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Why Do So Many Lawyers Write Novels
< < < Why Do Play Dirty
Ever wonder why so many lawyers write novels? And very successful ones at that? Just think of John Grisham and Scott Turow, both of whom have written exciting, entertaining stories that grab hold of us until the very last page.
Both men have had active legal careers in the criminal courts. Every day, they have dealt (literally) with life and death issues. Every day, they have witnessed the brutal effects of crime upon victims, families and upon the lives of the perpetrators and their families.
Often crime is a matter of fiery emotion erupting into the apparent normality of everyday life. The law tries hard and does much to maintain that ordered calm Yet, while we prize that peaceful vision, every one is tantalized by the prospect of what lies beneath it. The eruption of its opposite fascinates us. Madness we call it. Of course, it exists in others but never in us, so far as we are aware.
Now put a lawyer into the situation where he or she is dealing with these highly emotional stakes and is at the same time is trying to maintain some sort of order. What effect does this exposure have on a human being? Of course, it can lead to burn out or the choice of another occupation. Some lawyers harden themselves and just get on with the job and hide the effects upon themselves in some dark dungeon of the psyche.
Other lawyers see this as an opportunity and undoubtedly, it fulfils a need. In fact, law practice gives him or her a wonderful window on humanity. Every day, the lawyer deals with murder, theft and fraud. He sees the worst of human nature and strives to find the best and achieve a balance. How can that lawyer not think about and comment upon that? How can she not draw conclusions from what she experiences and learns from such dramatic situations?
Most of us go from day to day in the normal tangible world, acting as if that is all that exists. We have our families, our houses and our cars. We go to the office, the mall, the movies and out to restaurants. But deep down, we recognize somewhere in us that there is much more to life and human nature than meets the eye. Every day, the newspaper tells us so. We read that last night, a man raped an elderly woman and stole ten dollars from her purse and a mother took the life of her child. There must be a whole other dimension to life, but not ours.
I like to think that there is much more to human life than meets the eye. Joseph Campbell, an author (a mythologist, not a novelist) I greatly admire said that The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stands this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.
Oedipus? You know, the one who lent his name to the mother complex. What on earth could Campbell have meant? Simply this, that each and every one of us (whether or not we are conscious of it) is acting out all the great mythological themes and dramas in our lives. And the lawyer has a front row seat on the action. How could they not write about it? Such work is tremendously popular because we like to glimpse that side of human nature from the safety of an armchair.
Now, I am just an estates lawyer. I have never had a murder or rape trial. But, in my practice I have seen the inmost workings of families. For example, when a parent dies, I have learned that there is often far more at work than just a tidy accounting. In other cases, I have seen almost every variation upon elder abuse, whether it is physical, financial or emotional. This is just another form of murder or rape.
An estate lawyer is witness to and participant in every conceivable human relationship and interaction at a highly volatile time. And so, that has been my window on the world and the inspiration for three novels: Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One, all part of the Osgoode Trilogy, in which I like to explore the effects of this dark side of humanity on Harry Jenkins.
Who is Harry? He is an estates lawyer and the protagonist of the trilogy, in which theres plenty of murder and fraud in estate distribution. Indeed, Ive thrown plenty of questions at him, such as how much money is enough? Can love and forgiveness be found amid fraud and deceit and must you be selfless to be compassionate?
And so, the question is really, how can a lawyer not be inspired to write especially when he or she is witness to so much of human relations?
< < < Why Do Play Dirty
BONUS : Why Dont Magazine Editors Like My Article Ideas?
Whether youre a professional magazine writer with decades of experience or a not-yet-published freelancer, you are bound to get rejection notes. Editors dont always explain clearly why theyre saying no. Some reasons have nothing to do with you and others have everything to do with you, while many other reasons rank between those two extremes.
To succeed as a freelance magazine writer, you must do your best to optimize the factors within your control. Then accept the rejections that occur despite your efforts, as an inevitable part of the business. Use this list of 10 common reasons for rejection as a tool for crafting article queries that make it hard for editors to respond in any other way than yes!
1. We already did this topic. When a magazine has its archives posted online, you should try to make sure this objection isnt the case. However, sometimes you couldnt possibly know that your topic is already assigned to another writer or already set to appear in a future issue. Your idea being in the pipeline is the quintessential reason for rejection that you cant prevent. Oh well! Just go on to the next idea.
2. Were not ready to redo the topic yet. Many magazines revisit some topics after a certain length of time has passed or if theres a compelling rationale for shortening their normal repeat cycle. If your research reveals that the publication has covered a topic before, explain whats changed to warrant another article now. For instance, your article would focus on post-Big Dig Boston. Or youll cover the fertility treatments that have been discovered since their last discussion of the topic in 2006.
3. Its not relevant to enough readers. Forestall this response by making a strong case in your query that your topic is either relevant or interesting to their target market. For instance, editors at a mens magazine would most likely reject an article on eating disorders unless you cite statistics showing that its rapidly growing or an increasingly serious problem for men in the age group the magazine serves.
4. Your idea isnt focused enough. Very often queries go in five different directions for a topic, so that the editor cant figure out what the article would really cover. If the editor can tell you want to write about volunteerism in big cities but not what you want to say about the phenomenon, thats a no. Whenever possible, include a sentence in your query defining your focus or stating the main idea of the article.
