2001-07-02 - 1:44 p.m.
On Self-Criticism and Writer's Energy

When, exactly, is the art of self-criticism learned? I was toiling away crossreferencing some financial files for the office today, bored to tears, and started rattling away with the inner monologue to keep myself from going nuts. I thought about my various stories on the back burner, the things I'd rather be doing with my day than working, etcetera, etcetera. Suddenly, I found myself thinking, "Well, Illegitimi Non Carborundum, as they say".

I blinked, then backtracked my thoughts. To my surprise, I discovered I had been criticizing myself about some of the things I do or would like to do, making the "bastards" in the above pseudo-Latin phrase, ME. When did this happen? When did I learn to imagine others' criticism out of whole cloth on ANY subject? Good grief. Chalk another "Attitude Change Needed" point up on my mental To Do List.

Speaking of writing, I came across something on (of all things) an EverQuest site today that reminded me why I aspire to be a novelist, and why others' dismissal of the idea always rankles.

From a Q&A with R.A. Salvatore at Allakhazam:

Q: I know I can’t be the only one who thought of how cool it would be to put his love of fantasy and science fiction on paper and write a novel (not like that will ever happen). Do you have any tips for the aspiring young writers out there?

A: Aspiring writers? Yeah, simple: if you can quit, then quit. If you can't quit, then you're a writer. It's that simple to me. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd still be writing as much as, maybe more than, I am now, though I probably wouldn't be publishing anything. For a writer, writing is not a choice. You don't write, you're not happy. Period. Anyone who tries to get into this business thinking it's a shortcut to fame and fortune will be sorely disappointed.

As for those who really are writers at heart, find your style and stick with it. Take criticism with a grain of salt and stay true to your inner voice. When I started out, I got grief from an editor because I change point of view so often in the books. I explained that I did that because most of my audience, unlike the readers of the day when rules about such things as point of view were written, grew up with television, which is truly about point of view shifts. It was a battle that I won. I got a luagh a year or so ago when Wizards of the Coast published their writing guidelines, including suggestions about point of view shifts. I guess my instincts worked on that point, because I'll take credit for their change of heart.

I can't quit. (Why do you think I came back to Diaryland?) I must get some sort of writing into my day, or I feel stifled! The problem is, on many days I use all my energy up here and don't manage to get anything else written. *grin*