Killing the Mystique: Can You Know Too Much About Your Favorite Authors?

Last night I was reading this fabulous post over at Dear Author on Three Must Haves for Author Websites. The tips were great, but what was even better was reading all the comments from readers on what they liked and hated about author websites.

Interestingly enough, not many commenters mentioned anything about author blogs.  Most were more concerned with having a user friendly site and easily finding book information. It really was all about the books--that was there main focus.

One commenter even said that she doesn't like to have the blog on the first page because she avoids blogs--reading the author's blog ruins the book experience for her. 0.0

Now I don't know if anyone else out there feels that way, but it did get me to thinking--at what point does our open-book online presence affect a person's reading experience? Having our lives and personality so easily accessible does kind of reveal the wizard behind the curtain a bit.

It used to be that we could imagine what we want about our favorite authors, just learning about them from the occasional article or interview. So we could picture that horror writer living in some old, spirit-filled house and typing away his manuscripts in a half-lit attic. We could weave our own image that matched the type of books they wrote.

Now instead we can hear about how that super scary horror writer spent his weekend taking a cake decorating class. It's real, but it does take away some of the mystique. (Kind of like when Ozzy Osbourne got a reality show. Or when Britney Spears actually started talking to the media without her people telling her what to say.)

But beyond that, I think the bigger concern may be that we can, in essence, create a new kind of "author intrusion." I covered traditional author intrusion in your writing here, but what I mean in his case is--you know so much about an author by following them that when you read their books, you *feel* the author's presence there and it pulls you out of the story.

For instance, a romance author tweets "I wish I could eat M&M's off Joe Manganiello's abs." (A valid wish, I might add.) But then you read her book a few months later, and her heroine is eating candy off the hero's stomach. Your mind is automatically going to scream "AUTHOR is here!" and it can yank you out of the story's world. Now, some people may not mind. It might be like a little inside joke--you know something another reader who doesn't "know" the author does. But it can go either way.

I don't think it's something we need to stress out about. But it does make a case for not venturing into TMI territory with your online presence. I definitely don't want to be reading a love scene in a book and thinking that the author is writing an autobiographical scene, lol. That definitely will pull me out of a story. *awkward*

I'm okay with sacrificing the mystique because the result is that you get to know an author and see that they're a real person. But there are also times when I wish I didn't know so much.

This is why when I went to a 30 Seconds to Mars concert and they were signing autographs in the lobby after the show, I didn't want to go meet them. My husband could not understand it. He was like--but you have this ridiculous crush on Jared Leto, don't you want to meet him? And I'm like--no, I don't want to ruin the fantasy image in my head. Of course, hubs then says: "This is because you don't want to truly accept that he's shorter than you, isn't it?"

Word.

But what do you think? Do you like knowing everything about your favorite authors? Have you ever been disappointed when you found out you really didn't "like" the author once you got to "know" them online? Do you sometimes miss the mystique? And have you ever had one of those moments reading a book where you felt the author standing there in the pages?

Author Intrusion: How To Stay Invisible

 


What should be one of the key goals of an author when writing?  

To be invisible.  

Writers are the ultimate behind the scenes people.  Besides our name on the front cover, the reader should not realize that we are the ones actually telling them what's happening.  Instead, as they start reading, readers should be swept into a story told (shown) by our characters.  

The last thing you want to do is break them from the magic of the story and their "suspended disbelief" to wave a big sign in their face that says "Hey, author here!  What's up?"  Doing so is called author or authorial intrusion.  Here's a definition:
Authorial intrusion is where you express a personal opinion about a character, situation or scene. Or where you describe anything your characters could not be aware of. (source)
This technique was used often in Victorian era novels when the author wanted to state their opinion on how crappy they thought some political situation was or whatever.  It was also used in gothic horror novels to let you know something sinister was going on outside of the main character's knowledge.  However, these days, this device has gone out of fashion to the point of being considered an error except in very rare circumstances.    (I haven't read them, but I've heard the Lemony Snicket books use this device successfully.)

Now, most likely you aren't going off on long asides to share political commentary, but these AI (author intrusion) moments can pop up in much more subtle ways.  Here's what to watch out for...


