Po Bronson’s good advice
Cindy on June 27th, 2008
Lately I’ve been thinking about Fame and Celebrity — how these two showoffs are misleading many new writers and muddling their aspirations. Another writing instructor told me recently that her students seem more interested in marketing and promotion than in developing their craft. Some have barely written the first chapters of their novels or memoirs — but they know what they’re going to wear on “Oprah.” Holy Toledo.
A burning desire to share your message is a noble-enough reason to become a writer. An insatiable need for attention is not. Along these lines, I stumbled on this tip from journalist and author Po Bronson:
“Don’t romanticize writing or think you’re cooler than other people. Don’t think you get special attention or have needs that are more special than anyone else’s needs. That manner of indulgent thinking inevitably leads to a bonfire, a flameout of selfishness. It borrows from the future in hopes that one can make it all pay off today. It’s unsustainable. Manage your responsibilities, take care of them, don’t borrow from the future.” Be sure to visit Po Bronson’s blog for more excellent writing advice like this. – Cindy La Ferle
June 27th, 2008 at 11:12 am
The minute I started reading this post I said to myself, “That type of writing is not sustainable.”
I’ve been thinking about these issues as I cruise around the blogosphere. There are many popular blogs that are going to go up in flames as Po has suggested. Does anyone realize that nice matters? That’s a very simplistic way to put it but the narcissism exhibited by some of these “writers” is painful to watch. The word writer is in quotes because it’s doubtful that any of these people have actually edited, rewritten or otherwise crafted a sentence. It’s what I refer to as dump and run writing. I’m sure it’s very troubling to professional writers to watch this trend emerge.
I love the portrait of Capote. A Christmas Memory is one of my all time favorites. His life was a cautionary tale on many levels with much to be said about writing ethics.
As far as being cooler than other people, there’s a young writer who gained permission from the group that maintains Hemingway’s boyhood home in Illinois. He was allowed to sit in attic and type away on his manual typewriter, as if that was some magic potion that would help him produce awesome material. What can I say?
- Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife