I visited another book club last night -- this one in Seal Beach. The women and I sat around a table in a lovely backyard, even though the night was a little foggy. We talked about The Threadbare Heart, and I could tell right away that they were an astute group. They had picked out some inconsistencies in Lily's character that I think most readers would not have noticed. I always like it when book clubs aren't afraid to tell the truth in front of an author. It's one of the best tools we have for improving our craft.
I had the first six pages of my new novel in my purse -- my very first attempt to put this story on the page. Last week, I chickened out of sharing these pages with a book group. But this time, I took the leap. Reading out loud is a fantastic exercise for any writer. Hearing the way the words come off the tongue and sound in the air makes you pay attention to their rhythm and their meaning. I always catch myself changing words around, or adding phrases to smooth out the flow.
When I was done, the women clapped and cheered and said they were very engaged in the story -- all good things. I then asked them what they thought was going to happen based on what they had heard. They erupted in conversation as they each threw out their ideas -- and a problem emerged. Many of the women thought the voice of the character I had read -- the music critic, speaking in the first person -- sounded like a woman. They were confused by the fact of his being a man. They cited, particularly, the character's penchant for self doubt and introspection -- qualities they felt most men wouldn't exhibit to the degree my character did. They wondered if I couldn't just make this character a woman.
I listened, but my mind was saying, no, no, no, no!! I conceived of this story as primarily a tale about a father and a daughter. I don't know why, but that's what I have always imagined for it. So that means I have a problem. My man sounds like a woman. At least these six pages, to this group of eight women. But that's enough of a consensus for me. I'm going to have to figure out how to make this character sound like a man.
I have no idea how I'll do that, or even if I can. But there are plenty of books that can serve as inspiration. I think, immediately, of Memoirs of a Geisha, The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All and The Hours -- all books that feature women characters written by men. And the book I just picked up -- Gilead -- is a book written by a woman entirely in a man's voice. And one of my favorite novels of all time -- My Antonia, is the same. I also just learned that Mad Men, a show full of manly men, is written mostly by women.
So onward I go. I'm glad I shared those pages last night. Better to know what the challenges are now than 300 pages from now.