Nothing to be ashamed of

I love reading interviews with other writers. They usually make me feel better about things I feel guilty about, like wanting to rewrite already published works, or handling criticism from others.

I’ve often felt badly about my first novel, A FALSE DAWN, because it’s such an obvious melodrama. Intense emotions, not much humor, a plot that’s calculated to yank the reader by her collar and pull her into the story. That’s what I wanted to write, but after publishing it I often felt I was manipulating readers unnecessarily. Proud as I was that I had completed a novel, I felt I could have perhaps shown more “respect” for my readers.

Then along comes Lawrence Durrell, author of the Alexandria Quartet, with a wonderful quote. He talks about his early days writing what he calls potboilers, and he says, “If one stays absolutely sincere and honest towards a form…I mean, every form thoroughly exploited and honestly dealt with is not shameful.”

Thank you, Sir! That’s exactly how I felt about writing A FALSE DAWN. That this was a story that absolutely thrilled me to write. I couldn’t wait to tell this story to readers, and I made the best effort I could make in getting it all on the page. What could be more thorough and honest than that?

Someday, I do intend to rewrite small parts of A FALSE DAWN. But I won’t change anything major. Nor will I hang my head any more that my intentions were somehow less than noble. Perhaps my technique had flaws, but it’s my first novel.

I’m proud of the book and I always will be. Sometimes it takes another person’s perspective to make me realize that.