All of You Are Missing The Point

Is this here for critique, because--if not--it is in the wrong place/

What point are you trying to make, Angelus?

That if one writes, what one writes will be read and interpreted by the reader in the same way as it is viewed by the writer?

That may be the belief of all who write, but without knowledge of the craft it is by no means a certainty.

If one is writing solely for one's own pleasure it matters not what others think, but if one is writing for publication there are readers, Agents and Publishers to be taken into account.

I'm confused about this post--it doesn't seem to belong here. I'll port it over to the Roundtable and everybody can take it from there. Let me know if this isn't the right place and I'll move it again if needed.

is the OP stemming from another thread/topic? i don't understand.

It was in Other--Share Your Work. I think we're all kind of confused, but perhaps the OP will come along and clarify what he/she meant.

Its true, anybody can tell a story, and all of us are here to tell a story--but most of us are also here to write a book. And telling a story and writing a book are, in a way, two different things, though not mutually exclusive--you can't write a book without telling a story (unless of course its nonfiction!), but you can certainly tell a story without writing a book. And while we all want to write straight from the heart without filtering anything, if we want to turn our stories into books, then I'm afraid we have to follow the rules. Sometimes this can be stifling, but in the end the rules are there for a good reason--they make sure that the book is readable and clear to someone other than, well, yourself. It's the price one pays to share their story with others. And I'm sure happier when I pick up a book that the grammar is correct and a scene makes sense to me the way it ought to, even if the writer had done it differently at first. It unfortunately isn't true that if you write something that makes sense to you, everyone else will understand it--everyone else has different experiences (and everyone else doesn't have the original idea in their head).

We're all here because we love writing, but one doesn't need a messageboard to enjoy writing (heck, I'd probably get more writing done if I spent less time here!). But this messageboard *is* good for helping us turn stories into novels. Nevertheless, I do believe it is important to have a passion for what one writes about. ^_^

Some of us came here because we lost our passion. I stayed because I enjoy the company.

I write because I want to and I do it when I want to. No other reason.
What's your reason?

Angelus said:

You write because you love it.

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Actually, I write because I have a mortgage.

I love my family, and my cat. I love getting massages, and Boston Market brownies, and Indigo Girls music. I like writing; I don't necessarily love it. But it's how I choose to make my living, and I get satisfaction from it.

I'm glad I bought a new bottle of Canadian Gold today. After a few drinks I'm sure it will make sense to me.

Loving writing means you want it to be the best that you can make it. And that means worrying about things characterization and plot. You want to see it in print, that means worrying about sentence structure and grammar and the business of publishing.

Just saying "I wrote this and I love it, so the world will love it too" is just not realistic.

Some days I love it, some days I don't. I am fortunate to be paid well at something writing related. I hope to be paid enough that it is my only occupation, and will give me the freedom to write my own stuff. I'm grateful that my work is well-thought enough to be in print.

Loving it, as they say, isn't always enough.

And this came out of nowhere.

I just love that whooshing sound things make when they fly over my head.

I see what the OP is saying, but I have no idea why he chose to make it into a post.

Angelus: yes, empassioned writers will produce passionate work. But without honing their skills-- examining sentences, paragraphs and scenes --they'll never improve. That's like saying Santana could pick up a guitar and play masterfully without ever learning anything first.

Bartholomew said:

That's like saying Santana could pick up a guitar and play masterfully without ever learning anything first.

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Ah, I always thought that's exactly what Santana did.

Actually, the Santana thing more illustrates the original poster's sentiments. There you have a man who essentially plays the same hackneyed licks over and over again but does it with enough passion to pass it off as masterful playing.

Sometimes that's all you need, I guess. But for most of us I think technical ability is necessary to make anything worthwhile.

I appreciate the enthusiasm of the original post...but not the demand of the poster to impose their will on all writers everywhere. I write for something to do. I do love writing, yes. But I have no idea what you're going on about, to tell you the truth. I am not waiting for anything. I don't need to be patient. I don't expect anything. I'm not misunderstanding anything. I write to write. I get to buy a lot of nice extras too...since I get paid for my writing but it's not my way of paying the mortgage or living expenses.

I tell stories to tell stories. blah, blah, blah. You don't have to post here to tell stories. This is a strange post sent into the universe with nothing stuck to it as a point of reference. Maybe you can elaborate what you were trying to get across...because I don't often find myself in the dark.

Well, that's akin to what Yoda might tell us, "Do not think. Do." We have James Richie to tell us such things, and masterfully, I might add. This is a writer's group where we are allowed, inclined, to share ALL of our feelings regarding this most stressful and difficult profession. It's wrought with dangers, toils, and snares. We're not wussies or chronic bitchers. We're working, but we're sharing our experiences. That helps with positive reinforcement.

However, I do appreciate the positive thrust, if that is what it was meant to be.

Tri

I wrote brilliantly at 10, I write brilliantly now.

Publishing, money, writing for a living aside, I do write for myself. I also edit for myself. I want my work to be at its best, and since I don't know everything, ::gasp:: I ask for help. Additionally, my writing grows stronger by reading others' works and critiques.

Wow, I just realized how selfish I am.

RG570 said:

Ah, I always thought that's exactly what Santana did.

Actually, the Santana thing more illustrates the original poster's sentiments. There you have a man who essentially plays the same hackneyed licks over and over again but does it with enough passion to pass it off as masterful playing.

Sometimes that's all you need, I guess. But for most of us I think technical ability is necessary to make anything worthwhile.

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And of course Santana never had feedback from other guitar players (ever,) and always played perfectly.

Angelus said:

You write because you love it.

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Actually, no, no I don't.

I hate to write. I loathe it. I am not biologically designed to write, in fact, writing is one of the most difficult things I do.

I write because they make me (for school) or, more often, because they pay me.

But I don't love writing, and never have.

.

I'm sitting here with my peppermint schnapps on ice. I just finished writing about 3,000 words. I have a revision on a novel to make within a set amount of time. I can do it. Do I love writing, my writing? Yup. Especially when I receive that check in the mail.

I_Shrugged said:

Each person's purpose is unique to themselves.

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Sounds good to me.

stormie said:

Do I love writing, my writing? Yup. Especially when I receive that check in the mail.

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I think this is the point of my previous thread. There's a basic thing that happens to you--and your writing--when you start to get paid. No matter how blissful (or blissfully ignorant) you may have been during your amatuer days, it's very hard to go back to that state once you get used to being a professional.

That said, I'm definitely among my own top ten favorite writers.

popmuze said:

No matter how blissful (or blissfully ignorant) you may have been during your amatuer days, it's very hard to go back to that state once you get used to being a professional.

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I think it's impossible. Becoming a professional changes everything, and not all of that change is for the better.

I love writing. I also hate it. Right now, it's mostly hate.

- Victoria

I gave everyone the point 3 posts ago... why are we still talking