After seeing the film American Fiction with a few of my writing friends, it got me thinking about some of the overall themes that were brought up in the film about literature and the publishing and entertainment industries as a whole.

The film stars Jeffrey Wright, and chronicles the story of Monk who is a professor and novelist in the throes of trying to sell his next book. The BS of the publishing industry ensues, but it left me thinking about how bitter writers can become about who and what is popular vs. their own work.

It feels like we’re constantly having a conversation around who gets to rise to the top and what their responsibility becomes as Black and POC artists.

There’s an important scene that I won’t spoil between Monk and a much more popular author Sintara (Issa Rae) that felt like a dialogue so many of us have around creating art as marginalized people. It feels like we’re constantly having a conversation around who gets to rise to the top and what their responsibility becomes as Black and POC artists. Think, Tyler Perry. He is criticized for catering to certain stereotypes, when in his estimation he is super serving an audience that exists and they love his work. Meanwhile, more “serious” film makers get upset that their “important” films aren’t as beloved or commercially successful.

It gets tricky.

I’m not here to debate who is right or wrong in those convos because it’s certainly complex and racism is in the midst of everything but I certainly implore you to go see the film because it’s a conversation starter for sure. But what I walked away thinking is that there is simply and still, even after the performance of 2020, not enough representation all around to help quell some of the distress creators face when watching certain things garner attention while others don’t. If a wider array of stories, whether books or films, are making it to the finish line, I think we stop placing the world on the shoulders of such a select few.

That then leads to a conversation about how well things are supported to be successful, but again, not quite the particular rabbit hole I’m down right now. It reminded me that there is constantly this comparison game we play that can be dangerous to our creative process.

In my very short run in this industry, what I’ve noticed is that it’s difficult to produce a book that is both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. For instance, most of the books on the national book club circuit aren’t necessarily showing up on the literary award circuit. Meanwhile, I don’t recognize half the books on the literary awards list most times and challenge myself to go find and read them. Sure, when you can do both, those books fly off the shelves like hot cakes. But it is indeed like catching lightning in a bottle. But everyone is on one side or the other wondering how they can get what the other person has.

The truth is, there are really no guarantees in the publishing industry. Even as a writer whose first book is classified as romance which is typically a commercially successful genre, there are still a lot of other things that have to come together for a book to be a hit regardless whether it’s genre fiction or literary or the like.

It sounds delusional in this day and age, but I do maintain the belief that the cream will rise to the top.

So what does it all mean as a writer trying to make a career out of this thing? Remember that it will always come back to the work. What is it that you set out to say to the world through your book? And if you feel good about the effort you put forth, that’s honestly all that matters. It sounds delusional in this day and age, but I do maintain the belief that the cream will rise to the top. But you cannot expect that all of a sudden your niche literary mystery is going to be a GMA pick or that your genre fiction is about to win the Pulitzer. Both can be phenomenally written, it’s no indictment on skillset, it’s understanding the elements that make up the particular genre you are writing in.

Know your lane, and go give your absolute best to that. And most certainly try to avoid stepping on the work of others and what you feel like their work deserves. (I mean at least not on public forums. Save the criticism for your group chat or better yet in person dinners following films.)

If there was a theme for the craft this year, it would be, keep your eyes on your own paper. We’re not comparing this year, we’re doing our best work.

As it’s the beginning of 2024, I want to challenge you to know exactly what you’re hoping to do with your writing without the influence of what you see on social media or who seems like they’re winning in all of this. Here are a few things to think about this year:

In what areas does my writing need improvement?
What are my main writing goals for the year?
What steps do I need to take to achieve them?
What’s the first step towards my first goal?
Make a list of 2-3 books that you’ll read that are comparable titles to your work in progress.

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