So normally I like this blog to be a place of positive thought and energy. There's just so much negativity out there that I strive to mostly talk about the good things in life, or at least about overcoming the bad, rather than wallowing in it or getting in a mud fight. But lately, there have been some things that have me feeling, well, GRRRRRRR!!! And I need to get a few things off my chest so I can move on and get back to working on my writing. I've debated publishing this post, but ultimately decided it needed to be said.
Every Wednesday, one of my fave radio programs creates a list of "things that must go" in order to vent about stuff they are currently finding irksome. Occasionally, they include "things that must go" contributed by their listeners.
I know it's Friday and not Wednesday, nor am I on the radio, but I decided to compile my own such list here.
(Side note: You may find this list more entertaining if you
imagine it being explained in the voice of Jeffery Donovan - a.k.a. Michael Weston from BURN NOTICE. For an example of this,
click here.)
MY LIST OF THINGS THAT MUST GO:
1. Authors who insist on mocking or belittling pretty much every book or genre that is not their own. We get it;
you think you're the most awesome author on the face of the planet. NOW GET OVER YOURSELF.
2. Authors who find it necessary to belittle every other book in their own genre (similar to above, but still different enough to warrant its own number). We get it; your book is different and therefore better than every other book in your genre--making you the most awesome author on the planet. Again--GET OVER YOURSELF.
3. Authors who say definitively that if a story has X,Y, or Z in it, then that book is weak, or an example of bad writing.
Just because you might not care for dystopian or paranormal books (or whatever genre) does not mean that authors who like to write in these genres are weak writers, doing a disservice to YA fiction, nor does it make them bad people in general.
Just because you might not be a fan of love triangles, does not mean that a story with a love triangle in it is a sign of weak plotting or bad writing. Many readers and authors happen to have an affinity for love triangles. I, personally, happen to be a sucker for unrequited love--therefore often making me a sucker for a well-done love triangle (which sometimes actually looks more like a love "V"--but I digress). You guys know how much I
love THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (TV show) and there is no way on earth you're going to convince me that show is an example of bad writing because it has a love triangle.
Just because something doesn't float your boat, doesn't mean it's weak writing, poor plotting, or bad. It's just not what you personally like. There are a few plot elements and writing styles out there that I am not a fan of-- but I'm not going to call every author who uses those things a bad writer. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion--and to each his/her own.
4. Authors (or people in general) who use cuteness and/or humor as a way to thinly veil rudeness when mocking or belittling everyone around them.
Just because you put a ;) [winky-smile] after saying something rude, does not make the rude comment okay or funny or oh-so-cute.
5. The idea that all stay-at-home-moms-turned-authors started writing because they were BORED. I started writing over 12 years ago--long before getting married and having children--and worked deliberately toward the goal of becoming a published author. Admittedly, one of the things that factored into my decision to try to become an author was because it was a career that would allow me to stay home with my future children, but I write because I love it. Boredom has never been a factor. And honestly, I don't remember the last time my brain wasn't whirring with ideas enough for me to be bored.
6. Authors with one book (or maybe even two or three) published who act like they are the authority on everything. I love when aspiring authors and other writers ask me for advice, because I feel like I've learned on a lot on my journey to being published. I love to help where I can. Dispensing advice is rewarding, and often helpful--but I realize that in the grand scheme of things, I'm no Judy Blume or Meg Cabot yet, and I'm relatively new to the game. Acting like the authority on all things writerly (or otherwise) just kind of makes you seem full of yourself--not really the best way to win friends and influence your peers.
7. Authors who write blog posts that are supposed to be "honest" or "heart felt" but are really just whine sessions geared toward manipulation and aggrandizing themselves. Or when their "honesty" is just another attempt to mock or belittle every book/genre that is not their own. (Yeah, the mocking thing has been bugging me a lot lately if you can't tell.)
Meanness, whining, and snobbery should not be confused with being "honest" and "heart felt."
Oh, wait a sec . . . I'm writing an "honest" post in which I'm whining about things that must go. I hope that doesn't fall into this category. Does it? Oh crap . . .
And that leads to my last thing that must go:
8. Hypocrites. ;) ;) -- (double winky-face.
BAHM!)
And there you have it. My list of things that must go.
Please forgive my need to vent. I promise a return to positivity very soon. In the meantime, what's on your list of things that must go? Have you been watching BURN NOTICE? (Hubby and I just started season 3.) So . . . do you think you could win in a bar fight?
(David Tennant: Just as yummy as a brownie with a silver lining!)
