Queue on 4/11/2010 at 13:09
Quote Posted by Stitch
How does a NaNoWriMo self-fashioned "good" writer affect you or your creative output in the least?
It doesn't, and I never said it affected me. I like to take my time writing. It's what works for me. Sometimes, I'll write a story and sit on it for years, letting it mature in the back of my mind, before looking at it again--only this time with a fresh perspective and a more critical eye that helps me see my mistakes or where I can do better. Because of this, there's a whole cabinet full of stuff that my wife will have a field day with when I kick off, or when I've finally had enough and pull the trigger, praying I don't hear the click.
But, for new writers, human nature dictates that if one suddenly has a novel in his hands then that novel needs to be wrapped up and sent off to a publisher (usually unsolicited) for validation, instead of looking at it again with a critical eye; and the potential deluge of material from contests such as this does nothing more than reduce the reading time for an editor (which has already been reduced from the old industry standard of three chapters to maybe a page, but most likely a paragraph or two), who himself makes little money and just wants to cut through the pile as fast as possible so he can go home. In the process, good books do get lost in the mix.
Still, I agree it's a good thing to get people writing, and these contests help. Good books and good writers could be found among the mix. I'm just saying that there exists the potential of creating a bad situation for the industry as a whole if many of these people don't critique themselves, and the floodgates of manuscripts open.
And don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no delusions that I'm a "good" writer, or that my stories are worth a damn. I write what I like, and mostly to amuse myself. My stories all involve someone getting pooped on, both literally and figuratively. I call it fecaliction.
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As for popular fiction, I personally have nothing against it and the writers who cater to that market. The market exists, why not profit off it. One man's idea of shit is another man's escape from the tedium of the real world. It'd be nice if more publishers were willing to take a chance on something literary than something that's a sure-fire-money-maker. But, literary doesn't sell. It's just the world we live in.
