a funky pizzeria, but the odds of me making money would improve dramatically if I bought a Pizza Hut franchise. But I don't like their pizza. I'd be miserable in all that wealth. If it was just about the money, I wouldn't go into the restaurant business anyway, let alone a chain-pizza joint; I'd go into something that would assure me huge profit, something like what Haliburton does.

The same can be said about my writing. And ultimately, for better or worse, that's why I can't just whip off something commercial. I have to do just stay true to myself and hope that it resonates with others