Who's Got a Question?

 

Terry here, with our question this week: What’s the best question you’ve ever been asked as a writer? What's the worst? And what question do you wish you were asked but nobody’s ever asked it? 

 I’m going to start with the worst for a particular reason. At my first, ever, bookstore launch, which had a very healthy 35 attendees, a man asked me, “Why do you write mysteries? Do you think aren’t good enough to write literary fiction?” 

 When I tell people this, they gasp at his rudeness and audacity. But they don’t know me very well. I had an answer, because I’d actually given this some thought. I said, “I believe at the heart of every great novel, there is a mystery.” Then I cited Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, with its tantalizing mysteries—yes, more than one. Why is Mr. Darcy so angry at Mr. Wickham? What happened to Mr. Darcy’s ward in the past? Then there is CRIME AND PUNISHMENT—a towering accomplishment in the mystery genre. (Ooo, I can just hear the Literature Professors screaming). It’s almost impossible to imagine a really good novel without some kind of mystery if not driving the action, then revealing something about a character or about the past that is at the heart of the book. 

 What is it that makes a great novel? I’ll leave that for another, longer essay, but I will argue that in any genre there are great novels. 

For every great, lasting “literary” work, there are vast numbers of “pretty good” novels. The same goes for genre fiction. Take sci-fi. Ever read Ursula K. LeGuin? How about H.G. Wells? How about Ben H. Winters “Last Policeman” series. They write books that last. Same is true for the crime genre. Lots of pretty good books, and a few giants.

 I started with the worst question, because in some ways it was also the best. After the book event, the man came up to me all smiles and said, “That was a great answer.” I thought it was a great question, because it forced people to think—an important aspect of any good question. 

 Now, fast forward to Joyce Carol Oates’ recent snarky comment about a novel that she was reviewing. She said, in essence that it was a very good book and it was too bad the writer had constrained himself by writing a mystery. What? I mean, really? I can’t help thinking 1) this is snobbish, and 2) it’s short-sighted. Some of the best books I’ve ever read are in “genre” categories. If you’ve never read THE HOT COUNTRIES by Timothy Halllinan, read it. I’ll stack it up against the best fiction anytime. It’s full of angst and atmosphere, with characters you won’t forget. Does anyone dispute the literary genius of John Le Carre? How about Henning Mankell? Tana French? P.D. James? 

I would even go so far as to say that these days there are a lot more authors writing great fiction about serious issues, and part of this is because of the push be more inclusive in the publishing world. Read Wanda Morris or Coleson Whitehead! That’s serious fiction. 

 I never mind any questions. I love the ones about craft. Every writer is different and I like to talk about the way I do my writing, how I get my ideas (a much-maligned question, which actually has merit), my process. I love questions that make me think about what I’m trying to convey. At conferences, I get put on a lot of panels about small-time crime, and although there are some interesting to say about that, it doesn’t come close to questions about what I hope to convey in my novels. 

 So, if there was a question I’d like to be asked more often, it’s “Talk about your commitment to writing about social issues in your books.” I want people to know that in every book in my Samuel Craddock series, I’ve written about some serious issues. In my latest, THE TROUBLING DEATH OF MADDY BENSON, I tackle the question of the consequences of the Supreme Court striking down Roe vs. Wade. If that isn’t a social issue, I don’t know what is. I don't pretend to be one of the greats, but I do argue that my books stack up against a lot of so-called "literary" novels.