Writer Arrogance

[raefinlay]

We sometimes encounter writers at the OWW who believe they will shatter market records and win a Pulitzer with their current WIP. They are generous with advice, but attached disclaimers make it clear that such advice is akin to receiving a magical blessing. Their reviews are full of "I" and "My". They ignore criticism. If someone doesn't appreciate their work, it is because that person is incapable of recognizing genius.

I envy them.

It would be nice to have a long stretch--say, three months or so--when I could look at my WIP and not see crap. I would love to consider it saleable, would die of ecstasy to believe my premises original, my prose flawless, my characters irresistable. Writing would be so much easier if I thought, even misguidedly, that my writing would make me famous or rich or self-actualized. What an incentive! To know that fortune is just a finished novel away!

Alas, my motivation is vastly different. I write because I must. Some nights, it is sheer discipline. I write to finish this novel, so I can start a better one, and then another one after that in the hopes that by novel 3 or 4 I might have something worth selling. But even more, I have too many thoughts and emotions and stories chasing each other around in my soul and I must write to make them concrete, identifiable. I need to look at them on paper and say, "I see you! I understand you! You are no longer my mystery."

So, you OWWers with blinding arrogance, I fear you not at all, and I sincerely hope you submit to all the same agents as my honestly-laboring writer buddies. But I envy you your confidence and your hope-driven inspiration.

Now...moving on to chapter 17...

Comments

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I'm not sure there's ever a point where an honest writer can look at their work and say, "It's perfect." Or, I should say, there's no point where a decent writer can say that. (There are a few big name examples of that.) So don't feel bad about that. I think it's a sign that you're serious about what you do, and that's always a good thing. (Look at how often Michael Jordan practiced, and he was the best of the best.)

And then again... just the other night I was critting someone that didn't even know dialogue with a tag should end in a comma, not a period ("That's right," he said.), and all I could think was, "Shouldn't you at least learn the basicest basic rules before posting?" Does that make me one of the arrogant people?

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. Grammar and punctuation and stuff... that's easily learned. It's not like telling a story. That... I don't know that the telling a story part of writing can be learned.

[katallen.livejournal.com]

I'm going to confess that someone had to remind me about punctuating dialogue tags when I joined the OWW. For some reason I'd just stopped doing it properly - I've earlier work where I did it right, but a few years before joining I seem to have started using full stops instead of commas. It's a mystery.

Someone pointed it out, I checked it, and nearly died of shame :o) Then I thanked them.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Hiya Kat. My moment of shame came with adverbing. Someone pointed it out, I did an edit/replace for "carefully" ... 15 times in one chapter! I thanked my reviewer too. :o)

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

You arrogant swine!!!!!

:p