Critics: The Most Important of Jerks

There is a misnomer out there about critics and their actual value to culture and thus to society. Some say that critics are just hateful and unable to create their own work, so they tear apart the works of others. This opinion has given rise to idioms such as "everyone's a critic." This paradigm, however, is incredibly dangerous for creators.

When creating art, or pieces of culture, there are rules involved. There is a right way to go about making content and there is a wrong way. With writing, for example, there are grammar rules, pathos, the speed of a character's arc, tone, and description. These are all things which can be done right in any number of ways but they must be done correctly or else the story falls flat. 

A critic is someone so versed in modern culture that they have seen and studied the multitudes of ways something can be done correctly. The deep critique they offer points out areas where the creator has done something incorrectly and has subsequently damaged the piece of culture they made. Without critics, creators would not receive the detailed and specific feedback they need in order to better their creations. 

TLDR: Critic's feedback makes art and culture better. Stop hating. Read more classics and do things the right way. - Cheers

Reflecting on Word Turd Post-Publication

In the previous week's post, I reflected on the writer's innate hate for their own work and how that drives them to make better revisions before their deadline. One will always view their work as a turd. This paradigm is the writer's driving force in total self-improvement. Even after one's work is published, they will hate the work they wrote.

Looking back at my most recent publication, I hate it. Every bit.

The writer will notice where they could have used stronger words, poor descriptions, and every single little grammar matter they can think up. This is good. One would be wise to take notes during the unrelenting self-critique and make them as places for improvement. Embrace your words for the turds they are and continue to refine you poop until your brain melts. - Cheers.

On the Subject of Word Turd

The best gift a writer's mind will give to said writer is insomnia causing self-doubt that makes one believe that one's work is a steaming heap of turd. This crippling self-loathing causes a writer to rewrite the ever-loving poop out of their work until it resembles something that they are not entirely ashamed to put out into the world. When this doubt meets the nerve shattering panic of deadlines, a writer then has the proper motivation to revise their trash until an editor might not reject their submission, crushing their soul.

To all my fellow writers, recognize that your work is absolute garbage and let that mix with your anxiety, motivating you to produce something that is decent. - Cheers

Humanity as a Word

Something that I have noticed recently in the English language, and I do not know if it is something only a few other word-nerds would notice, is that when the word 'human' is used as an adjective, the phrase or term it is used in suddenly becomes much more pointed and relatable to the reader. If I were to say, "let's play murder scrabble," it would come off as a morbid attempt at humor, but with no substance. When John Hodgman, however, said, "we'll play the most dangerous game: human-murder-scrabble," the term feels much more real and connected to the entirety of the audience.

I believe it has to do with the inescapable label of 'human' that all readers and audience members subscribe to, by their being. To say something is applied to human's or is in someway related to the human condition means that it is in someway related to all of the audience, a sample of humanity. Humans, being individuals by nature, like to pick and choose their labels. When something is part of being human, particularly when murder is involved, humanity is forced to reconcile the sting of knowing that they are unable to escape the only requirement for mortality. For some, this is the fuel that causes them to rage at the dying of the light and become something more than human by being an extraordinary individual.

This leads me to believe that it is human nature, if not just a personal philosophy, that we should all strive to be something greater than human and individuals who rise above the crowd. - Cheers

Regarding The Ownership of Theme

When writing, the writer may be tempted to think about the theme of their work. This is something they should not do until the second rewrite, at least. The concept of theme is something that stems entirely from the author's subconscious. They will passively reveal their self through their writing if they just let the words flow.

Another issue that arises when an author claims a theme is that they do not actually own or decided what the theme of their work is. Their bias certainly influences the writing to fit the themes they live by but the ready is the last one to decided what they believe the theme is. Once they publish their writing they relinquish their creative control for the rest of its life, not legally but thematically. The reader sees the work in their own filter and puts their own meaning along with the words.

Focus on telling a good story and let the theme reveal itself. - Cheers

Nom de Plume

Many writers use pen names, myself included. Personally, I use my pen name to distance my writing following from my personal life. I will share what I want to share on my twitter and this blog but I reserve more intimate information for personal conversations. I recently met a few writers who use their pen name to distance their family from their writing. Maybe they just feel like what they are expressing in their writing is different from what they want to express to their family.

This is strange to me. The first to know when a piece of mine gets published or printed are my loved ones. I try to be vocal and honest with my views with everyone. If they get offended that is their problem.

I just thought that hiding your work from your family was interesting if anyone uses their pen name for a similar reason I'd love to know your reasoning. - Cheers

Keeping To Schedule

Something I have been guilty of for the last few weeks has been not keeping to schedule, not only on this blog, but in my professional life. I still got projects completed, albeit after much procrastination. The only remedy I have found for this is to "just do it" (Lebeouf 2015). Whether that be updating your website with filler on Monday just to get back in the habit, or vomiting a few hundred to a thousand words in a story or script that'll be cut later,  just do it. The only thing that will make you write more often is writing more often. - Cheers