 Foretelling
This is where the author inserts things like "Jane had no idea that one decision would change everything." OR 
"Little did Jane know that as she curled up in bed the killer was watching her every move from his hiding spot in the closet."
*See how this pulls us right out of the story?  We're suddenly not with Jane anymore.  Instead, we're up in the heavens looking down at the scene with the all-knowing author--distant and detached.  Plus, how much more suspenseful is it if we don't know about the killer, but instead Jane hears an unfamiliar creak of the floorboards or she gets the feeling that she's not alone?*


 Telling us things the character couldn't know (for 1st person and 3rd deep/limited POV)
Jane sat on the curb in the rain and closed her eyes, letting the deluge soak her clothes.  Shoppers hurried by her, huddling under umbrellas and giving her strange looks.
*If her eyes are closed, how can she know how shoppers are looking at her?*
Jane held the yoga move until her face turned red with strain.  OR A pained expression crossed Jane's face.
*If we're in Jane's POV, she can't see the color or expression on her own face.  You can say her cheeks heated because she can feel that or she grimaced because we know how to make our face do that.*
"We need to talk about this," Jane said, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Bill.  No way was she going to let him dodge the discussion this time.  She needed closure. 
Bill stood and walked to the window to avoid looking at her.
*We're still in Jane's POV.  She can't really know why Bill walked away--she can guess, but not truly know unless she's a mind reader.  So just describe the action and let the reader assume why.  Or, you can say something with a thought from the MC like "Bill stood and walked to the window.  God, could he not even bear to look at her?"  OR show that she's guessing "Bill stood and walked to the window, apparently too angry to even look at her."


 Describing things that the character would never notice.
Bob loved how the Vera Wang dress hugged Jane's curves.
*Okay, unless Bob is into fashion or she just told him the designer's name, he's not going to know or care to mention the dress designer.  Only describe things and parts of settings that your character would notice.  This is also a voice issue, but is related to author intrusion because it reminds us that someone else besides Bob is telling this story.*

**The above section is from a previous post, but I found a GREAT article in the Romance Writers Report (the magazine RWA members get.) So, I'm going to add author Sherry Lewis' tips to the ones I've already covered. Don't miss the full article though "There's Not Enough Room For Both of Us." Totally fab info.**


 All your characters sound the same.

 

This usually means all your characters sound like YOU. Make sure your characters have their own speaking patterns.


 Burly Detective Syndrome (I love Sherry's terms, lol.)
Jane climbed over the fence to get away from the man. The young policewoman crouched behind the dumpster hoping the man wouldn't see her. 
*Jane would not think of herself as the young policewoman. It's sometimes tempting to do this so we don't keep using her name or "she", but this is not the answer.


 Perky Sidekick Syndrome

 

This is where you have a secondary character just there to lecture the MC and to tell the readers things you think they should know about the MC.


 Information Dumping

 

We all know this is dangerous, but look out because it can sneak in to the narrative in so many ways. The best test is to ask: "Would the character be thinking about this in this moment and why?" Don't just toss in a memory/backstory because it's convenient in that spot. Something must spark that memory.
She threw her engagement ring at him and yelled. "This is so over!" They had been dating for nearly four years and had met at their jobs. He'd been the lawyer who had mentored her when she first started at Fancy Pants law firm.
*Dude, she's throwing the ring at him and breaking off he engagement. She is not going to be thinking about what jobs they had when they met.*

This also can pop up if you've done a lot of research on your book and you want to squeeze in all that info. Historicals are notorious for that. I don't need a history lesson. Give me the pertinent info as it applies to the character and story and leave the rest out. 


 Paying too much attention to the setting or not enough.

 

You want to ground your readers. Don't just jump into a scene without giving us at least a little something about the surroundings. Paint the picture. BUT also don't go into long narrative descriptions unless your character would somehow being paying that close of attention.

For instance, if your character is in thoughtful mode, staring out at the forest, they would probably notice little fine details like the different kinds of trees. However, if they are running for their lives, they are only going to know what is right in front of them--branches scratching their face, vines tripping them, whatever. 


 Lecturing

 

Nothing annoys me more than when I'm reading a book and then all of sudden you hear the author jump on their soapbox to lecture about some moral or societal issue via their character. If you want your story to have a moral SHOW it, don't tell it. If you want to tell teens--drugs are dangerous, show characters who make bad choices and then suffer consequences. Do not have you MC be like:
"Those kids over there are the stoners," she said to the new girl. "I would steer clear of them. All that crap they're doing is going to melt their brains. Anyone who thinks spending your day smoking weed is going to get you anywhere is crazy."
The thunk you just heard is your reader throwing the book against the wall.