5. Youre trying to cover too much. Editors know what can and cant be accomplished in 700 or 1800 words or whatever length is usual for their publication. Beginning writers have a tendency to propose something that would need a book-length treatment to accomplish or thats way too broad for an article. To prevent this reason for rejection, carefully study your target magazine to determine what a reasonable scope for an article is for instance, ways to help your child complete their homework, rather than ways to help your child succeed in life.
6. Your focus is wrong for us. If you propose a profile when the magazine runs how-to articles, or vice versa, the editor will say no. The same thing would happen when you propose writing about a tragedy or outrage when the publication prides itself on hopeful, upbeat stories. Research, research, research first!
7. Your query is okay, but not exciting to us. Here the topic and focus may work, but the writing lacks persuasiveness and pizzazz. Head off this reason for rejection by writing vivid, energetic queries in the style preferred by the publication.
8. Were not convinced you can pull it off. Certain kinds of articles require journalistic experience, technical knowledge, contacts or unusual storytelling skills. Try to anticipate the fears editors might have about your abilities in reference to what youre proposing and explain what in your background shows you can handle it.
9. There are factual errors in your presentation. Always, always look up the spelling of proper names and check any facts mentioned in a query. One of my writing students showed me a query he was going to send off that described a highway as going somewhere it didnt and put a tourist spot in the wrong state. These would have been deadly errors. Editors hate working with writers who cant get details right.
10. Your query is poorly written. Editors also hate receiving assignments that need a major rewrite, so they send queries containing mangled sentences, verbs that dont match subjects and misused phrases to the reject pile. Learn to write correct, competent English, and youll ensure a fair reception for your ideas.
Whether youre a professional magazine writer with decades of experience or a not-yet-published freelancer, you are bound to get rejection notes. Editors dont always explain clearly why theyre saying no. Some reasons have nothing to do with you and others have everything to do with you, while many other reasons rank between those two extremes.
To succeed as a freelance magazine writer, you must do your best to optimize the factors within your control. Then accept the rejections that occur despite your efforts, as an inevitable part of the business. Use this list of 10 common reasons for rejection as a tool for crafting article queries that make it hard for editors to respond in any other way than yes!
1. We already did this topic. When a magazine has its archives posted online, you should try to make sure this objection isnt the case. However, sometimes you couldnt possibly know that your topic is already assigned to another writer or already set to appear in a future issue. Your idea being in the pipeline is the quintessential reason for rejection that you cant prevent. Oh well! Just go on to the next idea.
2. Were not ready to redo the topic yet. Many magazines revisit some topics after a certain length of time has passed or if theres a compelling rationale for shortening their normal repeat cycle. If your research reveals that the publication has covered a topic before, explain whats changed to warrant another article now. For instance, your article would focus on post-Big Dig Boston. Or youll cover the fertility treatments that have been discovered since their last discussion of the topic in 2006.
3. Its not relevant to enough readers. Forestall this response by making a strong case in your query that your topic is either relevant or interesting to their target market. For instance, editors at a mens magazine would most likely reject an article on eating disorders unless you cite statistics showing that its rapidly growing or an increasingly serious problem for men in the age group the magazine serves.
4. Your idea isnt focused enough. Very often queries go in five different directions for a topic, so that the editor cant figure out what the article would really cover. If the editor can tell you want to write about volunteerism in big cities but not what you want to say about the phenomenon, thats a no. Whenever possible, include a sentence in your query defining your focus or stating the main idea of the article.
5. Youre trying to cover too much. Editors know what can and cant be accomplished in 700 or 1800 words or whatever length is usual for their publication. Beginning writers have a tendency to propose something that would need a book-length treatment to accomplish or thats way too broad for an article. To prevent this reason for rejection, carefully study your target magazine to determine what a reasonable scope for an article is for instance, ways to help your child complete their homework, rather than ways to help your child succeed in life.
6. Your focus is wrong for us. If you propose a profile when the magazine runs how-to articles, or vice versa, the editor will say no. The same thing would happen when you propose writing about a tragedy or outrage when the publication prides itself on hopeful, upbeat stories. Research, research, research first!
7. Your query is okay, but not exciting to us. Here the topic and focus may work, but the writing lacks persuasiveness and pizzazz. Head off this reason for rejection by writing vivid, energetic queries in the style preferred by the publication.
8. Were not convinced you can pull it off. Certain kinds of articles require journalistic experience, technical knowledge, contacts or unusual storytelling skills. Try to anticipate the fears editors might have about your abilities in reference to what youre proposing and explain what in your background shows you can handle it.
9. There are factual errors in your presentation. Always, always look up the spelling of proper names and check any facts mentioned in a query. One of my writing students showed me a query he was going to send off that described a highway as going somewhere it didnt and put a tourist spot in the wrong state. These would have been deadly errors. Editors hate working with writers who cant get details right.
10. Your query is poorly written. Editors also hate receiving assignments that need a major rewrite, so they send queries containing mangled sentences, verbs that dont match subjects and misused phrases to the reject pile. Learn to write correct, competent English, and youll ensure a fair reception for your ideas.
