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Interesting news and frustration...
Apr. 25th, 2014 10:52 amSo, there's... kind of good news.
I've got this idea in my head for a set of stories.
That's, well, good. I haven't even imagined myself writing stories in *forever*. Years. I mentioned once that I felt odd when I realized I didn't have a *scientific calculator* any more (though in my defense, I thought I had one - I'd found a technical calculator ready to be thrown out, and snapped it up, but it was financial. For a person who went to the High School of Engineering and Science, that's probably a pretty weak defense, alas).
That I didn't even have a stupid idea or two that I'd play with was weird.
Now? Now I have this interesting idea I can see playing out. Probably not original to me, but interesting. It could be fun.
That's the good news. The bad news is, as a writer of salable fiction, I suck. I have a hard time making interesting characters, and making the different enough that they're not just props in the unfolding of a history.
Trouble is, writing can be like sex - if you're doing what you enjoy, it can feel so good you can fail to notice that you suck at it. It can be even worse if you're technically proficient, but still suck. Yeah, you get the job done, but it doesn't pop.
I'm not sure if it's good or bad that I realize this.
I suppose it can't hurt. There's nothing wrong with writing to feel good, even if you suck at it. We can even continue the sexual metaphor and add Heinlein's admonition to wash your hands afterward.
I've got this idea in my head for a set of stories.
That's, well, good. I haven't even imagined myself writing stories in *forever*. Years. I mentioned once that I felt odd when I realized I didn't have a *scientific calculator* any more (though in my defense, I thought I had one - I'd found a technical calculator ready to be thrown out, and snapped it up, but it was financial. For a person who went to the High School of Engineering and Science, that's probably a pretty weak defense, alas).
That I didn't even have a stupid idea or two that I'd play with was weird.
Now? Now I have this interesting idea I can see playing out. Probably not original to me, but interesting. It could be fun.
That's the good news. The bad news is, as a writer of salable fiction, I suck. I have a hard time making interesting characters, and making the different enough that they're not just props in the unfolding of a history.
Trouble is, writing can be like sex - if you're doing what you enjoy, it can feel so good you can fail to notice that you suck at it. It can be even worse if you're technically proficient, but still suck. Yeah, you get the job done, but it doesn't pop.
I'm not sure if it's good or bad that I realize this.
I suppose it can't hurt. There's nothing wrong with writing to feel good, even if you suck at it. We can even continue the sexual metaphor and add Heinlein's admonition to wash your hands afterward.
