COMMERCIAL STORYTELLING – FEATURING PEN, THE MODERN SELLSWORD
Storytelling, an art we perfected over a hundred years - yet, still find things to add to it. Such is its appeal. And truth be told, there were times when people were deemed insane for reading novels and writing, so much so they hid behind curtains. Now it’s not the case, we’ve ventured into a place where we boast our pens to be bold, we are boisterous to have a skill to wield it. We now look up to – seek out that skill. People even make a decent living with their pens.
A pen, that’s been changing hands and been through an array of different perceptions.
Unfortunately, said freedom of our pen, admiration for the same have landed us in a position where fame and society influence it more than it should. Thinking upon it, pen has always been passive. It’s the person that matters. But, that’s okay, for being manipulated much, pens deserve to share the stage I suppose.
Back then, when storytelling was still new, people did it to satiate themselves; it was more like a guilty pleasure which in turn made it true to its form. Lately, it’s more about the credit, being known and about being in the trend. We all know there’s a phase at play when it comes to commercial facets. Not so long ago the literary world was flooded with stories sprouting magic and the like when J.K Rowling hit ‘Harry Potter’ just right. As it may seem, the trend of storytelling fleets from horror, supernatural, autobiographies and of course, romance. Now, it’s more about chasing the success formula ; which in turn made storytelling more about pleasing en masse rather the writer himself. Though, the audience are an important aspect to be kept in mind, it’s also important to be true to what we write, I believe.
One may think ‘sellswords’ to be a concept ancient, only because we have come up with modern names for it now. We do the same under ‘favors’, ‘acquaintance’, ‘deals’ and the worst one being ‘ professionalism’. Pardon us the fancy words, what we do is what we see and there’s nothing good that comes out of it. Writing a story to please everybody will ruin it in the best way possible.
Being an ardent reader of historical fiction myself, I’d like to make a point that bothers me much about commercial storytelling. Every single one of them who succumb to the benefits of commercial storytelling is contorting our era for the generations to come. People down the line, say a few hundred years, will see us through the pages left of us. I say this because I see the world two, three hundred years before me through the pages they left behind. Through those researches, stories, legends and myths they left behind. Be it a book, or a movie (take it for a visual storytelling if you may) we are cramming the racks with things that will speak so poor of our culture and today’s life for tomorrow’s generation.
In our quest to please the commercial market we take topics we find sensitive, say feminism for example, and we are manipulating it so much with our pens. So much on a single topic that educates none but, to make it a sensation. People write things, insert things into a story for its commercial value that makes absolutely no sense with the core idea. Not to mention it’s bad, unethical to leave a reader to such catastrophe.
To sum it up, I guess being true to yourself and your brainchild must top your priority list. Nothing should be before or beyond that simple sincerity, in fact you owe it to your pen. Failing to do so, honestly, will make you unworthy to hold one in your hand anymore.
- Sara Jothi
A pen, that’s been changing hands and been through an array of different perceptions.
Unfortunately, said freedom of our pen, admiration for the same have landed us in a position where fame and society influence it more than it should. Thinking upon it, pen has always been passive. It’s the person that matters. But, that’s okay, for being manipulated much, pens deserve to share the stage I suppose.
Back then, when storytelling was still new, people did it to satiate themselves; it was more like a guilty pleasure which in turn made it true to its form. Lately, it’s more about the credit, being known and about being in the trend. We all know there’s a phase at play when it comes to commercial facets. Not so long ago the literary world was flooded with stories sprouting magic and the like when J.K Rowling hit ‘Harry Potter’ just right. As it may seem, the trend of storytelling fleets from horror, supernatural, autobiographies and of course, romance. Now, it’s more about chasing the success formula ; which in turn made storytelling more about pleasing en masse rather the writer himself. Though, the audience are an important aspect to be kept in mind, it’s also important to be true to what we write, I believe.
One may think ‘sellswords’ to be a concept ancient, only because we have come up with modern names for it now. We do the same under ‘favors’, ‘acquaintance’, ‘deals’ and the worst one being ‘ professionalism’. Pardon us the fancy words, what we do is what we see and there’s nothing good that comes out of it. Writing a story to please everybody will ruin it in the best way possible.
Being an ardent reader of historical fiction myself, I’d like to make a point that bothers me much about commercial storytelling. Every single one of them who succumb to the benefits of commercial storytelling is contorting our era for the generations to come. People down the line, say a few hundred years, will see us through the pages left of us. I say this because I see the world two, three hundred years before me through the pages they left behind. Through those researches, stories, legends and myths they left behind. Be it a book, or a movie (take it for a visual storytelling if you may) we are cramming the racks with things that will speak so poor of our culture and today’s life for tomorrow’s generation.
In our quest to please the commercial market we take topics we find sensitive, say feminism for example, and we are manipulating it so much with our pens. So much on a single topic that educates none but, to make it a sensation. People write things, insert things into a story for its commercial value that makes absolutely no sense with the core idea. Not to mention it’s bad, unethical to leave a reader to such catastrophe.
To sum it up, I guess being true to yourself and your brainchild must top your priority list. Nothing should be before or beyond that simple sincerity, in fact you owe it to your pen. Failing to do so, honestly, will make you unworthy to hold one in your hand anymore.
- Sara Jothi
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