Sometimes, as a writer, it's good to look back on where you've come from. To remind yourself both where you began, and the mistakes you made along the way, so you'll remember to treat other writers with respect and dignity... and also so you can look back at all the people who didn't believe in you along the way and really revel in that nasty little sense of accomplishing something everyone said you could never do.
So let's take a look at some of things people who never believed in me said. And some of my responses, because I'm just that kind of guy.
> "You're a failure who will never amount to anything."
Actually my net cost to maintain even as a slave was a hundred and fifteen bits annually. So there.
> "I hate your writing."
I hate my writing too. Let's be friends~
(Sidenote: using a tilde in any textual response makes you 10% more of an asshole)
> "u r the wrost writer i have ever seen u suk"
Have you looked in the mirror lately? If not, I wouldn't recommend it. You may be forced to face certain facts about yourself you might not want to.
> "This poem was devoid of real feeling and content and instead followed an overly-cliche rhetorical analysis trope that failed to coexist with the symbolism inferred."
I can use big words too, you fallacious, pedantic ninnyhammer. Or I can say 'u r 2 dum to get it.' The latter will probably make you more frustrated so let's go with that.
> "you probably live in your mother's basement with your boyfriend"
My mother would never have allowed me to have a boyfriend in her basement.
(Sidenote: ambiguity is your friend. It frustrates people even more and often causes them to try dumb follow-ups that you can wholeheartedly abuse)
> "so you live in his mother's basement"
No, I live in your mother's basement. Because I'm doing her. Every single night.
> "You're a reject. You'll never amount to anything. Just stop writing and give up forever. No one changes, so go back to where you came from."
If no one changes, then you're always going to be stupid and ugly and a coward hiding at a distance behind a thin veil of letters, and me? I'm always going to be that guy in the corner, trying to write. By your own logic, I can't stop writing. And by your own logic, you can't stop being an asshole. I think I'd rather be a writer than an asshole.
> "this was great :D"
YOU LIAR. YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW.
> "Don't quit your day job."
This is my day job, so I'll take that as a compliment. Glad you so clearly approve!
(Sidenote: exclamation marks also can make you a jerk)
> "If you ever get so much as a nod from a real publisher, I'll eat my horseshoes."
Don't do that. Here, I've enclosed one of mine and a signed copy of a magazine I was published in. Bon appetit.
> "you should rite happyer poems"
You should go read happyer poems.
> "i don't get it."
Read the poem, and don't try to understand it. Just close your eyes afterwards, and keep them closed until you see an image form. Then see if you get it or not.
(Sidenote: I don't believe honestly confused people should be clumped in with jerks. Try and be nice to them. Frustrating as it can be)
Getting to be a better writer doesn't mean these people are all going to go away. It also doesn't mean you sudden have a greater like-to-dislike ratio. But when you start feeling like you've come a long way, when you start looking at your work and seeing what accomplishments you've managed... don't be afraid to go back, and look at what people used to say. Likewise, don't be afraid to look at what people are saying now.
Something important to remember is that someone who doesn't like your work isn't automatically your enemy. You're not going to please anyone. The people you should work to ignore, to overpower, are the people who are purely destructive: these are the people you can gain a victory over. And it's not by being a smartass like me, but by refusing to become destructive yourself: by continuing to create instead of letting them drag you down to the point where you give up, and just go out there, picking on other 'not as good' writers and trying to destroy them, too.
I believe everyone is capable of good writing, given time and patience... and a little help along the way. Remember what you overcome to get here. And if you had it, remember the help that other people gave you, and to thank them every now and then. I know I wouldn't be half the writer I am without my soulmate by my side.
~Scrivener Blooms
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