If you're sensible and realise that there's no one true way about any of the arts, I think copious reading can be very useful.
Probably true. But if it terrifies you (the universal you, not you specifically), that's something to confront early; publishing a novel comes with everyone criticising it. And if you're sensible about it, copious reading can be disastrous. It's one reason I read almost no fiction when I'm in mid-book; I don't want the voice changing. My editor is paying for that voice, and she loves it, and I'm-a keeping it.
Full circle, again: if Terry Pratchett took that no-adverb advice to heart, he'd have a different voice and he'd probably be selling insurance for a living.
If you're not sensible, then all the humans in the world mightn't help.
Words to live by.
And a new writing thread. Wow.
In general, in matters of evaluation, the problem is that across the board the people who are best at things do not perceive themselves as above average, while people who are the worst at things think they're very good.
(snip) So someone who gives shit advice can get away with it for a long time before someone else points out he's wrong, simply because the first someone is totally sure he's right, and the second person is cautious enough to doubt.
This should be put on a damn bronze plaque somewhere. Multiple somewheres.
There's also the fact that the shit advice might be pure gold for one out of every hundred readers, while the other 99 are being screwed by it. Again, totally subjective. Wheat, chaff, skill, needed.
Also, even brilliant writing advice is useless if you have no talent.
Also, even brilliant writing advice is useless if you have no talent.
Well, damn. There goes that.
"Long as you keep em all of balance/How can they spot you've got no talent?"
"Razzle Dazzle" Chicago
"Razzle Dazzle" Chicago
Sung brilliantly in the original Broadway cast by Jerry "Lenny Brisoce" Orbach.
No way!
Man, Uncle Lennie, was there nothing you couldn't do? Besides defeat prostate cancer, of course.
(I always thought, if L&O were more like H:LOTS, it might have been funny to have the cops close out the place with "Danny Boy" or something, all except Lennie, who claims he can't carry a tune in a bucket.)
