The Leacock Festival

The Story’s The Thing

            Developing one’s style as a writer is an ongoing process. Writing is a craft; it can be learned, and – if one is motivated and willing to work at it – it is possible to become a successful writer. This is the view expressed by both Joe Fiorito and Austin Clarke. The first step in doing so? To define success correctly. Success is not about publishing deals, money, or fame.  A successful writer is one who is able to communicate effectively through the use of the written word, to manipulate words to impart information or tell a story, and to write in a voice that speaks - not to the writer, but to the reader. The 2006 Leacock Festival button states “the story’s the thing” – and both Joe Fiorito and Austin Clarke agreed with this thesis. The Festival was an excellent opportunity to experience a variety of author’s works, each read in their own unique style. It provided exposure to a broad spectrum of individual voices, some which appealed, some which didn’t – and that, in itself was educational. In looking at what worked well, and at what didn’t, and then also having the opportunity to discuss work with the authors, it was possible to develop a stronger understanding of the elements of style: technical ability, influences, and voice.

Both Austin Clarke and Joe Fiorito spoke to each of these issues. Austin Clarke spoke of having developed a strong base in grammar and syntax through his early education. These were subjects that were drilled at length, and his grasp of them allows him to focus on the story rather than on the technical aspects of writing. Joe Fiorito also mentioned the importance of grammar – but also noted that a lack of a these skills does not mean that one can not master writing if they are willing to work diligently.  According to Mr. Fiorito, writing is a craft which can be taught, and therefore learned, and the technical aspects of the craft are the easiest piece to master. He also noted that an editor can help in regards to grammar and spelling; for the rest though, Fiorito believes that each writer is their own best editor.

Influences include all of the experiences that provide an author with material to draw from, and most importantly, everything one reads. Both Clarke and Fiorito stressed the importance of reading. Fiorito developed a love of reading at a very early age, and continues to read a broad spectrum of materials, including eight daily newspapers, the New Yorker, and a variety of books and poetry. Clarke spoke about the great literature from which he learned to write. From Shakespeare and the Bible, he learned the beauty of language and storytelling; all of his stories, he says, “start from there”. From Faulkner, he learned to create intense and complicated sentences, but keep them understandable. And from Saul Bellow, he learned the art of writing interior monologues and how to treat dialogue. Other authors who have influenced his work include Tennessee Williams, T.S. Elliot, James Joyce, and John Steinbeck.

Both authors detailed life experiences which strongly influence their writing. Austin Clarke was raised in a culture of story telling. Stories were a part of his life; they were told by his mother and other relatives, and heard on the radio. Joe Fiorito also credited radio with having a strong impact on his writing. Before he decided to try to earn an income through writing, he worked for CBC Radio as a producer, where he learned the importance of creating a visual image through words. This, and a long love of writing poetry, which also develops one’s ability to create visual images with a minimum of words, both contribute to his ability to effectively communicate a story in the 800 words he is allotted for each of his columns in the Toronto Star.  Additionally, both authors stressed the importance of paying attention. By consciously watching, and especially listening, to the people around them, they find their stories, their characters, and their dialogue. 

Another aspect of influence is what matters to the writer; it is the things – and the people – that matter to the writer that provide motivation and direction. This is especially true in regards to Joe Fiorito’s newspaper column. The goal of his column is to tell the stories of the people who make up the city of Toronto, especially those people who tend to get overlooked in the hustle of life in a big city. As he pointed out, people in a large city tend to focus on their own lives; their jobs, their families, and their immediate interests. It is easy to focus on only one’s own life, and to miss a great deal of what is going on outside of that sphere. And yet, he says, people, “except possibly for academics who are too caught up in the abstract”, are interested in other people. His goal, in his column, is to tell the stories of the people often overlooked; the “raving lunatics”, the addicted, the homeless, the immigrants and the disabled, among others.  He states that he does not have an agenda in writing; he is simply telling stories, and was not inclined to entertain my suggestion that, because he often provides his readers with clear information about who is responsible for the problems he illustrates – and makes his readers care – his work might have a positive impact. The story’s the thing.  Fiorito’s goal in writing is to tell the stories, and to give the reader pleasure of the same sort as he feels when he reads other writers’ work.

            On the matter of developing one’s own style, Austin Clarke’s advice to aspiring writers is to read voraciously, and, when you find a writer you like, copy them – only do it better, and do it a lot. He suggests setting aside a daily time and a consistent, distraction free place in which to write.  Joe Fiorito advises that an aspiring writer read everything, and write constantly. He strongly advocates two approaches to writing. First, to write, rewrite, and then rewrite again; the more a piece is rewritten, the more likely it is that the writer’s voice will develop and emerge from the writing. Secondly, he recommends that one stretches constantly by experimenting and trying different things; poems, stories, articles, novels, song lyrics. Every piece of writing has the potential to help the writer to further develop their voice, and that, he says, is the point… to keep growing and developing one’s skills and one’s voice. “The development of a writer,” he stated, “is never finished”. 

            The writers at the Festival – Joe Fiorito, Austin Clarke, Diane Schoemperlen, and many others, were an invaluable source of inspiration to at least one aspiring writer, and likely many others. Some authors provided information about what to do, while others provided examples of things to avoid.

One of the authors read a piece by Leacock, which, while appropriate for the event, deprived the audience of an opportunity to also experience that author’s own writing style. Another demonstrated the dangers of taking too many words to say too little, and compounding the error by reading for longer than the twenty minutes most authors stayed within. And finally, a third taught me that a writer should avoid instructing a reader about what their response to their work is supposed to be. All of it was a valuable experience. The most valuable comments for me personally, though, were regarding the sharing of one’s work. Austin Clarke assured me that every writer, and every story, has “something to say”. And Joe Fiorito provided the kick in the pants that I needed. He said that writing is communication and that if one is not going to take risks, and share what they write, they “should make dinner, crack open a beer, and go watch TV.”

            The question of style can be answered most succinctly by the Leacock Festival button. The story’s the thing. The technical aspects such as grammar and spelling, the influences from which the writer draws on, and makes the story both understandable and real, and the voice of the author, which allows the story to be heard and to matter: these are the factors that contribute to the success of a story – and a writer.

ENGL 3516 Creative Writing

Due: July 27, 2006