Letter to the Editor

[morrigirl]

Dear me,

It bothers me to see that no one has deemed any of my recent entries worthy of comment. As pathetic as it may be to admit, I measure the worth of my entries by how many people comment on them. Yes, I know it's wrong, it's stupid. I've gotten to the point where I don't enjoy writing for the sake of it. I write in order to be read. If people aren't reading, I see no point in writing, and the only way I know people are reading is if they comment.

Writing is not the joy it once was. I thought studying writing at the college level would make me a better writer, and it did. However, it also stole every last ounce of magic from the process. Now I view writing as a task, a specific job that should only be undertaken if one is familiar with the rules. Write more than one draft, nothing is ever perfect the moment it comes out. Labor over word choice. Cut all unecessary text. And for the love of God have at least a basic understanding of spelling and grammar. Obey the rules, only good writing is worth reading, and writing that does not obey the rules is not good.

I can't write for myself anymore mainly because I feel no need to write. I used to live on words. I'd run home from school everyday and write for hours. I'd work on stories, novels, novellas, poems, you name it. Not because there was anyone I wanted to read it, but because I had all these stories inside that I had to get out. Because the act of putting words on paper made me happy. These days, I don't see any point in writing. I know there isn't a literary magazine on the planet that will accept my work, my profs spent five years making that very clear to me. Not to metion the fact that my work is sophmoric and self-absorbed. All I do is write about myself, forgetting that no one really gives a shit about what happens to me. I'm just a girl, like any other girl, and that hardly makes the stories I tell worth reading. So if no one will read, if no one wants the stories, why write? Why exert the effort if there will be no pay off? Those are my thoughts on the subject.

I don't see the point in doing things for the sake of them any more. That must sound horribly jaded coming from me. I used to love doing things for their own sake. Why else should we live? We do life for the hell of it, knowing full well there's no ultimate pay off. But...these days life is the only thing I can motivate myself to do for its own sake. Writing? Feh.

PS It should be noted that I went back and revised this entry. I hate how indoctrinated I am.

Comments

(insert comment here)

[hurtstoheal.livejournal.com]

I read and thus I'm commenting :) I don't comment much in general, usually for the stupid reason of I'm not used to voicing my opinions or thoughts on anything so don't feel bad about measuring the worth of your entries by its' comments. Right. Anyways, please do continue writing in your lj. I enjoy reading your entries.

...
Of course your journal is in read-only right now. To copy paste!

[skoriaan.livejournal.com]

I usually don't comment on your entries, because I prefer to talk to you about them in person(over IM). Also, I don't always feel...as if I have the nessassary knowledge to comment properly or fully on what you have writen.

M.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_unforgiven/]

You're a great writer! I always go back and re-edit my entries....many of my entries have 5 revisions. I find it hard to write too...my head is full of empty.

[kdc4evr.livejournal.com]

dont they say you have to learn the rules before you can break them? or something like that? i dont know

I havent written anything creative since graduation either, save for a bit of emotionally inspired poetry back in Sept. 2002. Other than that, total drought. I can't even bring myself to start something because I constantly question the first line.
I've NEVER been big on revising though, unless it's for grammar/spelling

taut-o-logical

[gender-euphoric.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I don't comment more. I'm having some LJ reticence currently; like I guess I don't think I have anything witty or interesting to say so I don't. This probably is going to sound horribly trite but seeing your entries pop up on my friends page seriously makes me smile, even if I'm not in a smiley mood.
---
Now that (practically) have my grand English literature degree I just can't read much anymore.

[kily.livejournal.com]

I like to comment on longer entries...
Plus, I haven't been around for a while.

If you write, (stories, not entries) I promise I want to read them.

[morrigirl.livejournal.com]

KILY!!!! Oh my goodness! I thought you were gone from LJ for good!!! Where on earth have you been?

Yikes

[prettypurplebrd.livejournal.com]

Sounds to me like you're in need of a shoulder. Wish I could give ya one. Note that I too revise my entries...sometimes I even forget whole words. I'd really like to say that writing is as theraputic as its always been, but that's not the case...and Knox did a good job of telling me I was "no good at it" too, but that hasn't really stopped me. Granted, unlike you I never intended to share mine. Dah! But you are good! You are! I know how you feel, believe it or not...every once in a while (heh, more often than not,) I get the urge to rant cause nobody comments...but I think, (In my humble opinion,) that the reason for the lack of response is not because anyone finds you boring or not worth their time, but because everyone is busy with their own lives. Take that for whatever. *shrugs* my silly two cents.

~Ariel

it is heather

[(Anonymous)]

I like to read your work. It is hard though, I understand, getting the joy of writing back. I read these two good books, one called the artists way by julia cameron and the other was better by natalie goldman, I enjoyed writing with them. I would like to do a writing challenge with you like we used to do with gayle---let's talk about it when I am back in the states, in about a week. I expect a lovely italian girl to call me, this little hoosier girl. Did I tell you that i found your name in bs as, a c criscuolo owns a jewelry store in the la boca, I took a picture to show you.

take care
and I luv u a lot ms cariño earth
luv the flor of heathbar air