A rant against "real writers"

If I Had Something to Say
Originally uploaded by re_birf.

OK, I'll admit I'm feeling like shit and in a terrible mood. Maybe it's the fact that my doc gave me some Provigil to try to work on my sluggishness, and after a few days I realized it wasn't the answer, so today I only took a quarter tablet instead of a half. It says right on the darn circular that the stuff can be habit forming, and it's a contolled substance--which spells trouble for an addictive personality like me. But I'm just gonna wean my way off this and nip it right in the bud. A stimulant for a bipolar? Methinks that's a mighty bad idea.

Anyway, my rant du jour concerns a certain sub-group of writer--namely, the novelist in search of a publisher, or one who has self-published and is not hitting the best seller list as of yet (lol). I'd encountered a number of these folks on the Yahoo writers' groups that I've long ago quit, and I'm starting to see even more insufferable examples over at Blogcritics, where I now write in addition to my Shithouse rants.

Although I could be an asshole of another sort over at the writer's "rooms" myself, I like to think that my motives were a little more pure and charitable than some of the snobs I'm encountering over at BC through their articles. Here, in essence, is a prototype:

A writer has slaved over a novel. It may be good, it may be bad, but in any case, I'd venture a guess that in many cases, it's just not all that remarkable, but that's pure conjecture. Sometimes you can tell by the title and description that even if the writer is brilliant, the subject matter is just too arcane to attract a whit of interest for the average reader.

OK, so they've written the darn thing. Some have not even tested the waters by sending out, say, a short story, or even (gasp) an op ed or other piece of nonfiction to see if that is up to snuff in the eyes of an Almighty Editor. They may or may not have entered the arduous fray that is an inevitable step in getting virtually anything published, period, and thus have not steeled themselves for the almost inevitable rejection letters and consequent humility that greet the newbie.

Writers tend to be in love with their own prose. It is therefore sometimes quite a shock to them to realize (though some never do) that no one has asked them to write, and they do so and submit their work at their own risk.

The type of writer I am thinking of is an embittered snob. They bemoan the fact that the internet allows "regular folk" to blog about everyday things which don't seem transcendent enough to them, but which may garner more feedback from readers than their own sometimes self- indulgent tomes. Then they turn around and imply that agents and publishers who don't acknowlege their brilliance are too snobby or commercially oriented to recognize their unparalleled talents.

Some of these people are even so elitist that when people compliment their work they consider it beneath them to write a simple thank you in a return comment. They expect instant adoration, but don't seem to understand the concept of karma--viz: you often get what you give. On Blogcritics, they sometimes even bite the hand that feeds them with snide remarks about how other BC pieces of what they consider lesser value in tenor or subject matter are unfairly sharing an audience with "real writers" such as themselves.

I have tried to maintain an upbeat and supportive attitude toward my fellow Blogcritics. If I like an article, I will say so, and try to leave an intelligent comment that adds something to the "blogersation." When I write a post, I respond to all comments if I can. This is not only something that I love to do, but it also serves me well since posts with the most comments in the past 72 hours get on the "hot topics" board, thus increasing their potential readership and keeping their post in the spotlight longer. Again, karma at work. Those who refuse to respond to comments often fail to get the recognition they seem to crave by not doing the same.

In any case, just as an example, I'm providing a link to a BC post which finally led me to be a bit of a bitch. My comment to the author is there. He happens to be a very good and prolific writer, and I and others have often shown support and delight in his writing abilities. But he is also one of those aspiring novelists who is, in my opinion, an insufferable snob.

I may very well air my views in a post on BC as well--but maybe I'm better off just venting here. Have to watch my own karma, after all.

And here it is--one of the posts which set me off on my little hissy fit:

Writing and blogging: not necessarily the same thing

Hope some of you guys will check it out--it's not a long one--and let me know what you think.