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Siya's avatar

It is a difficult one to opine on given I am a new / wannabe writer. I have bought a couple of books on writing, e.g. by Steven King and Natalie Goldberg. I plan on taking a creative writing course but deciding on the best option for me given full time employment. I have done a few Domestika courses which have helped a little. I am not sure what a seat at the head table would look like. The relatively young writers I have met on here - and this is the only community of writers I have at the moment, it needs to be pointed out - all strike me as rather humble and unsure in their abilities, never boastful. That includes myself, I would like to think. For me, and this may be a simplified view of the world, the newbies, who think are good but are not, will learn the hard way; trying to take someone else's seat will not be relevant for long, if they truly are that unskilled and self - assured for no reason. Having said that, is 'good' not rather subjective? One man's trash is another man's treasure, however the saying goes. I can think of a few successful, celebrated authors whose work I dislike (to put it very politely) but many others enjoy their craft. Is having a unique voice, which is something highlighted time and time again, the same as being 'good'? How do we measure 'good'? Whose view of 'good' gets to impact who sits at the table? I have no idea...

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ben woestenburg's avatar

The first thing about writing, is reading. I've read a lot of "shit writing", and I've read writing that has brought me to tears just for the sheer beauty of it. If you write something and it doesn't "speak" to you, you have to revise it, and then revise it again. I think some people write a piece and think that's it, that's as good as it's going to get, and then they self publish it--just because they can. And when no one reads it, they tell themselves it's because they don't "get" it. Maybe they don't get it because they don't like it? Maybe they don't like it because of the obvious grammatical errors? Writing is about using your senses as well--you have to feel the cold of the rain, because it's not just rain; it's about hearing the thunder rattle the windows of the small hillside cabin; it's when you taste the love that went into the food because it's more than just potatoes and gravy; you see the sunset as more than just colours, but colours on an artist's palette. Writing is about reaching into your soul, and touching someone's heart.

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