Why Do We Care?
September 28, 2000
7:39 a.m.
Once again, I have a story with no title. Actually, I guess I don't have a story yet. I am an optimist at heart, though. So maybe I let myself get away too far, you know? Maybe I over-speak the truth. Not that I lie. After all, what is a lie? Does it have an element of deceit? Can someone lie by accident? None of those questions has anything to do with the item at hand though. I'm back into the daft I completed last week. The good news is that I really like the first ten-to-twelve pages right now. Yes, I'm sure they'll benefit from more line editing--which I'll certainly do. But I'm ironing out the story wrinkles this pass, and the story lays pretty well on the page for twelve pages.   Well, I really didn't intend to get into a big riff on How We Should Write. I really didn't. It all started when I posted my open letter to the next WotF group. Next thing you know...pow...right between the eyes! Catherine asked why we care how other people write. The answer is, I don't. I do care a little how other people perceive me. I guess that's fair to admit. I figure pretty much everyone does, since the way you are perceived is one of those general fears that everyone has (as proven by the fact that horoscope manufacturers across the globe play on it in order to lend authenticity to their predictions/descriptions). I don't care how you write. Heck, when it comes down to it, I don't write the same way every time, either. But I'll note that every time I spend any time at all discussing the concept of writing quickly, my hit-o-meters suddenly spike, and I get e-mail, and I now get a scad of responses on the sidebar. So I ask the audience, why do you care how I write? When you sit down to read my stuff, why does it matter to you how I created it? Does it? Art is art. It stands on its own. Or does it? Is there a class of art where the artist's surroundings and the events of the creation are more important than the piece created? I think the answer to this is, yes. Assuming they know the origin, I think there are people that will look at a piece written in 3 hours as less worthy than one written in six months--even if the words are the exact same on the page. I can't really explain why they think that. But I believe there are people that do. Think about this a little. In the end, this may be a reason for me to just be quiet about how I write. You know? If people come to my work thinking that it is rapidly-spewed drivel, then what kind of read am I going to get, despite the fact that a fair chunk of my work has received pretty decent commentary? It's almost like there are people who think that a writer should be ashamed of the fact that they can occasionally write really good stuff really quickly. So Catherine's question is a good one. Why do people care what process a writer uses to create? I don't know. But I do know that they do care. Among all the reasons I keep this place, I used to think putting my thoughts and my activity here was an aid to other writers. But Catherine's question--and the fact that to some people it does matter--is enough to get me thinking about whether I should just shut up and work. Have a great day.  Never mind that man behind the green curtain... Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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Check out Amy Casil's collection Without Absolution While you're at it, check out "A Matter of Pride" in Polish |
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