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Writing = extra cranky!
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 03:40 amI poked the NaNoWriMo boards, because it's that time of year again and my head hurt too much to squeeze any more story out of it. Someone wanted tips on writing a drunk scene, as she'd never been drunk herself. A youngster who had also never been drunk popped in with some crap about slurring words and reversing sentences. I pointed out that this was a terrible cliché that is only believable to people who've never been drunk, and should only be used for comedic effect.
And I'm not going to feel bad about saying it.
I know I'm supposed to, because I'm calling her wrong and that's mean and possibly damaging to her self-esteem. She's probably a very nice person who doesn't deserve to be ever contradicted or corrected, except she's wrong and her advice promotes bad writing, and I'm tired of mollycoddling creative types for fear of bruising their poor, poor egos.
I'm tired of people who post their work for criticism and then whine that everyone is mean for actually giving some. I'm tired of people that request "positive criticism only!" I'm tired of people that can't be bothered with proper spelling, grammar, paragraphs, etc., because you're just supposed to look at the story.
If you want to be patted on the head for putting forth an effort, go show it to your mother. If you're asking for criticism, shut up and listen. If you're asking people to "read this and tell me what you think?" then you need to go back and clarify. Do you want attention (see: Mom), or do you want an opinion?
Learn how to appreciate that there are people willing to read it and be honest with you about the flaws they see. They've giving you a chance to fix your work before you embarrass yourself in front of a wider audience, and that's a gift, goddammit.
And I'm not going to feel bad about saying it.
I know I'm supposed to, because I'm calling her wrong and that's mean and possibly damaging to her self-esteem. She's probably a very nice person who doesn't deserve to be ever contradicted or corrected, except she's wrong and her advice promotes bad writing, and I'm tired of mollycoddling creative types for fear of bruising their poor, poor egos.
I'm tired of people who post their work for criticism and then whine that everyone is mean for actually giving some. I'm tired of people that request "positive criticism only!" I'm tired of people that can't be bothered with proper spelling, grammar, paragraphs, etc., because you're just supposed to look at the story.
If you want to be patted on the head for putting forth an effort, go show it to your mother. If you're asking for criticism, shut up and listen. If you're asking people to "read this and tell me what you think?" then you need to go back and clarify. Do you want attention (see: Mom), or do you want an opinion?
Learn how to appreciate that there are people willing to read it and be honest with you about the flaws they see. They've giving you a chance to fix your work before you embarrass yourself in front of a wider audience, and that's a gift, goddammit.
