tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463172746861345755.post9043133088033253298..comments2011-02-20T16:54:55.852-08:00Comments on Alone, Uninterrupted, Slightly Savage: How Not To Be This Guykatrina.ruehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09894836191377063105noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463172746861345755.post-71838418675684355882010-02-25T01:34:11.257-08:002010-02-25T01:34:11.257-08:00That "question" hurt my face. I read th...That "question" hurt my face. I read the whole thing.<br /><br />I've been writing for about twenty years. Never once has anything the poster mentioned ever entered my mind as a necessity/requirement for writing. Mind you, I'm not trying to make Art. I just want to tell a story that people will want to read, also known as "selling out" and/or "pandering to the lowest common denominator" etc. True story: I used to be, if not That Guy, at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. I can't remember what triggered it; I think it hit me as I was slinking shame-faced from the B&N with (horrors!) genre fiction in my bag. OMG, I said - I too am the lowest common denominator!<br /><br />That was a load off, I can tell you. It's a lot less stressful to write when you aren't trying to create The Greatest Novel Ever Written. Allowing yourself to make mistakes, write badly, even goof off and be silly once in a while... well. I think I might be preaching to the choir. <br /><br />What I originally meant to say before I got sidetracked by my own cleverness was that it never fails to astound me how many people feel that unless their art is causing them anguish, they aren't creating to their full potential. I don't think I could have spent the better part of my life writing (well or poorly, it matters not) if it caused me as much stress and personal chaos as it seems to do to this poor guy. My advice to him (if I thought he would take it) would be this: all you need to write is something to make a mark with, and something to make a mark on.<br /><br />By the way, I'm really enjoying your blog :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com