Can Journalists Become Successful Novelists?

A comment I've heard more than a few times is that journalists can't write good novels. I'm not sure what that means, unless there is some thought that journalists are hacks who don't have the skills and imagination to weave fictional stories.

As a former journalist—spending more than 30 years as a reporter, editor, columnist for newspapers, national news service, and magazines—I'm a bit taken aback by that kind of thought. There's almost a snobbishness to it, and it  usually comes  from those who majored in English, creative writing, or some artsy-fartsy degree. 

For some reason,  lawyers can write novels and doctors can write novels, but those whose lives are immersed in words (reading, writing, and editing) are somehow unprepared or ill-equipped to compose fiction.

Robert McCrum, in The Guardian, in defense of journalists, wrote "...we somehow want our hacks to be hacks, and our storytellers to be… masters of the fiction universe."

But is it that difficult?

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Robert Dietrich, who has authored 15 fiction and nonfiction books, offered this opinion in the Nieman Reports as part of the transition a journalist must make: "In journalism you often conceal your heart; in fiction you mine it. In journalism facts can carry a story; in fiction the telling becomes crucial so style and insight grow in importance. Newspaper editors cut the clutter of descriptive detail while fiction editors demand it. In journalism the punch line usually comes at the beginning, in fiction usually at the end."

Lucy Moore, writing in Female First, noted 10 reasons why journalists have the tools to become novelists. Among the skills is being a good listener, ability to research details, "quietly" observing others as well as surroundings, and being able to focus on writing and meeting deadlines.

Three years ago Bustle.com published a list of the jobs that 13 writers had before they become successful writers such as Stephen King (janitor), John Green (chaplain), Nicholas Sparks (salesman), and Agatha Christie (pharmacy tech). You know they used those life experiences in revealing truths in their novels.

And Paste Magazine listed 10 authors who didn't graduate from college, and came from a varied backgrounds.

As for journalists, have you ever heard of Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Ken Follett, George Orwell, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman, Mailer, Anna Quindlen, Stieg Larsson, Thomas Harris, and Pete Hamill? There are many more.

Some of my  friends with journalism backgrounds who write fiction include Cheryl Dellapietra (Gonzo Girl), Sharon Reynolds (Walking Air), Jonathan Miller (Alone Again), Silas House (Clay's Quilt, etc.), Ed Ford (The Plot), as well as the late David Dick (The Scourges of Heaven).

Novelists come from various backgrounds. Most folks can learn the craft of writing; it's not rocket science. Stephen King recommends reading a lot. Yes, there are rules but the primary trait is the desire to tell stories, and doing it.

Until the next time. . . .