Like all craftspeople, writers need to keep a bag of tricks handy. A set of tools for the job (writing), if you will. Some of these traits or tools are obvious--like the need to have a hide as thick as a brick, for instance. Some are not. This month, I've been challenged to do a post every day of the week (excluding Sunday) that begins with a letter of the alphabet. I'm going to use this challenge to examine some of those necessary writing tools, both conventional and not. Hold on to your #2 pencil, here we go!
NOTE: I've added a page dedicated to my A to Z Writer's Toolbox posts. I figured I'd soon have a bunch of these things and it'll make it easier for you to browse any of the letters you might have missed. You can find a link to the page under the, "MORE STUFF" heading at the top of the right-hand column of this page.
L is for Laser Cats (You should probably watch this to get the post.)
Ever have a BIG idea that fizzled upon execution? Who am I kidding? You're a writer, of course you have! :-) You spend hours working on a story or poem, then you spend more hours tweaking it, and then you give it to someone to read. You wait, your stomach twitching with excitement, as your reader inspects your child like some kind of evil step-parent.
"This is it," you think. This is the one that blows them away! This is the story that convinces someone other than myself that I'm fit to be called a writer. The awards will surely roll in and Stephen King will be on my doorstep ready to induct me into The League of Legendary Authors.
Then the reader puts your story down and says something along the lines of, "It was cute." Or they immediately point out the typo on page 57. Or they don't even smile when it was supposed to be a comedy. Or they tell you about how much they love this 'other' story by that 'other' writer. It happens. A lot.
I do it on this blog all of the time. (Today might be just such a day.) I get this cool concept for a post bouncing around in my mind. It's a little risky, and people might not get it. Still, I eventually grab ahold of it and type it up.
I read it back aloud. Sounds like awesome!
I hit the preview button. Looks like awesome!
I hit the publish button and wait for the first 400 comments and InterWeb infamy to pour in.
I read it back aloud. Sounds like awesome!
I hit the preview button. Looks like awesome!
I hit the publish button and wait for the first 400 comments and InterWeb infamy to pour in.
Three hours later and I've gotten one comment from a regular, one from a guy wanting to sell me Nike shoes directly from the warehouse--CHEAP!--and I've lost 4 followers. Like the guys who pitched the "Laser Cats" movie above, the reaction was not the one I was hoping for.
In my mind, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Deflating, maybe, but bad? Nope. Here's the thing, unless I explore a few things and take a few risks, I'll never figure out what I'm truly capable of. Blogging has taught me that it's OK to take a risk. Sometimes my posts go over like a lead balloon. Sometimes the ones that I'm sure no one is going to 'get' end up being the most popular. Plus, with every failed attempt I learn something new about blogging. Like how it's not always best to sacrifice clarity for sensationalism, or how it's OK to not love everything that every other blogger is doing and occasionally express that.
My 'serious' writing is the same for me. It seems like the more chances I take, the more I succeed. For every 1 "Laser Cats" (see also - really bad idea) I churn out, I produce 2 or 3 really good things.
So I'm starting to think we really need those Laser Cats. In essence, I suppose that's what drafting is all about. We flesh things out, make a few mistakes, and then hopefully build it all into something awesome. Then again, it could just end up being awful, but I think that's OK too.
So what about you? Do you ever have Laser Cat blog posts or stories? Have you ever created something that you were sure was going to be great only to have it be misunderstood or not met with the same enthusiasm with which it was created? Did it help or hurt you?
I leave you with MORE Laser Cats! (These are even funnier than the first, BTW. Did I mention there's a Christopher Walken cameo and a cute puppy?)
~EJW~
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