coppelia in the flesh
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- Posted: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:39:16 +0000
I have only lurked or perhaps posted within the Gaia Writing boards for a little while – a little while as in a ‘freshman’, while some others on here might be ‘seniors’ or even ‘graduates’. This comparison of a highschool and its different levels is the only comparison that I think fits perfectly for the activity and knowledge of certain users when it comes to this board.
Perhaps for the last week (maybe?) I’ve been searching through the various threads, clicking one when it seems interesting or discusses an attention-grabbing value of writing. Most of the time I’ve viewed posts that are helpful, informative, and innovative. Every now and then, however, some of the ideals people will type just seem so wrong to me concerning fiction writing.
This will come as a shock to most of you, I’m sure: not at what some of these people will say, but at my sole beliefs. “It’s just writing using common sense!” You’ll exclaim, as though I’m some elementary critic, but the thoughts and feelings in this post are what I solely believe. I ask of you to please listen to what I’m typing now as open-mindedly as possible. I don’t mind any discussion or disagreement with my views, but I just wish for an introspective attitude – for a moment, even.
I have only been writing for six years. Compared to others, this is a small, insignificant amount of time. I love writing. I have cherished it throughout my life and enjoy it with every waking moment. Even just silly writings that I know are ridiculous inspire and captivate me more. The point is: I find writing a whole life of its own. Sometimes I will take it eagerly, seriously, strongly, but, no matter what, I find entertainment in just constructing stories on my laptop or scribbling sentences down on paper.
Every now and then I do need help, as most writers do. We aren’t invincible, after all. I meander over to the Gaia Writing boards, often taking a look at other’s writings or just getting a new perspective on things in general. It’s a break from my own writing, you know.
Most of the time I applaud every person here, taking their time to learn and create masterpieces that further the human knowledge and morals. There are other instances, however, when some of the threads on here actually pain me a little.
What threads would those be? Spam? Inappropriate content? Misplaced conversation that goes in another board?
Questions of originality, cliché concepts, etc.
I detest those threads for several reasons of my own. Perhaps those reasons are wrong in the eyes of professional writers and artists, but, as I shall state once more, they honestly reside in my heart. After a while, I chose to ignore them, and maybe I still do…and yet I wondered enough about expressing my beliefs and reasoning to type this dilly-dally up. It’s taken me about three days.
In my true opinion, writing does not have a ‘how’ except for two points: a) write something down that contains setting, characters, and plot and b) use your imagination. These simple – and a little cheesy, I admit - requirements are the steps to basic writing. Writing does not have to be an instructional manual. It’s something that derives from your soul and has different moods, effort, and feeling. People will write to get away from everyday life, and people will write to get published. Many people will write each sentence very seriously with the strict goal of getting published. I understand this. I respect this. However, from my standpoint, there’s no excuse to be telling or believing that writing cannot have unoriginal or cliché concepts.
I have told many people who use this board as a sanctuary my beliefs and they claim I’m overreacting. Am I? There are these types of threads/posts/even mental images all over the boards, saying that writing has to have a set of constant rules, like physical law. “Using these events/sayings/etc. in your story is stupid because they’ve been used too many times,” They assert, which I think is stupid in itself.
Writing is a piece of literature that derives from you and is given to others. So if you write a two-hundred page novel that is praised by everyone who has read it because it gives them something to think or consider or to even look at a different portion of life from, should it be trashed because the main plotline has a completely unrealistic, childish quest for the “Necklace of Life”?
Thinking long-term, should your entire writing style and creativity be altered completely for the sake of not sounding too ‘cliché’ or ‘imitative’? Should you be criticized and told to edit five areas of your writing because it’s ‘seen too much’?
There are two paths for these questions. One: the changes are actually making small improvements that make your writing better. Two: the changes are distracting from your piece entirely and/or causing you to have a Creativity Block, because some people know that if you write from your soul, you’re just going to get a commonly seen plot/event/etc. the writing population has already read and thus the writing population will criticize you about because they are brain-washed with stereotypes and technicalities.
Unoriginal plot/writing is okay.
