November 1, 2002
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So Sadzi left a comment in my last ‘blog, and I want to address it, because it’s a rewording of a comment I left in one of her recent ‘blogs.
She’s critical of the national novel writing month thing going on, and that’s her prerogative. She says, essentially, that most of the novels that get written will suck. I replied that there’s no way to know if you suck as a novel writer unless you try it and see.
And she deleted my comment. No big deal to me, really. Again, it’s her prerogative. And I’m not trying to start a fight about this or anything, it just seems ridiculous that it’s her intention to be snarky on my ‘blog simply because I have a valid argument presented in the spirit of inquiry on hers. I’m not participating in the novel month thing, and in fact I think it’s largely a waste of time, too. It’s just not as much a waste of time as lying in your death bed wishing you had written a novel.
Sadzi, lighten up!
Comments (7)
The whole point of NaNo is that it gives you permission to write something that will undoubtedly suck.
i couldn’t even write a CRAPPY novel in a month. =OP
“She says, essentially, that most of the novels that get written will suck.”
Nothing like being wildly misquoted. I never said anything of the sort. My problem wasn’t even with the writers… it was with the contest. It clearly states that it’s not interested in quality, only in quantity. Where you probably saw something about sucking was in the quote from the Nano web page.
Really… if you’re going to slam me, try to at least quote me correctly. I thinking asking people to produce quantity instead of quality isn’t good for aspiring novelists.
You work in the computer-related biz. If someone set up a contest for you to work on as many computers as possible, even though you never really did anything of quality, would that be a dandy thing to celebrate? (shrug) Maybe, maybe not. It was just a comment.
Anole, lighten up!
Bahaha. Sorry, Homer. I thought I was on Marc’s page. I really gotta pay better attention.
So, uh, scratch the “Anole” and make it say “Homer.”
Yeah, leave me out of this!
Even though I had comments deleted, too. I figure if you can’t take critical, non-personal debate, make your ‘blog private or non-commentable. (Which I think she has done even though I have no desire now to go look.)
She still misses the point of the contest. The point is to foster the discipline of writing, which is an essential element toward creating a novel. Does you no good to have talent and never to spit it out. The contest organizers realize this and are merely trying to say JUST WRITE! and don’t let worries about content block the flow. It is an essential exercise in all creative writing fields to write, write, write, content be damned. Good content will follow. ALL NOVELISTS write far more than they need anyway. This is where the 3rd essential ingredient comes in (after talent and perseverance) – good editing.
I think she had no concept of the writing process – she isn’t a writer as far as I can tell from her own projections of her personality – and essentially took a very narrow view of the contest’s stated aims.
So there. I included myself, and never needed to “lighten up” in the first place.
You’re right… I”m not a writer, and have no clue about the writing process. If you’d read my blog, you’d note I SAID that.
Obviously, it doesn’t matter what I say… y’all misquote me to suite your own needs anyway. If I’d misquoted Anole or Homer this way, I’d be expected to apologize. But the other way around? Ha!
If you had left your blogs up, and our comments, no one would be misquoting anyone, and people could judge for themselves if you’re being insulted.
Anyway. This topic has become really, really boring.
Feith
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