(Un)Boxing Day

 

First things first. My November effort wasn’t only my first blog but also my first time sharing anything I’ve written publicly. Thanks for all the lovely comments and encouragement. They were just what I needed to give it another go. 

Talking of sharing… a while ago, I sent a draft of my novel to someone ‘in the business’ for a professional opinion. New to the game, I felt like a fraud and convinced myself it was the act of a pretentious fool. Fighting strong feelings of negativity, I hit send and readied myself for an avalanche of savage criticism advice. My expectations were met, but she was kind enough to give me the savage criticism gift of feedback in the most positive light she could. 

First off, the editor experienced some difficulty nailing down the genre I was writing in. This is a big deal in the literary world because publishers and booksellers are dead keen to put your peg in the right hole, or your book on the right shelf, if you prefer. The dark corners of bookshops where the ‘miscellaneous’ titles get placed aren’t much browsed, apparently. To put some flesh on the bones of the murdered corpse, I was told my book wasn’t a police procedural due to, you know, the lack of police procedure. That was curious, as I hadn’t set out to write that type of book. Never mind the genre box, I’d been put in a box. I’m an ex-copper and my protagonists are police officers and villains, so of course, it should read as a police procedural. What else would I possibly submit? * 

Part of the way we make sense of the world is to place all the fellow humans we come across in a box, using our unique filtering system, complete with flaws and dodgy assumptions. Do you know what happens when we assume? It makes an ass out of you and me. ** 

This putting people in a box caper starts when we’re young. School systems get to it quickly with testing and streaming, and labels have a habit of sticking around, which is fine if they’re positive but not so great otherwise. Consciously or not, we do it to everyone we meet, and they do it right back to us. It’s powerful stuff. It can change lives because so often we accept the boxes we’ve been put in without challenge or even being aware of it. I spoke to someone recently who can’t drive. As a teenager, her mother, a non-driver herself, said she lacked the skills and would never pass the test. She accepted the judgement and never tried to learn. Just the other day, I read of a man who vividly recalled the moment a teacher told him how hopeless he was at art. Crushed, he gave it up for decades only to break free in later life, take up painting, and discover his talent. In numerous ways, these are stories many can tell. Does it sound familiar?

It’s tough to escape a locked-down box. It’s dark inside and there’s no room to move. If someone on the outside smashes the lock and lifts the lid, that might be just what you need. When I was stuck, a writing friend advised me to send my work to an editor. Rosemary Johnson showed me the way on this blog and urged me to try. We can all be someone’s lock smasher with simple words of encouragement. 

Are you happy with the labels on your boxes? Imagine this for a moment. How might your life be different if you lifted the lid on every box you’re in and leapt out? How might your writing change? Would you try a new genre? Finish that work in progress? Share your words with others for the first time? Enter that competition? It could be so many things. Go on, I dare you. I’d love to hear your own stories in the comments.

Have a blessed week.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13  

*The editor knew her stuff. Regardless of what I thought, my vague genre needed sorting out.

**Bad joke, hence the need to point out in a footnote that it’s a joke.