I don’t see how it couldn’t be okay. When you write fiction, you are trying to please yourself and the people of the world. You’re trying to weave something that brings out the emotions and thoughts of the human race. You’re not trying to create something highly technical and highly rule-struck to the point of being a make-believe essay. If you are, I pity you.
On another point, make-believe essays are very boring – at least, from the opinions of my friends, family, colleagues, and even me. How do you plan on publishing anything if it doesn’t interest anybody? How do you plan on achieving that ‘something that brings out the emotions and thoughts of the human race’ when it doesn’t even make the reader wonder, “What’s going to happen next?”
Cliches and the Newbie Writer Factor
I find this point the most irritating of all: newbie writers, sometimes learning to spell or construct a story properly, get criticized for a flat-out dumb reason. (This does not apply to newbie writers who insult you or flame you for giving editing tips.) In the cases of the experienced writers telling the newbie writers off or using the newbie writers as bad examples, I’d like to imagine a senior stuffing a freshman into a locker. Editing tips – even major, three-page long critique – is perfectly fine: by all means, go ahead and give it to them, but there should be no reason to use first-time writings or poetry as bad examples, claiming they're stupid pieces that deserve to be insulted. Yes, this also concerns stories on fanfiction.net. Just because someone still hasn’t found a decent writing structure yet doesn’t mean they’re retarded. They’re learning.
But before I steer off of the road, however, I’ll get back on topic with my whole unoriginality belief. Cliches and newbie writers do not deserve insult. They may not even connect. To prove this point, I have seen the most simply-constructed writings flourish with interesting and insightful qualities, even if they do have clichés or commonly sense plotlines. Hell, the writing may not even have a cliché, and people may be stereotyping and pulling a cliché from it.
On the note of fanfictions: they aren’t so ungrateful and useless as you may believe. Sure, they may be based upon a media type, but what does this mean? Because a story is a continuation of an Inuyasha episode, does that make it horrible as long as you enjoy it and it’s written from the heart?
What Does Make Something Futile to Read/Acknowledge?
The following:
-stories with pointless and unorganized sex
-stories with pointless and unorganized language/violence
-stories with plagiarism
-stories that aren’t really stories, just blurbs of letters and numbers
-stories that are used as chatting areas
-stories that are illustrations…aren’t those called comics? <__<
Really, anything that’s not a story or is just five-pages of PG-13/NC-17 material that has no standpoint, setting, plotline, or organization. These types of ‘writings’ are just poor imitations of actual writing, and I like to call them Writing Implants. Some believe stories with role-play (stories with viewer-made applications for characters to be included), play format, or ‘hentai’ type material should be included on this list, but, in my belief, such material may be an enjoyable, actual story if executed properly.
I also think ‘make-believe essays’ are futile to read due to lack of intriguing storyline, but they can and should be acknowledged as writings: they succeed being made via a utensil and have setting, characters, and plot, and while they lack a large amount of imagination, it’s still there in tiny quantities.
When Replying to My Rant
I’m not going to be a mod, so I’ll try to keep this vague and directed around ‘common logic’.
You may, of course, discuss, disapprove, approve, and/or talk about all manner of the beliefs expressed in my post. You have the freedom to. However, please do not flame me. In precise terms, please do not insult me. I have worked very hard on this post, and so it would only be fair that you restrain from calling me names directly, especially without explaining it. You may call my beliefs names accompanied by reason, but please not me. If you do, I can only resort to ignoring your post – and your opinion – entirely.
I assume you have read through my rant with an open mind, whether you agree or disagree with my beliefs.
Some Tiny Points
Thank you for reading through this post. I applaud you, because, copied and pasted onto MS Word, this rant takes up four pages. You deserve a gingersnap. =)
Please do not PM me about this post – I’ve already gotten one, sadly. I’d like to keep this discussion onto the thread.
If I have somehow piled you with rules concerning replying/reading this thread, I have done it so discussing does not go awry. I’d hate to have a terrible argument on here.
