To Journal, or Not To Journal
April 15, 2002
7:32 a.m.
I'm nearing the end of the first draft of a new short story. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Wednesday. This one was one I started a couple years back, and then abandoned because I didn't know what happened next. Back a couple months ago, I actually kind of struck upon the element that would drive the end, and so finishing the story is consisting of finding out how the plot winds itself around to the that point.   Well, the Blog thing created quite a stir now, didn't it? Not that this is too surprising. I'll not disagree with anyone who argues with me. But I'll stand on my position. I was here before "Blog" was a word. I do not Blog. [grin] Should a writer keep a journal? It's an interesting question. Really, I think the question is better put--should a writer keep an off-the-cuff journal, wherein he shows words that are not his "best" stuff. I've struggled with this one many times over the past couple years. I completely understand the arguments for remaining apart, and for not exposing any soft underside. But I've come to believe that most people understand things pretty well, and most (and hopefully all who stick around for a few weeks and get a feel for who I am and how I work) will focus on this journal in an appropriate fashion. I think most people will not hold typos and errors in my journal, for example, against my work. As in most issues, there are at least two camps to this "public" and "private" element of writing. The most obvious "public" writer who springs to mind is Harlan Ellison, who has written several hundred stories with people actually watching. It doesn't seem to hurt his sales--though he is obviously not writing journal entries ... and I would guess that his use of the English language in first drafts is better than mine, so maybe he's not so worried about embarrassing himself. Please note, I'm not comparing myself to Harlan Ellison. I should mention, though, that a lot of writers really hate that bit Ellison does, though. They think it's grandstanding, or too hastily written, or whatever. They think he shouldn't write like that. And to them, I say, hey, why don't you worry about your own material rather than get on someone for doing something that they're doing. And I'm tempted to say the same thing about those that think a writer shouldn't keep an off-the-cuff journal ... except, there's a part of me that still understands their point, whereas I don't really get the complaints that Ellison gets. He is, after all, creating art, whereas these on-line journals are not really art, but something totally different. So, I don't know. I don't know if a writer should keep this kind of an open forum. But I'll say that I like the process. I like that people who read my material can find me easily on the web. I like that the site lets people talk to me, and I like that fans can get to know a bit about the guy behind the words they read in whatever magazine or anthology they happen to have picked up. I think people who read my site are intelligent enough to understand the difference between dashing off a few thoughts at the end of the day, and writing professional prose. I'm not embarrassed about the typos I leave here because they prove that I am human. And in an odd sort of way they can be encouraging. "Success" in the field of writing is not about keeping typos out of first draft material. If you consider me a success, then I am proof of that. (If, of course, you don't consider me a success, yet, you're probably closer to correct than the other group). All I know is that I'll keep doing this until it feels complete, and that I don't know when that will be. I will, however, continue to try to do better about the typos. [sheepish grin] Have a great day.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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