#29 No one should be talking about this

On digital communications, and why respecting readers when writing a book matters.

Oct 22, 2021

Before The Culture Worm happened, I was thinking of doing some sort of literary podcast with a friend, but the idea fell short because of busy schedules, a master’s degree which had more priority, and me in limbo on whether I should quit my job at the time or not. (Spoiler alert: I did, and this is how The Culture Worm was born.)

While the podcast never passed the pre-production stage, my friend and I had lots of conversations on what topics to include, and how to make it different from the typical “sit down and interview the author.” In one of these conversations, we were discussing whether authors should show “respect” for readers. In other words, should authors write with a reader in mind? How much can authors write for personal pleasure and how much is it for “commercial success”? Equally, how much “work” in understanding a text should a reader have to do when reading? Or how much patience, if we’re talking about mammoth-sized books?

As a reader, I appreciate authors who care about their readership. I don’t believe in this “I write for myself” mantra that some authors preach. Once you decide to publish your work and take your writing seriously as a job, then you are no longer writing for yourself, but for an audience – whether you like it or not. Of course, you shouldn’t be writing for “everyone” or be thinking your book will become an instant bestseller; but more importantly, you shouldn’t be patronising. The reader will know, and if you can fool them once, I’m not sure you’ll be as lucky the second time around.

I came across Patricia Lockwood’s “No One Is Talking About This” because it was shortlisted for both this year’s Booker Prize and Women’s Prize in Fiction. There are rave reviews all over the internet, and it’s managed to create a huge divide on Goodreads. Well, I didn’t fall for the hype. I was even considering DNF-ing it, but because of my pathetic FOMO, I powered through.

First of all, Lockwood has put together two beginnings from two different books in progress and pretended to have written a novel. The result is, in the first part, a collection of occasionally funny, but rather random threads or platitudes about Twitter and the internet at large (she calls it “the portal”). None of them revelatory; some of them insular and obscure references that I didn’t get (although, I can understand I have gaps). Yes, we do spend a lot of time online, our ways of interacting with each other have profoundly changed – probably for the worse – because of social media. Is this enough to want to read about an unnamed female narrator who became an internet star as a result of a viral tweet that reads “Can a dog be twins?”??!! The same woman spent three days photographing her period in motion so she could post it online, and has named her cat Dr Butthole. I’m all for experimental fiction, but not sure who this is aimed at. No plot, just pretentious nonsense in an attempt to be funny and/or deep, ending up looking clunky and forced. And making readers confused.

“Why were we all writing like this now? Because a new kind of connection had to be made, and blink, synapse, little space-between was the only way to make it. Or because, and this was more frightening, it was the way the portal wrote.”

As for the second part, we leave the portal and we are brought back to real life where the protagonist’s pregnant sister has developed complications. The fetus has Proteus syndrome, a genetic disorder that is making her head outgrow the rest of her body, and because she’s already too advanced, legal abortion is out of question.

“Was the baby American? If she was, was it because this was the dust that had raised her particles…or was it because this was the country that had so steadfastly refused to care for her?”

This is where Lockwood demonstrates her qualities as a novelist and poet, taking you on this intimate journey, filled with hope, grief, and clever observations about the world we live in. What no one is talking about in the portal is the lack of support from the state. Ephemerality. Bereavement. The portal is only for superficiality, whereas the real world is tough and serious. However, it is not enough, and the two parts of the novel remain too disjointed to create that poignant effect. (For instance, there could have been much more to explore and add in terms of character development.)

“Oh, she loved to yell, loved to be inconsistent, loved to make no sense in the little awestruck hours of the night, which stared up at her as a perfect audience with their equal little heads.”

Someone on Goodreads called this “the great book of Twitter.” Perhaps this much is true. Like Tweets, “No One Is Talking About This” is fleeting and unmemorable. Also, it is a reminder that not all diary entries have to turn into novels.

Have you read Patricia Lockwood’s “No One Is Talking About This”? What are your thoughts on it? And what’s your take on authors rethinking their relationship with readers? Let me know by hitting the reply button or by commenting below:

🥁 📚 The latest in the literary world

You know when authors are trending on Twitter is not a good sign. Don’t delude yourselves! The “Handmaid's Tale” writer, Margaret Atwood, is set to become Canada’s J.K. Rowling after sharing an article that argued whether we should still be able to say the word “woman.” She was quick to defend the article’s author as not being a TERF (trans exclusionary radical feminist – you’re welcome), but Twitter wasn’t impressed. Oh, no, Maggie! What have you done?! 🤦
A new literary award for fiction will be launched in 2022 to honour Ursula K Le Guin! Worth $25,000, the prize will be open “to all; readers, authors, booksellers, publishers, librarians, and anyone else can nominate work they believe fits the prize criteria.” Le Guin died in 2018. Yesterday (October, 21) would have been her 93rd birthday. She was one of the biggest sci-fi authors of all time, having won six Nebula awards, eight Hugo awards, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Grand Master award. 👽 🚀
The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Booker-longlisted, bestselling author Elizabeth Strout returns to the world of Lucy Barton with a new novel, “Oh William!,” about the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep. The book is out now, but why don’t you read a little excerpt or listen to a sample first? 📚 👀
The Seasonal Quartet may be over, but Ali Smith has more to offer! “Companion Piece” is her next literary adventure, and will be out next April! 🎉 🙌
With COP26 around the corner and document leaks about countries asking the UN to change the climate report around fossil fuels, the world-renowned naturalist and conservationist Jane Goodall wrote a letter and a call to action to solve the climate crisis. 🌱 🐳 Her latest book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for an Endangered Planet”, co-authored with Douglas Abrams, is out now. 🌳

🎧 📰 👀 My media diet this week

What geometry taught me about awe, love and grief – Psyche. Why read this? Michael Frame, former adjunct professor of mathematics at Yale University, writes how the Pythagorean theorem has helped him process and cope with the death of his father and aunt. Frame argues that grief is a license for action, and he shows you what you can do to reduce the pain caused by it. 💯
This podcast episode where Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad chat about their new book, “Shelf Love”, which focuses on using store cupboard ingredients to create tasty everyday meals. 🥫🥘 Why listen to it? They talk about the diverse international influences reflected in their food, their exhaustive testing process, and the power that a good recipe has to make a real difference to someone’s day. 🍽️
How mental health became a social media minefield – VOX. Why read this? You’ll learn about the “BuzzFeedification of mental health”, the dangers of over pathologizing everyday experiences, and how social media has turned discussions around psychological conditions into back-and-forth ad hominem attacks. 🤯

📌 Random news in brief

I kid you not. This is the biggest snake you’ve ever seen; the biggest snake the world has ever seen! 🐍 And it’s being lifted by a crane in a Caribbean forest. 🏗️
Let’s move from snakes to dinosaurs! 🦖 The world’s biggest triceratops skeleton, known as “Big John,” was sold for 6.6 million euros at a Paris auction house. 💸 💰
Retirement looks busy for the former US President Donald Trump who will launch his own social media platform called TRUTH Social. “I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon.” 🙄 CNN predicts it will fail. Stay tuned to find out the truth. 🤷
Nine schools in the UK have started to use facial recognition to take pupils’ lunch money. Uhm, what? Apparently, it’s more hygienic than taking payments using cards or fingerprint scanners. 👁️

Before we say goodbye… 🥺

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The Culture Worm