I have been suffering lately (no excuse) as I have been totally focused on completing an academic piece of work--part of a course I have been on since October. The university course, which I have to complete as it is job-related and puts bread on the table, has taken up all my time.
I have written no prose (apart from recent 13 lines comp only) since before Christmas (possibly late November) as we had a work re-shuffle and all had apply for our jobs again (so I had to revise for the interview). Lack of writing is very frustrating as I feel I should be capitalising on my one success--write a novel or something--before going to LA.
I see other winners getting pro-pubished elsewhere and I don't really have the time to even sub. If I am not at work, I am at home either working on my coursework (previously fiction writing time) or relaxing, or I would go insane.
'Course, I have time to blame Merlion...sorry about that. Tchern left of his own accord--it was nothing to do with you--his choice. Personal responsibility.
My problem is I want to write and can't, and seeing people arguing over the basics just makes me feel more frustrated.
Thanks to snapper for backing me up...
[This message has been edited by skadder (edited March 05, 2010).]
posted
Accepted and thank you as well. I don't say this to sound martyr-like at all but I actually do have a lot of life experience with getting knocked around due to other peoples frustrations :-)
I've said it before though, I wish you would share more, skadder. I can accept and deal with almost anything when I know why, but when all I see is (at least in my perception) you (or anyone) being...unpleasant...to people that just want to express themselves, well thats one thing I have a lot of trouble dealing with.
You have my sympathy for your current suckage. Frustration makes us all do insane things, most definitely.
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Well what I mean is for instance in one of our previous discussions my use of "yadda yadda yadda" made you mad, which I don't blame you for but in that instance if you'd just said to me that that was offensive to you, I would have apologized and even edited it out, had I known. Likewise now it seems some of your...recent grumpiness...is due largely understandably to great current stresses and frustration.
What I mean is the same thing I've often told my partner...don't let things sit and stew till they explode or linger so they color and damage your approach to everything else. This is a community, and for the most part a pretty decent one, so instead of letting it make you grumpy, tell us about it. Chances are most of us have been there to some extent in some way and will be more than willing to offer sympathy, suggestions all that.
Now of course I don't know you personally and I'm not trying to overstep. But, maybe starting a thread and venting, rather than letting the frustration carry over into other topics might be something to try. Likewise, if your holding things in and need to let them out, I probably let out to much and need to learn more of how to pick what and when to release or at least perfect the techniques of doing so.
Edit: I wonder what it is about this forum that causes my typing to suck...
[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited March 05, 2010).]
One of the reasons for the Grist for the Mill area is venting (as long as it doesn't violate the registration agreement, of course). Please, help yourselves.
In answer to a couple of points: 1). I do not start threads on Hatrack for a simple reason. As I am at wearisome pains to state, I don't believe in a "one true way". I have always maintained that any and every rule can be broken, indeed arguably SHOULD be broken, but only when someone has learned why the rule exists and in what circumstances breaking it is the correct choice. I will respond where I feel I have something helpful to say but I do feel a touch of resentment at being characterised as someone who didn't have anything helpful to offer simply because I didn't start threads.
2). I can't argue with being accused of "throwing my toys out of the pram" but I can and will argue with the characterisation of the debate that Brendan offers, presenting certain parties as conciliatory. I posted my summary of events in the original thread and don't intend to expand on it.
3). I have made 32 sales, but only four of those have been at professional rates, and to date I don't even qualify for SFWA membership, so I am not the "multiple pro-seling writer" that has been stated here. All of those sales, though, are paid sales (well, they would have been if a couple of markets had actually paid me - one of which was my fault, one of which was not).
I intend to go back to broadly what I was doing before: commenting on first 13s with an editorial perspective, explaining why (in general) I would or would not read on, and concentrating, however unpleasant it may be, more on what does NOT work than what does, and chipping in on threads in this forum where I feel I have something helpful to add. And always with the perspective that I am not arguing directly with any other person I happen to contradict - I am arguing as in a debating forum, trying to persuade the audience, not my "opponent".
I'll do so until and unless I just get too tired, or find I am repeating myself over and over again. We'll see.
quote:I will respond where I feel I have something helpful to say but I do feel a touch of resentment at being characterised as someone who didn't have anything helpful to offer simply because I didn't start threads.
In all my ranting, I forgot to apologize to you. I believe I came across more accusatory than I intended. I have noticed many of your contributions in the form of critting thirteens and other valid conversation. I, above all else was trying to make a point that rather than paying heed to rabble-rousers and the conflicts they stir up, to divert our attention to the more postive approaches.
I really do apologize for my statement, I wasn't trying to characterise you as a non-beneficial member, especially simply for the fact that thread headlines do not feature your name in the author box. I was just trying to sum up the general attitude that seems to be the core of this melodrama. By making examples, I came across as pointing the finger, but I was also pointing the finger at myself, you may have noticed.Perhaps my stance wasn't the best approach I could have taken in that situation.
I am very glad that you have decided to stay. I do have the greatest respects for you as a published author and contributor to our community here, but most importantly a fellow human being.
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There is so much to be learned from the general norms and perhaps I could say the idealized "template" exemplified here at Hatrack Writers Workshop. Yet it is interesting also to see efforts to present exceptions to it or trying to subvert it, too; and, speaking for myself of course, while I might DREAM about my someday coming to a mastery of the norms/template so that I could then break its "rules" with the self-knowledge that I actually know how to apply them, I may never get there simply because I tend to experiment so much. So, I feel on a pendulum here of my wanting to learn from it while I am realistic about my tendencies to be a rebel, too. <sighs>
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