It pays to read other blogs on a regular basis. One of my favorites is called “Throw Grammar From the Train.” It is an occasional blog which explores grammatical issues, many times with a tongue firmly planted in the cheek. The other day the author explored the grammatical errors in a graphic used to supplement a post about Black Swan. I was curious, and in pursuing it came upon a concept which has rattled around in my head without any intention of departure. With thanks to the author of the blog, I’m sharing it with you today, in hopes of being able to concentrate on something else and move on.
Black Swan is a term that came into existence based upon the false belief that all swans were white. When someone discovered black swans in Australia, they were convinced that it was an anomaly, and adopted the term to mean something observed which was totally unanticipated. In discovering them a well-accepted concept was changed forever. Consequently, Black Swan Theory (always capitalized) was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb to indicate an intrusive event of major proportions which dramatically changes the thinking of society about a specific phenomenon.
Since then the words black swan (not capitalized) have come to mean a story-changing event which was not anticipated. It need not be a global phenomenon. In writing fiction, for instance, a black swan is a surprising development which changes the story line without there having been any lead-up to the intrusion.
Also in literary references, however, is the black swan phenomenon which gives hope to every writer. It has to do with the issue of publication. Every writer knows, hates, and gets ulcers from the process which leads from the writing of a good novel to its publication by a publisher. The most common experience for writers in this process is rejection. Agents and publishers take a look at a submission and then send back the three-line notice informing the author that the book is not acceptable for publication. As I have said before, I have a drawer filled with rejection letters and emails.
But every now and then something like the Harry Potter series or the Millennium Series comes along which amazes the literary world. The publishers, with one exception in each case, rejected the proposals as being inappropriate for publication. But in both cases one publisher saw something in them that was worthy of a contract and a literary phenomenon emerged … almost overnight. In both cases, it has been a game-changing moment which could not have been anticipated. It is a black swan moment.
Within a story a black swan can appear, as well, which changes the story to the surprise of the reader. It is the sudden appearance of a clue, a person, or an event which nobody saw coming, but which totally transforms the story. Dan Brown utilizes the concept in both his DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons best sellers. The reader is being led along a path which seems to be emerging as a no-brainer, when, suddenly, an unexpected clue is introduced which takes us in a brand-new direction. The use of black swan in this way is dependent upon a writing skill which people like Dan Brown handle with expertise.
If you have never stumbled upon the term black swan before (as used in this way) welcome to the crowd. Add it to your vocabulary and let it become one of those really enjoyable terms which, like its meaning, catches the reader off guard.
Photo Credit: http://www.wwt.org
