A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
No quote has ever spoken to me quite like this one.
First, I adore Heinlein. No. That’s really the wrong verb. Adulate? Perhaps love will simply do. Because his works have had such an influence on me, not as a writer, but as a human being.
Second, I can’t do all of those things, but I can do a lot of them. The rest come out in my fiction.
But mostly I love this quote because it speaks to the idea that people should not be limited to one endeavor in life. This is something we teach to our children, but somewhere along the way, we forget. We grow up and are expected to settle into one thing – a career – and stick with it. As you may have noticed from my profile, I’ve had many “careers,” and sticking to one has not been my strong point.
In this world of specialization, I can’t think of a more generalized occupation than being a writer. You need to know the velocity at which a bullet will disintegrate to cause maximum damage, how to conjugate Latin, and a hundred different ways to describe a smile (and that’s just in the last month). And within writing, I think that children’s fiction has the widest latitude of all. In adult genres, there is an expectation that you will stay “in genre” and build an audience. This may be changing somewhat, but if you break into traditional publishing as a mystery writer, or a romance writer, or a science fiction writer, you’re pretty much expected to stay there.
But children’s interests are varied and haven’t locked into a specific genre (yet) – and thus writing for children allows you a wide range of genres to pick from. Only in the middle grade (or young adult) sections of the bookstore will you find science fiction next to comedy, romance next to horror. There’s a freedom in kidlit that I love.
Now, there is some logic to sticking with a genre, or type-of-book, when you first break into traditional publishing, in order to “build an audience.” But I plan to write children’s books for many years to come, and I have many, many ideas that will fill those books. I’m glad that I have room within kidlit to do so.
What do you think about staying with one genre for writing?
NOTE: Unlike Heinlein, I don’t agree that specialization is only for insects. Anyone with a Ph.D. (mine’s in engineering) understands that concentrated, applied effort in any area is required to advance it. But there is also room, indeed requirement, for generalists as well.
p.s. Don’t forget to enter my Blogoversary Giveaway! ENDS tomorrow a.m. in which I will announce the winner!
That is also one of my favorite Heinlein quotes. He still remains one of my favorite authors. I think my favorite was Time Enough for Love but Have Space Suit, Will Travel and so many other of his juveniles did help make me the person I am now. Hey, my job title is Media Generalist.
@Kathy Hello, fellow Heinlein fan! 🙂 And Media Generalist is awesome – I bet there's a lot of people that want to know you! 🙂
His observation strikes the chord of having a wider life than just one's career, writig or otherwise. I edit a scholarly journal on literary criticism for my job, but I most enjoy writing contemporary YA. And it's not that all the heady scholarship has no effect on how I think, but I'd be a rather wizened soul if that were all there is to me.
That's an amazing quote. I never really thought about it like that before! As for switching genres, I figure if we're writing and completing projects who cares what genre we pick? We will learn from all of it, and we can never really control sales or success anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue in our decisions.
Personally, I feel the need to genre-hop. I have different stories in me, and I think I have the skills to write them all. My works-in-progress (and completed novels) include a chapter book, a middle-grade novel, a paranormal suspense novel, and a humor/satire novel.
Oh, Susan, that is one of my all-time favorite quotes. In fact, I begin each school year introducing my junior high students to it and then having them write a reflective piece. I'm so glad you shared it with us!
Hmmm, switching genre: Boy, I wish I had some pithy remark to write, but frankly, I love fantasy and haven't finished my exploration of that world, yet. Maybe some day, I'll grow up and write big kid stuff. (wink, wink)
But not yet…
@Laurel Exactly so – even when I was doing academic research, I had a strong need to do other things as well.
@KarenG Yes! Keeping focus on process, rather than outcome, is what leads me to wanting to write many different things.
@Rick I didn't know you were writing a paranormal suspense novel too! Cool – is it MG or YA?
@Darby Go you, for teaching it to the kids! And fantasy is pretty wide; lots to be found in there, me thinks. 😉
I think you write what you need to write. In my case so far that means what I know and like best – Paranormal. That isn't to say I won't do anything else though. I've already had short stories and poems for younger audiences published. Even a couple that aren't fantasy! *gasp*
Bravo! I couldn't agree more. <3 it~ :o)
@Lisa An excellent point. I find it harder to cross from novel to short stories than I do from genre to genre, so you have a talent there! 🙂
@LTM Thanks! 🙂
Awesome quote! I write all over the place, but tend to stick to some form of reality in whatever genre I'm working in…
@Sharon I think authors tend to develop "common threads" to what they write – I've certainly noticed that in my own writing! 🙂