"I Cry With My Characters" and Other Shit Writers Say

First off, I don't want people to think I'm out to bash other writers and I intend to keep these examples anonymous. I'm in a number of writing groups across social media, so I get to hear some real gems, most of them starting with 'is it just me or--'?  Stop that right now.  It's never just you, snowflake, grasshopper, natural woman.

Let's start with the post heading!  Whee!  I get this one a lot-- "I'm just bawling over here, playing this song over and over on loop...  I'm crying with my character...  My poor readers and character, what have I done?' which is verbatim of no one, no worries, but the collective idea in a nutshell.  It's not uncommon that I get a little teary-eyed or come up on some nail-biting action, etc. but there are undertones of this being essential to the process.  It's isn't.  In fact, it often feels sloppy and I know for a fact I'm going to have my hands full editing that blubbering mess.  Emotions are always essential in creative work, but I'm not willing to buy into it being the only way to write.  I am often without general empathy, only capable of showing concern for people I am personally close to.  However, I firmly believe that ALL writers, with limited empathy or not, DO create a bond with their characters, even going so far as to living in that body when they do.  When my mother passed, I often had no tears to cry and uncontrollable weeping was less a release than quiet contemplative pain.  I'm not saying that my way is the correct way, but it did make me ridiculously curious.

Writers out there, do you feel like you have to emote to write an emotional scene? Do you find that it's a bigger mess to clean up when you do?  Can you write the rawness better in retrospect?

"I'm writing this scene for my story-- even though it's crazily exact on Google, tell me the procedure you would take without having an opinion."  Is it just me or does this end up with a lot of 'you're so detailed' and parroting the exact same Wiki entries with no actual creative elaboration or collaboration. I'll admit, we writers can be an egotistical lot, but the humble brags and roundabouts are really transparent. I like the outright honesty of "I'm really excited I'm writing out this scene like this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did."  Otherwise, it feels like clickbait. She put WHAT in her throat and you'll never guess what came back out!? Naaaaahhhhh...

I l-l-l-love encouraging writers, but if you humble yourself or at least be honest, I will be the first to put you on a pedestal for your courage. I once told a co-worker to ease up on patting himself on the back. He asked me who would do it if he didn't. Someone with better reach. And they don't need a mirror to see it at that. Yes, it can take every ounce of your drive to exude confidence, but false confidence is often seen as bravado rather than a sincere faith in oneself. 

These are often flaws I see in younger, less-experienced writers, the ones that still think success is all about numbers.  In the beginning that was my terror too.  I read a lot of articles about the ups and downs of creative careers and at the end of the day, isolation can either lead to desperation or the more difficult search for meaningful connections.  I like to find the mouse, the one that barely speaks up and admits to beating a personal best.  That's the person I want to motivate, the person I want to motivate me. Sometimes I feel like the lion, sometimes the mouse, but when I see someone who is in it for the long haul, they often squeak but never give up. 

Believe it or not, my big fish author friends are often mice.  They have their proud lion moments, but they bury themselves in their craft and speak directly.  They are curious about the things you can't find on a search engine, curious about who you are and what you gained from what they share.  There are meaningful ways to engage other writers that don't involve pandering or self-congratulations.  Have faith, have patience, and prepare to do it without guarantees.

DOUBLE POST TIME!

UNOFFICIAL POST HEADER NOW COMMENCING

"But You Do It For Love, Right?"

Yeah, I could have started a new post, but I'm way too tired tonight to be linking two posts on different topics, so I'll spare my friends the share spamming.  This is my way of getting blog-tired. If you don't get my bad puns, I can't help you...

You're going to see 50 bazillion posts about this because people still don't get it. Artists hear the dumbest things about one of the most challenging fields to get into-- 'creative'.

There are a handful of people who get into steady jobs in this field-- people who freelance graphic design when they would rather illustrate, actors working as baristas in between those rare auditions-- you probably know the trope from entertainment.

What people don't often do is take the struggle of the passionate risk-takers seriously.  There isn't a single creative job that isn't highly competitive.  Even those steady jobs are sheer luck to get into because you're at the whim of someone not just looking at your technical prowess, but their finicky tastes that you will never have any prior knowledge of.  Even they can often like something that doesn't fit their usual repertoire.  They'll 'know it when they see it' is the frightening, fascinating truth of creative jobs.

They are not guaranteed.  On the off-chance that you do find 'permanent' work, art companies are often always one shitty client away from bankruptcy, one marketing mistake away from debt. And if you're the passionate risk-taker? The term 'starving artist' can very likely define your entire career someday when you never landed a break.

People do not have to pay you just because you put in your time. This is the really big one that people tend to gloss over.  Artists often have to either risk paying a premium for only enough to do a job or risk paying a pretty penny wholesale for materials they may not get a return on.  The 9-5'ers get a pass on this one, but it's only slightly more secure for freelancers.  Freelancers make contracts and often you only interest clients by compromising, half now, half on finished product, more pay if it exceeds x hours or x materials.  Most clients will not protect your interests.  You will sometimes have people back out, some leaving behind a mess you won't even want in your portfolio. What 'half' you are left with often covers less than minimum wage and you're out material costs if you didn't negotiate a termination clause that covers your ass.  Well, what about writers?  You may not immediately think of it, but even cheap electronics aren't that cheap.  Clients in all creative fields often expect you to have the latest software at least and you might be able to squeeze by on a $200 laptop, but you'll still need to run that $400 software that better be compatible.  If your livelihood is based on maintaining costly electronics, you can run into huge pitfalls when your unreliable clientele.  For the passionate risk-takers, if your work doesn't take off, you're racing the clock on either having a full-time back up plan or finding that shitty service job to stay afloat.

They work more hours than most of you. Yes, there are dedicated service people who pull those double and triple shifts and many people are pretty much slaves to jobs that are far more important than what you give creative fields credit for, but remember-- mental illness and stress are killers too. We aim to help you escape. Personally, I sleep, at best, 5 hours in most 24 hour periods, but I can get a full 8 when exhausted. My work days are typically 14 hours long.  When it's not typical, it can exceed that. Days off? Not usually.  I've attempted to go 24 hours without working and it drives me absolutely insane.  There is an insatiable need to stay sharp and always perfect my craft.  You will find this in any job in the world where people actually find some enjoyment despite the frustration.  You will often weigh yourself down with the passion and drive.

It's not all fun and games. And here we are: but you love what you do, right?  Most people have that for a goal, but it's not the be-all, end-all.  Our passions bite into time we could spend with friends, family and kids. Or we have to take longer releasing something that helps us provide for our loved ones.  Like any career, we can't work on love alone.  Even people with hobbies do more than just dump money into them.  That's just it-- when we do take on full-time status, it is well outside of hobby hours.  Hell, even hobbyists often afford growth through selling their work. Volunteers who don't work for money, they spend a few free hours a week on something they are passionate about, but they would never accept that as their primary job.  A writer can either spend ten years on one novel that never sees feedback until it's done or a writer can take a year off and make it perfect, growing into a prolific hit with time to grow. No, we don't just do it for the money, but no one lasts in a job where it's only for the money. In the same way, is it not ridiculous to dismiss someone who is doing it for love, to have it dismissed as not worth paying for?

There is no other business where you can consume the product and decide not to pay for it. You don't go to a fast food place, order and eat a cheeseburger (all of it) then return to the counter and say you don't want to pay for it because it doesn't taste as good as the one you had last time (you know, that time you were at a completely different restaurant).

People will often do that to creatives.  Yeah. And not just the big commercially successful ones, but the little guys.

Shame on you, whoever you are.  I hope they knock the cheeseburger out of your hand.