Below is a comment I got this morning, which actually did not make me feel stupid, but warmed my heart. It is good to see that a whole new generation of poor dumb writers has come to age as optimistically as we once did. Pig-headed and petulant and passionate, all good things for a young writer to be. I remember when I felt that way.
Here's the comment:
"This is so wrong. You must be a miserable rejected would-be writer. Because the short story's not dead at all. In fact, it's doing great! Better than ever! More fantastic art is being written now than ever before in the history of the English language! More accredited writers have access to more venues than ever before, more books and magazines and being published for stories than ever before, and we are just drowning in opportunities for conferences and parties and teaching! I can't imagine a more fantastic lifestyle, and I am living it! But don't just take my anonymous word, o would-be one. You can read about it on Galley Cat. Feel stupid yet? Well I must be off -- got class in twenty minutes. Bye bye!"
(Oh, but, here's a tip, young writer: don't believe everything you read. At Galley Cat, or elsewhere.)
12 comments:
What's Galley Cat?
Galley Cat is a place where the Sneeches with "stars upon thars" hang out...
...a place where names like Alice Munro, an exceptional talent--possibly the greatest living writing in English--are used to make statements about the averages.
...
...greatest living *writer*, said the no-talent hack.
I think it's a joke. Isn't it? It's not an enthusiastic young creative writing student but a jaded old writer with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Isn't it? Please say yes. I choose laughter over weeping.
Definitely tongue in cheek.
"I can't imagine a more fantastic lifestyle" -- the giveaway.
"and we are just drowning in opportunities for conferences and parties and teaching!"
if this isn't done in jest, the writer is seriously delusional, drunk, or both. which gives him or her the perfect temperament to be a writer.
yes, everything is superfabulous on galley cat.
I think I was just off this morning and missed that this comment was a joke. My computer screen is black today: I mean I can see the shadow of all my important documents: novel, movie script, paid work manuscripts, etc. But I can't get to them. I'm all backed up on my external hard drive and the laptop doctor is arriving tomorrow, but I am definitely unsettled by the dark screen experience. So, probably this was meant to be humorous. I just missed it. I miss my computer. Please say a prayer that it will be back tomorrow. If you believe in such things as praying, that is.
Yeah, wow, totally a funny sarcastic note, as if from someone getting an MFA: "Well I must be off-- got class in twenty minutes. Bye bye!" Plus all those exclamation points! Even youth won't win you that much enthusiasm.
Boy am I a dim wit today! Apologies to the author of this clever comment.
It's late tonite and I'm checking up on LROD now. And actually this whole discussion has got me in stitches and laughing aloud in my dark living room ... a welcome humor post after all that depressing talk last week! Except for the worry of your hard drive, WR. I think it will be okay.
The parties gives it away. What writers party?
Hi Gloria, every English teacher I know parties pretty hard. Sometimes even with the students. Hey, don't you read stories?
;)
anonymous: I knew writers drink themselves to death, but I thought they did it alone. With their manuscripts.
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