Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

You don't need to paint leaves, Percy

You don’t need to paint Leaves, Percy

Today I got some feedback from a reader. She agreed that the science of writing is important and something a writer should work at achieving. Regarding the art she said a lot of stuff gets published that isn’t that good and commercial success isn’t always much of a measure of a manuscript’s quality.

I responded…

All wisdom doesn’t reside in the mind of Percy Goodfellow. When God created mankind he made us into a distributed data base and not a main-frame computer. We are a collection of individuals that network together and not a hive of bees. What you say is absolutely true and a point worth noting.

Success as a writer requires an understanding of the science of writing, talent, persistence, skill in advocating your work and once you achieve success, resisting the corrosive forcers that try and put you down and eventually send your spent body into the grave.

Our Artfulness is a gift from our creator…. A thread of divine spirit, that sets a ceiling on our potential. Like the marketplace determines the value of a good or service, publication determines the quality of a writer’s work. It isn't a perfect measure by a long shot but it is the best litmus test out there. If you get published, and somebody outside your support group is willing to take your manuscript and give you dollars to publish it, that is about as good an indicator as you are going to get as to the merit of your work.

I agree that the almighty dollar goes up and down in value and some writers produce some pretty shoddy work, but if it sells, if people are willing to spend their precious shekels to read it, that has to be a statement worth noting. If your mother says your writing is great, or a friend, or a teacher, or a writing group.... all that is wonderful, but when a publisher, in the business, sends you a check, because he/she believes there is a market for your work, that is high praise indeed. And if your manuscript becomes a financial success, regardless of how many warts it has, that is still stronger evidence that what you write is the real deal.

In response she asked, “…so you think then that art supersedes the science?”

I responded…

I believe that in all cases art supersedes the science. The science launches the art. Without the science there is no launch. It's like a two stage rocket. Science gets the manuscript off the ground and art elevates it into final orbit.

She replied with one of the nicest compliments I’ve gotten in a long time. “…You don't need to paint leaves, Percy.”