A World Where Someone Who Failed Eight Times Becomes a Selection Committee Member | On the Mystery of Evaluating Novels | Creative Theory | New Novelist Awards | Literary Awards | Creative Struggles | Writing |
Hello everyone.
I am
@GoodMorning, an HSP and anti-Todai-ism advocate.
When I think about new novelist awards,
"Novels are truly impossible to understand."
I am often made to think that.
There is a story that symbolizes this.
It is the story of an author who serves as a final selection committee member for a literary award,
having previously
failed to win that same award eight times.
This is very suggestive.
Because,
someone who was "not chosen" in the past later becomes someone who "chooses."
That is what it means.
I feel that this reveals
the difficulty of evaluating something like a novel.
Failing eight times does not mean they lacked talent.
If you think about it normally,
if you fail eight times,
"Perhaps I lacked talent"
I find myself thinking.
However, that person later became an author and
eventually became a selection committee member for that very award.
In other words,
being rejected 8 times
did not mean that person lacked talent
at all.
This is very important.
If you look only at the result of rejection,
you lacked the ability
you were not evaluated
you lacked talent
it is easy to think.
But in reality,
even if you are rejected,
you may be highly evaluated later.
Herein lies the complexity of evaluating novels.
The evaluation of a novel cannot be quantified
The difficulty of novels is that
evaluations cannot be quantified
.
For example, in an exam,
what score you got
whether you reached the passing score
is clear.
In sports,
time
score
is definitive.
However, for novels,
there is no absolute score.
For a certain work,
there are those who find it interesting,
and those who find it uninteresting.
Some people may see a piece of writing as
original,
while others may find it difficult to read.
In other words,
the evaluation of a novel is determined within the relationship with the reader.
That is why,
even if you are rejected one year,
you might be appreciated by a different reader.
The fact that someone who was rejected eight times
can become a selection committee member
demonstrates this.
Rejection does not mean 'having no value'
What is important here is that
rejection = having no value
is not the case.
In new writer awards,
compatibility with the submission guidelines
the preferences of the selection committee members
the trends of that year
Balance with other entries
Results are determined by various conditions.
Therefore,
even good works can be rejected
sometimes.
Conversely,
just because a work was rejected does not mean
the value of that work or the writer
has been denied.
The fact that someone who failed eight times later
becomes a selection committee member
"not being chosen"
and
"having no value" are different
teaches us that.
There is hope precisely because there is "unknowability"
Novels are unknowable.
This is also a source of pain.
Because,
you don't know what was wrong
you don't know why you were rejected
you don't know how much your efforts reached anyone
That is why.
This uncertainty is painful.
But at the same time,
it can also be said that there is hope precisely because it is unknown.
That is what it means.
If novels could be completely quantified,
once you get a low rating, it's over.
That is what it would become.
But in reality, that is not the case.
Even if you are not evaluated well in one place,
you may be evaluated well in another.
Even if you fail now,
you may be recognized later.
Therefore,
the fact that you "failed now"
does not mean you "lack talent."
That is what it means.
This is a great relief for those who create.
Novels are not just about 'ability' but also 'encounters'
Evaluating a novel requires ability.
Writing skills and structural skills are also necessary.
However, that is not all there is to it.
There is also,
the element of encounter
involved.
Who reads it
At what timing they read it
What kind of work is being sought
Such coincidences also have a major influence.
In other words,
winning a novel award is not just about ability
but also about timing and circumstances
.
The fact that someone who failed eight times becomes a selection committee member
shows that they did not fail because they lacked ability,
but that there is also an aspect of simply not being chosen at that time.
This indicates that.
Conclusion
Someone who failed many times later becomes a selection committee member for that award.
This fact
teaches us how complex the evaluation of a novel truly is.
It teaches us this.
Novels involve
ability,
compatibility,
timing,
and chance.
These are all intertwined.
Therefore,
Rejected = no talent
is not necessarily true.
Rather,
evaluation is not absolute
is what it means.
Novels are unpredictable.
That is why it is painful.
But, precisely because it is unpredictable,
the future is not determined by current results alone
can also be said.
For those who continue to create, I believe this "unpredictability" is both a source of anxiety and a source of hope.
What do you think? If you'd like, I would appreciate it if you could
support me with a like, comment, or follow
🍀.
@Good morning was the message.