It has occurred to me first and foremost that I posted yesterday’s blog one day too early for it really to be the eve of what I was talking about. Now I feel a little bit like I want to hide that post so everyone can’t see my shame, but really the things I wanted to say there don’t make any less sense than they would anywhere else.
I need to make my way back into writing, I am going to keep this short and sweet and just say that I need to take my own advice and just write. All of this fear over what my voice will sound like in first person doesn’t help me get out of this rut, it doesn’t do anything to lift me up and give me the experience that I really need to make this a better book.
Besides, I’ve got about a decade of writing experience at my back and though very little of that was “published” writing, a lot of it was seen by a moderately wide audience.
I just need to get back into the game.
There’s a quote I wanted to share with you from a person on the forums over at Something Awful. This member goes by the handle “Chillmatic”. I guess I better give you all some background first. Someone else posted this:
So far I already feel like I’m starting to have a lot of fun doing it again, and I also feel like a little self awareness will go a long way to actually helping me develop as a writer. So the question is, where should I post my stupid brain spew where I can get some constructive (or destructive, what do I care?)criticism from people who don’t mind humoring an absolute novice so that I can make some progress toward being a half-decent story teller?
And Chillmatic took it upon himself to set this person straight in the best kind of way:
How about you do some reading and study up on the craft of writing before you subject the internet to your “stupid brain stew”?
And for fuck’s sake, don’t be the guy who says “what do I care about the kind of feedback I get” when you clearly fucking do care.
Also, please don’t do the whole passive-aggressive shitshow thing where you post a bunch of crap about how worthless and terrible you are while secretly hoping everyone will tell you that no, in fact, you’re actually a genius!
You want some more self-awareness? Fine. Start with the stuff I just told you and am about to tell you. The shit you just posted here is really some of the most aggravating crap that a critique group can ever have to deal with, and you won’t make any friends doing stuff like that.
So consider this the only advice you need right now: don’t be a whiny self-deprecating little shit, don’t put a bunch of stupid irrelevant details in your posts (like your dumbass guitar playing), and don’t post terrible shit until you’ve spent a minimum of three months reading about the craft of writing and doing writing exercises in your spare time. And finally, if your writing looks anything like that post you made, you’ve got a lot of very immediate and obvious flaws.
1. You drone on with pointless details. (because you obviously love the sound of your own voice)
2. Your use of language vacillates between “low style” and “grotesque imitation of the high style” (because you obviously love the sound of your own voice)
3. You’re the only one that loves the sound of your own voice. Might want to consider that your anonymous reader won’t give a shit about how brilliant you think you are. Cut away the fat; get to the heart of the matter.
4. Don’t post again for a long time.
If you’re a new writer, especially one of those people who decides to write for Nano for the first time because you think it would be fun and you’ve never written anything that wasn’t required by some class you were taking then remember this above quote. There’s nothing more annoying to critics and other writer’s alike than the new person who tries to self-deprecate while acting like they could careless about the critique that they’re asking for.
Nothing against new writers, just that no one likes that guy.
Pulp & Fiction 