 Putting the Cart Before the Horse

 

This is when you have the reaction or result before the action. I'm guilty of this and have to watch it. Look for the word "when", "after", (and sometimes  "as") to catch these.
She screamed when a man jumped out of her closet.
*We're in her head, she wouldn't scream before she saw what happened. Things need to happen in correct sequence.*


 Switching the Style of the Writing Around

 

If we're in your character's head, we're in it. So don't get all flowery and formal when describing a scene, then go back to the short clipped sentences of your detective MC. Everything is seen through your POV character's eyes, so make sure it's all in his/her voice.

Rehashing information for the sake of the reader through dialogue.

Do not have characters discussing things they would've already covered. Sherry refers to this as the "as you know, Bob" conversation. 
"Yes, Bob, as we discussed last month, the department is really struggling with this issue."

I'm sure their are more examples, but I think these are a pretty good place to start. And if you are a member of RWA, be sure to read Sherry's full article, there's much more information in there. :)

So have you seen yourself pop up in your manuscript with a big "hello, i'm here" sign?   Do you struggle with any of these?  Have you read any books that use this device effectively?

 
 
 
**Today's Theme Song**
"Invisible" - Clay Aiken
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

 

Hey you, reader, HI THERE!: Author Intrusion

 



What should be one of the key goals of an author when writing?  


To be invisible.  


Writers are the ultimate behind the scenes people.  Besides our name on the front cover, the reader should not realize that we are the ones actually telling them what's happening.  Instead, as they start reading, readers should be swept into a story told (shown) by our characters.  


The last thing you want to do is break them from the magic of the story and their "suspended disbelief" to wave a big sign in their face that says "Hey, author here!  What's up?"  Doing so is called author or authorial intrusion.  Here's a definition:

Authorial intrusion is where you express a personal opinion about a character, situation or scene. Or where you describe anything your characters could not be aware of. (source)

This technique was used often in Victorian era novels when the author wanted to state their opinion on how crappy they thought some political situation was or whatever.  It was also used in gothic horror novels to let you know something sinister was going on outside of the main character's knowledge.  However, these days, this device has gone out of fashion to the point of being considered an error except in very rare circumstances.    (I haven't read them, but I've heard the Lemony Snicket books use this device successfully.)


Now, most likely you aren't going off on long asides to share political commentary, but these AI (author intrusion) moments can pop up in much more subtle ways.  Here's what to watch out for...


Foretelling

This is where the author inserts things like "Jane had no idea that one decision would change everything." OR 
"Little did Jane know that as she curled up in bed the killer was watching her every move from his hiding spot in the closet."

*See how this pulls us right out of the story?  We're suddenly not with Jane anymore.  Instead, we're up in the heavens looking down at the scene with the all-knowing author--distant and detached.  Plus, how much more suspenseful is it if we don't know about the killer, but instead Jane hears an unfamiliar creak of the floorboards or she gets the feeling that she's not alone?*


Telling us things the character couldn't know (for 1st person and 3rd deep/limited POV)

Jane sat on the curb in the rain and closed her eyes, letting the deluge soak her clothes.  Shoppers hurried by her, huddling under umbrellas and giving her strange looks.

*If her eyes are closed, how can she know how shoppers are looking at her?*

Jane held the yoga move until her face turned red with strain.  OR A pained expression crossed Jane's face.

*If we're in Jane's POV, she can't see the color or expression on her own face.  You can say her cheeks heated because she can feel that or she grimaced because we know how to make our face do that.*

"We need to talk about this," Jane said, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Bill.  No way was she going to let him dodge the discussion this time.  She needed closure. 
Bill stood and walked to the window to avoid looking at her.

*We're still in Jane's POV.  She can't really know why Bill walked away--she can guess, but not truly know unless she's a mind reader.  So just describe the action and let the reader assume why.  Or, you can say something with a thought from the MC like "Bill stood and walked to the window.  God, could he not even bear to look at her?"  OR show that she's guessing "Bill stood and walked to the window, apparently too angry to even look at her."


Describing things that the character would never notice.

Bob loved how the Vera Wang dress hugged Jane's curves.

*Okay, unless Bob is into fashion or she just told him the designer's name, he's not going to know or care to mention the dress designer.  Only describe things and parts of settings that your character would notice.  This is also a voice issue, but is related to author intrusion because it reminds us that someone else besides Bob is telling this story.*


This second one is the one I see most often in my own drafts and when I'm critting others.  It's sneaky and easy to miss.  We forget sometimes that we know everything and can read our character's minds, but our MC doesn't.


So have you seen yourself pop up in your manuscript with a big "hello, i'm here" sign?   Do you struggle with any of these?  Have you read any books that use this device effectively?


 
 

**Today's Theme Song**
"Invisible" - Clay Aiken
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)