Excuse any happy, cheesy-go-luckiness I may have overly expressed onto this thread. I have typed this post from my heart and my sole opinions, so many thoughts/views may have been expressed dramatically. Go figure: I’m a woman. ;3
Thank you again for taking the time to view this. I appreciate any responses, views, etc. Honest to bits.
Perhaps for the last week (maybe?) I’ve been searching through the various threads, clicking one when it seems interesting or discusses an attention-grabbing value of writing. Most of the time I’ve viewed posts that are helpful, informative, and innovative. Every now and then, however, some of the ideals people will type just seem so wrong to me concerning fiction writing.
This will come as a shock to most of you, I’m sure: not at what some of these people will say, but at my sole beliefs. “It’s just writing using common sense!” You’ll exclaim, as though I’m some elementary critic, but the thoughts and feelings in this post are what I solely believe. I ask of you to please listen to what I’m typing now as open-mindedly as possible. I don’t mind any discussion or disagreement with my views, but I just wish for an introspective attitude – for a moment, even.
I have only been writing for six years. Compared to others, this is a small, insignificant amount of time. I love writing. I have cherished it throughout my life and enjoy it with every waking moment. Even just silly writings that I know are ridiculous inspire and captivate me more. The point is: I find writing a whole life of its own. Sometimes I will take it eagerly, seriously, strongly, but, no matter what, I find entertainment in just constructing stories on my laptop or scribbling sentences down on paper.
Every now and then I do need help, as most writers do. We aren’t invincible, after all. I meander over to the Gaia Writing boards, often taking a look at other’s writings or just getting a new perspective on things in general. It’s a break from my own writing, you know.
Most of the time I applaud every person here, taking their time to learn and create masterpieces that further the human knowledge and morals. There are other instances, however, when some of the threads on here actually pain me a little.
What threads would those be? Spam? Inappropriate content? Misplaced conversation that goes in another board?
Questions of originality, cliché concepts, etc.
I detest those threads for several reasons of my own. Perhaps those reasons are wrong in the eyes of professional writers and artists, but, as I shall state once more, they honestly reside in my heart. After a while, I chose to ignore them, and maybe I still do…and yet I wondered enough about expressing my beliefs and reasoning to type this dilly-dally up. It’s taken me about three days.
In my true opinion, writing does not have a ‘how’ except for two points: a) write something down that contains setting, characters, and plot and b) use your imagination. These simple – and a little cheesy, I admit - requirements are the steps to basic writing. Writing does not have to be an instructional manual. It’s something that derives from your soul and has different moods, effort, and feeling. People will write to get away from everyday life, and people will write to get published. Many people will write each sentence very seriously with the strict goal of getting published. I understand this. I respect this. However, from my standpoint, there’s no excuse to be telling or believing that writing cannot have unoriginal or cliché concepts.
I have told many people who use this board as a sanctuary my beliefs and they claim I’m overreacting. Am I? There are these types of threads/posts/even mental images all over the boards, saying that writing has to have a set of constant rules, like physical law. “Using these events/sayings/etc. in your story is stupid because they’ve been used too many times,” They assert, which I think is stupid in itself.
Writing is a piece of literature that derives from you and is given to others. So if you write a two-hundred page novel that is praised by everyone who has read it because it gives them something to think or consider or to even look at a different portion of life from, should it be trashed because the main plotline has a completely unrealistic, childish quest for the “Necklace of Life”?
Thinking long-term, should your entire writing style and creativity be altered completely for the sake of not sounding too ‘cliché’ or ‘imitative’? Should you be criticized and told to edit five areas of your writing because it’s ‘seen too much’?
There are two paths for these questions. One: the changes are actually making small improvements that make your writing better. Two: the changes are distracting from your piece entirely and/or causing you to have a Creativity Block, because some people know that if you write from your soul, you’re just going to get a commonly seen plot/event/etc. the writing population has already read and thus the writing population will criticize you about because they are brain-washed with stereotypes and technicalities.
Unoriginal plot/writing is okay.
I don’t see how it couldn’t be okay. When you write fiction, you are trying to please yourself and the people of the world. You’re trying to weave something that brings out the emotions and thoughts of the human race. You’re not trying to create something highly technical and highly rule-struck to the point of being a make-believe essay. If you are, I pity you.
