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ENTRY

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008

(This part discusses the second and third topics of the six introduced in Part 1. )

Satisfaction is achieved when expectations and needs are met or exceeded. We come to any situation with a set of expectations or needs. Sitting down to a meal we need to satisfy our hunger, we expect the food to taste good. When golfing we might need to hit a short iron to the pin, we expect to make a solid, precise swing landing the ball a few feet from the flag and let the ball trickle toward the hole. When we are in bed with our lover ? okay, I?m sure you get the idea. In writing, for me the needs include certain tasks such as finishing a scene, polishing some sentences, or plotting out a storyline. My grander expectations include creating suspense, developing a strong character, revealing emotion in a subtle yet substantive way, or any of the numerous other aspects of what I consider good fiction. As I write, I?m continuously monitoring how well I?m satisfying those needs and expectations.

The higher plane of writing is where the real action is for me, where I get the most satisfaction. Sure, I get a thrill with a nicely worded sentence, or a daily quota of words met, but not the satisfying rush from a character who is coming to life and telling me her real story. And if it?s going that well, ahh, then that?s a good feeling. There is a kind of physical, visceral pleasure. I?m in the flow, when the conscious and subconscious levels of the brain are in harmony. In this case, I tend to ignore minor details, typos, distractions, and just let it go. If I?m not satisfied, then writing can become a real pain, when it?s dissatisfying nothing is going well. Sometimes I slog through it, sometimes I put it away for the day.

Readers open a book of fiction expecting to be entertained, to be transported into another world, to experience a vicarious thrill. And there are other reasons for reading, to learn something, to have thoughts provoked, to enjoy a writer?s great use of language. But I think the greatest need is to feel satisfied with the experience. Readers choose to read a work of fiction based on several factors: the author, a recommendation, a review, an ad, the cover, the genre. They build up mighty expectations because of those factors, and it?s very disappointing when they aren?t satisfied. But when the expectations are met or exceeded, ooo, how satisfying.

Satisfaction is changeable and temporal. By changeable and temporal, I mean what satisfies us in one context may not satisfy us in another. What satisfies us on Monday may not satisfy us on Tuesday. We don?t need a gourmet three-course spread for every meal to satisfy our hunger. (Well, maybe if I could afford it ?) While writing, I?m usually working in one of the various stages of the process, say polishing. At this stage I?m focusing on the words and phrasing more than the big picture of, say, character development. My satisfaction is high if the polishing is going well. Yet, in an instant, I might have a flash of insight into the character that changes the way he speaks, or changes a pivotal action in the story. Now all those wonderfully polished phrases might have to be changed or even trashed.

On a longer time scale, our development as writers also changes our level of satisfaction. When I was first starting out writing, I lacked a strong grasp of practically every skill necessary to produce good fiction. My sole strengths were a good imagination and boundless energy. (Ah, to have that much energy again.) Back then I was easily satisfied with my work, with getting down 60k words in some order resembling a plot. Of course, publishers weren?t satisfied, but that?s another story. Now that my skills have developed, what satisfies me is also more developed, more mature, though I hope without losing imagination.

From a reader?s point of view, satisfaction also changes from one context to the next. Getting into a good, light thriller on the beach could be just what the doctor ordered to reduce blood pressure. A cold afternoon by the fireplace might require something meatier. And a reader?s levels of satisfaction also develops over time. A reader entranced by an author?s works ten years ago might pick them up now and find them unsatisfying. For instance, I?ve been reading Robert B. Parker?s Spenser detective series from the first book. (I?m a hard-boiled detective fan.) I used to get excited about a new release, buying the hardback. Now I can wait for the paperback. Yes, there?s still a level of satisfaction in reading the familiar plots and characters but now my reading preferences are tuned in other directions.

#

© 2013

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 3
click here to add a comment

Lee Witte
I like these two parts of your Theory a lot. (I'm satisfied with them?) They explain much of the mysterious process of writing and reading. What it says is much of the processes are subconscious?

Jo Reed
I'd like to know more about the "..." in the first paragraph!

Todd
That's another topic, Jo. And I agree with Lee, a lot of the writing and reading process is subconscious or just below consciousness.

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

Review: Paprika
April 21, 2013 (3)

Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves
March 30, 2013 (1)

Gripping writing
Feb. 28, 2013 (2)

Review: Salvation of a Saint
January 19, 2013 (2)

2012 in review
December 30, 2012 (2)

Review: Ninja
September 30, 2012 (2)

Review: My Postwar Life
August 21, 2012 (1)

New interview with Colin Marshall
July 15, 2012 (3)

Book events
April 25, 2012 (2)

Subduction
March 14, 2012 (8)

Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012 (1)

Review: Plainsong
December 20, 2011 (3)

Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011 (2)

Haruki Murakami
October 5, 2011 (2)

Busyness and demons
September 25, 2011 (2)

Characters: The Bully
July 30, 2011 (3)

Review: Manazuru
June 28, 2011 (2)

Deadlines!
June 24, 2011 (2)

Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011 (1)

Review: Isle of Dreams
April 20, 2011 (2)

Cades Award for Literature press release
April 12, 2011 (2)

Japan and other news
March 29, 2011 (1)

Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011 (2)

2010 review
December 17, 2010 (6)

Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa
October 7, 2010 (2)

OH! wins best book award
September 23, 2010 (2)

Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)

Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)

Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)

Jose Saramago
June 18, 2010 (0)

Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)

Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)

Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)

Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)

Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)

J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)

2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)

Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)

Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)

Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)

Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)

Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)

Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)

The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)

Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)

The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)

Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)

Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)

Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)

Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)

The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)

John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)

Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)

Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)

The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)

David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)

Ending it all
September 12, 2008 (2)

The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)

Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)

"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)

Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
July 7, 2008 (7)

Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)

To be or not to be
June 10, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)

Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)

The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (This part discusses the second and third topics of the six introduced in Part 1. ) Satisfaction is achieved when expectations and needs are met or exceeded. We come to any situation with a set of expectations or needs. Sitting down to a meal we need to satisfy our hunger, we expect the food to taste good. When golfing we might need to hit a short iron to the pin, we expect to make a solid, precise swing landing the ball a few feet from the flag and let the ball trickle toward the hole. When we are in bed with our lover ? okay, I?m sure you get the idea. In writing, for me the needs include certain tasks such as finishing a scene, polishing some sentences, or plotting out a storyline. My grander expectations include creating suspense, developing a strong character, revealing emotion in a subtle yet substantive way, or any of the numerous other aspects of what I consider good fiction. As I write, I?m continuously monitoring how well I?m satisfying those needs and expectations. The higher plane of writing is where the real action is for me, where I get the most satisfaction. Sure, I get a thrill with a nicely worded sentence, or a daily quota of words met, but not the satisfying rush from a character who is coming to life and telling me her real story. And if it?s going that well, ahh, then that?s a good feeling. There is a kind of physical, visceral pleasure. I?m in the flow, when the conscious and subconscious levels of the brain are in harmony. In this case, I tend to ignore minor details, typos, distractions, and just let it go. If I?m not satisfied, then writing can become a real pain, when it?s dissatisfying nothing is going well. Sometimes I slog through it, sometimes I put it away for the day. Readers open a book of fiction expecting to be entertained, to be transported into another world, to experience a vicarious thrill. And there are other reasons for reading, to learn something, to have thoughts provoked, to enjoy a writer?s great use of language. But I think the greatest need is to feel satisfied with the experience. Readers choose to read a work of fiction based on several factors: the author, a recommendation, a review, an ad, the cover, the genre. They build up mighty expectations because of those factors, and it?s very disappointing when they aren?t satisfied. But when the expectations are met or exceeded, ooo, how satisfying. Satisfaction is changeable and temporal. By changeable and temporal, I mean what satisfies us in one context may not satisfy us in another. What satisfies us on Monday may not satisfy us on Tuesday. We don?t need a gourmet three-course spread for every meal to satisfy our hunger. (Well, maybe if I could afford it ?) While writing, I?m usually working in one of the various stages of the process, say polishing. At this stage I?m focusing on the words and phrasing more than the big picture of, say, character development. My satisfaction is high if the polishing is going well. Yet, in an instant, I might have a flash of insight into the character that changes the way he speaks, or changes a pivotal action in the story. Now all those wonderfully polished phrases might have to be changed or even trashed. On a longer time scale, our development as writers also changes our level of satisfaction. When I was first starting out writing, I lacked a strong grasp of practically every skill necessary to produce good fiction. My sole strengths were a good imagination and boundless energy. (Ah, to have that much energy again.) Back then I was easily satisfied with my work, with getting down 60k words in some order resembling a plot. Of course, publishers weren?t satisfied, but that?s another story. Now that my skills have developed, what satisfies me is also more developed, more mature, though I hope without losing imagination. From a reader?s point of view, satisfaction also changes from one context to the next. Getting into a good, light thriller on the beach could be just what the doctor ordered to reduce blood pressure. A cold afternoon by the fireplace might require something meatier. And a reader?s levels of satisfaction also develops over time. A reader entranced by an author?s works ten years ago might pick them up now and find them unsatisfying. For instance, I?ve been reading Robert B. Parker?s Spenser detective series from the first book. (I?m a hard-boiled detective fan.) I used to get excited about a new release, buying the hardback. Now I can wait for the paperback. Yes, there?s still a level of satisfaction in reading the familiar plots and characters but now my reading preferences are tuned in other directions. # © 2013	COMMENTS Number of comments: 3 click here to add a comment Lee Witte I like these two parts of your Theory a lot. (I'm satisfied with them?) They explain much of the mysterious process of writing and reading. What it says is much of the processes are subconscious? Jo Reed I'd like to know more about the "..." in the first paragraph! Todd That's another topic, Jo. And I agree with Lee, a lot of the writing and reading process is subconscious or just below consciousness.	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Paprika April 21, 2013 (3) Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves March 30, 2013 (1) Gripping writing Feb. 28, 2013 (2) Review: Salvation of a Saint January 19, 2013 (2) 2012 in review December 30, 2012 (2) Review: Ninja September 30, 2012 (2) Review: My Postwar Life August 21, 2012 (1) New interview with Colin Marshall July 15, 2012 (3) Book events April 25, 2012 (2) Subduction March 14, 2012 (8) Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 (1) Review: Plainsong December 20, 2011 (3) Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 (2) Haruki Murakami October 5, 2011 (2) Busyness and demons September 25, 2011 (2) Characters: The Bully July 30, 2011 (3) Review: Manazuru June 28, 2011 (2) Deadlines! June 24, 2011 (2) Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 (1) Review: Isle of Dreams April 20, 2011 (2) Cades Award for Literature press release April 12, 2011 (2) Japan and other news March 29, 2011 (1) Borders bankruptcy February 17, 2011 (2) 2010 review December 17, 2010 (6) Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa October 7, 2010 (2) OH! wins best book award September 23, 2010 (2) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)