What does it mean when we say a writer is 'confident'? One of our authors is releasing a third novel--literary fiction--and during meetings we've been describing the work as his/her 'most confident novel to date.' I find the term to be a strange one. Does 'confident' imply daring, risk-taking of some kind? I've heard memoirs described as 'brave,' which typically goes hand in hand with emotional risk and vulnerability--a laying bare of personal details. But fiction is murkier.
What is confident about a book? Is it the writing itself, or the execution of a plot structure? Words, or narrative? Or, maybe confidence is a marketing buzzword, relating more to an author's brand than the book itself. It puzzles me though, because through plot or verbiage, a book should be a confident thing. Who wants to read an insecure work of fiction, or one with middling self esteem? I want to feel like I can trust myself in the hands of the writer--that he/she innately knows the way from prologue to epilogue. I know it's a strange question, particularly for a Friday, but what does confidence mean to you?