On another point, make-believe essays are very boring – at least, from the opinions of my friends, family, colleagues, and even me. How do you plan on publishing anything if it doesn’t interest anybody? How do you plan on achieving that ‘something that brings out the emotions and thoughts of the human race’ when it doesn’t even make the reader wonder, “What’s going to happen next?”
Cliches and the Newbie Writer Factor
I find this point the most irritating of all: newbie writers, sometimes learning to spell or construct a story properly, get criticized for a flat-out dumb reason. (This does not apply to newbie writers who insult you or flame you for giving editing tips.) In the cases of the experienced writers telling the newbie writers off or using the newbie writers as bad examples, I’d like to imagine a senior stuffing a freshman into a locker. Editing tips – even major, three-page long critique – is perfectly fine: by all means, go ahead and give it to them, but there should be no reason to use first-time writings or poetry as bad examples, claiming they're stupid pieces that deserve to be insulted. Yes, this also concerns stories on fanfiction.net. Just because someone still hasn’t found a decent writing structure yet doesn’t mean they’re retarded. They’re learning.
But before I steer off of the road, however, I’ll get back on topic with my whole unoriginality belief. Cliches and newbie writers do not deserve insult. They may not even connect. To prove this point, I have seen the most simply-constructed writings flourish with interesting and insightful qualities, even if they do have clichés or commonly sense plotlines. Hell, the writing may not even have a cliché, and people may be stereotyping and pulling a cliché from it.
On the note of fanfictions: they aren’t so ungrateful and useless as you may believe. Sure, they may be based upon a media type, but what does this mean? Because a story is a continuation of an Inuyasha episode, does that make it horrible as long as you enjoy it and it’s written from the heart?
What Does Make Something Futile to Read/Acknowledge?
The following:
-stories with pointless and unorganized sex
-stories with pointless and unorganized language/violence
-stories with plagiarism
-stories that aren’t really stories, just blurbs of letters and numbers
-stories that are used as chatting areas
-stories that are illustrations…aren’t those called comics? <__<
Really, anything that’s not a story or is just five-pages of PG-13/NC-17 material that has no standpoint, setting, plotline, or organization. These types of ‘writings’ are just poor imitations of actual writing, and I like to call them Writing Implants. Some believe stories with role-play (stories with viewer-made applications for characters to be included), play format, or ‘hentai’ type material should be included on this list, but, in my belief, such material may be an enjoyable, actual story if executed properly.
I also think ‘make-believe essays’ are futile to read due to lack of intriguing storyline, but they can and should be acknowledged as writings: they succeed being made via a utensil and have setting, characters, and plot, and while they lack a large amount of imagination, it’s still there in tiny quantities.
When Replying to My Rant
I’m not going to be a mod, so I’ll try to keep this vague and directed around ‘common logic’.
You may, of course, discuss, disapprove, approve, and/or talk about all manner of the beliefs expressed in my post. You have the freedom to. However, please do not flame me. In precise terms, please do not insult me. I have worked very hard on this post, and so it would only be fair that you restrain from calling me names directly, especially without explaining it. You may call my beliefs names accompanied by reason, but please not me. If you do, I can only resort to ignoring your post – and your opinion – entirely.
I assume you have read through my rant with an open mind, whether you agree or disagree with my beliefs.
Some Tiny Points
Thank you for reading through this post. I applaud you, because, copied and pasted onto MS Word, this rant takes up four pages. You deserve a gingersnap. =)
Please do not PM me about this post – I’ve already gotten one, sadly. I’d like to keep this discussion onto the thread.
If I have somehow piled you with rules concerning replying/reading this thread, I have done it so discussing does not go awry. I’d hate to have a terrible argument on here.
Excuse any happy, cheesy-go-luckiness I may have overly expressed onto this thread. I have typed this post from my heart and my sole opinions, so many thoughts/views may have been expressed dramatically. Go figure: I’m a woman. ;3
Thank you again for taking the time to view this. I appreciate any responses, views, etc. Honest to bits.
