In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I planned to join a book club. Well, I followed through and attended a meeting last week. First, I’d like to start by saying the experience was wonderful.  The members were friendly and welcoming, the host was informative, and the discussion was lively. The event was everything I’d hoped for and more.  Even better, I left with five inspirational writing takeaways. They are listed below.

1. People still love reading!  This may sound silly, but in our modern world, where social media and streaming services rule, I wasn’t exactly sure that people cared about books like they used to or that they still made reading a priority. But the meeting I attended was packed, with about thirty members, male and female regulars. This was at 5:30 PM on a Wednesday night. A lot of people came straight from work. Others mentioned having young children and scrambling to get there. Someone even said that the book club meeting was their third space…their place away from home and work where they eagerly gathered to build community and meaningful connections. Knowing that people still love and care about books motivates me to open my laptop and finish my novel. I hope it motivates you, too.
2. Not all books are for everyone. At the beginning of the meeting, the host asked us to rate the book we’d read, which was Nella Larsen’s Passing, from 1 to 5… 5 being the highest. The ratings were all over the map. The majority of the readers gave it a 3, 3.5 or 4. A few gave it a 5. But several members disliked the writing style so much they couldn’t even finish it. FYI, Larson’s book won both a Harmon Foundation Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship award. Personally, I loved Larson’s writing style. So, what gives? Nothing. The varied reactions to the book helped reinforce my belief that we, as writers, all have our people.  Even if you write an amazing book, some people are simply not going to like it. Those readers are not your people. Forget about them and just write!
3. Most people want to read books that make them think, and that’s a great thing. We need more thinking. I understand that people read books for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, we read to escape. Other times, we read to be entertained. But the spirited discussion at the book club meeting suggested to me that many people read books because they want to think and learn. For those of you who haven’t read it, Passing is a story about two light-skinned African American women who can pass in white society. One chooses to pass, and the other opts to remain in her African American neighborhood. Books like Passing challenge readers by asking them, “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” If you give readers something meaty to ponder and debate, they’re more likely to remember your story long after they’ve finished reading it. If your book is really thought-provoking, they might even re-read it or recommend it to a friend.
4. Sometimes, ambiguity can be a powerful tool. In the critique groups I participate in, members, myself included, often get hung up on making our stories uber clear to readers. “If readers get confused or are unsure, they get pulled out of your story, and you’ll lose them,” we often say. Spoiler alert! Passing ends with ambiguity. One of the characters falls and dies, and it’s not clear if she was pushed, tripped, or took her own life. In my opinion, this ambiguity made Larsen’s story stronger, not weaker. At book club, it led to intense discussions and made us question the characters’ motivations.  Bottom line, clearer writing isn’t always better. Ambiguity has its place, too, and can be super effective.
5. If you write a book with vivid, compelling characters who feel like real people, it will stand the test of time. Nella Larson’s novel, Passing, was written in 1929. If I hadn’t googled Larson, I would never have guessed this. I knew the book was set during the Harlem Renaissance, but before researching the author, I didn’t know it was written then, too. Books like Passing, whose characters come alive on the page because of their interiority and voice, inspire me to flesh out my characters and bring them to life. Why not let them inspire you?

As you’ve probably guessed, I am looking forward to next month’s book club meeting. I hope the above takeaways motivate you to write and read!

Have you read Nella Larson’s novel Passing? How would you rate it on a scale of 1-5?  Has your book club impacted your personal writing? I’d love to hear about it!