Re: Curiosity - how fast do professional writers write?

You rang, m'lord. Well, even if you didn't, Alan Hope
<not.alan.hope@xxxxxxxx> said:

>chris_tine49@xxxxxxxxxxx goes:
>
>>Alan Hope wrote:
>>> chris_tine49@xxxxxxxxxxx goes:
>
>>> >No, I'm not. I'm talking about the hard work of writing truly about a
>>> >very personal and emotional thing, without glossing over it or being
>>> >dramatic or making it dead, ill-written, textbooky prose.
>
>>> I wonder how often a working writer is asked to write something
>>> personal and emotional.
>
>>I was not clear. I wrote fast and poorly.
>
>>I mean writing about a topic that has personal and emotional import.
>>All topics of interest do: politics, the environment, the economy,
>>food, whatever. You can write or pretend to write about these things
>>objectively, but why?
>
>Because the reader has emotions of his own to bring to the story, and
>doesn't require mine.
>
>>The trick is to be objective with facts and
>>reports but to present the personal impact--not on the writer
>>necessarily, but on affected people.
>
>You have to choose -- one or the other.
>
>>The facts have no meaning without
>>context, without how they play out in combination with other facts and
>>in life.
>
>Emotion doesn't play into that. Fisk, for example, too often strays
>over the line.
>
>>> He'll "survive bad writing"? What the hell kind of point of view is
>>> that? Is that what you teach your students?
>
>>No. It's what I say to blog writers.
>
>>You can write all sorts of bilge if you hit the right buttons and
>>include photos of Britney Spears.
>
>>Then, if you bring something authentic to the table that is meaningful
>>to others (in blogs), people will put up with some inelegance and more.
>
>You have it backwards, and I see you've snipped my comments regarding
>the value of good writing in communicating emotion, conviction,
>whatever. Obviously: there's simply no come-back.
>
>>Most people have to write badly before they can write better. You learn
>>by the writing.
>
>Fine. Then your early blog efforts will be worse than the later ones,
>assuming you have actually learned. You seem to be assigning a sort of
>value to the un-learned product by virtue of the writer's sincerity or
>something.
>
>I'd like to know how you determine a person's sincerity in writing, as
>opposed, say, to your own reaction to what you're reading.
>
>>> >You also have to be brave because people will arise to mock you for
>>> >whatever it is that they value and think you lack. Or just because they
>>> >think it's fun.
>
>>> Are you talking about Usenet?
>
>>That--and blogs. Only blogs allow you to ignore and block from the
>>public any responses you don't like.
>
>Anything -- anything -- that is written not for money, or for some
>other form of advancement (so academic papers, for example), is an
>indulgence, for the self, written as a writing exercise or perhaps for
>some therapeutic motive. You're advised, therefore, to do whatever the
>*** pleases you, and to hell with anyone who says differently.
>
>If John (the OP) wants to stretch his writing muscles, let him go
>ahead. He doesn't need readers. If he wants to increase the audience
>for his blog, he needs to ask questions of bloggers, not professional
>writers. The Venn diagram shows a slight overlap, but very slight.
>
>I have a feeling blog traffic is increased by some system of linking
>and counter-linking, in any case, and not by writing. But as I say,
>I'm a nignoramus.
>
>If anyone wants information on how professional writers write, they'll
>find some here. If that's not what they want, they should learn to ask
>questions correctly.
>
>>Certainly it happens in all forms of writing. The critic is eternal and
>>many. You put something out on display, you get responses.
>
>I don't know how much attention you've paid over the years to
>criticism offered to various no-hopers by Zen, whom it's very easy to
>dismiss as a hostile controversialist.
>
>We all know what he's like: he calls you a ***, when in fact he's a
>*** himself.

Troll. You have to consider the possibility of the converse.


Dr Zen
Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Unafraid of Smiting.
http://gollyg.blogspot.com
Will Kill for Dollars.
.