My writing

[Silver]

Let me set the record straight here.

As a writer, I am not attempting to create the next Great American Novel.

Neither am I attempting to become so popular every novel I write is automatically a New York Time's Bestseller.

I write because I love to write. You can hate my writing, you can like it, you can love it.

First and foremost, I write for myself. The audience is secondary to me.

That, to me, is real writing.

[J a c k]

I feel the same way about my poetry.

[c172]

I reckon most of those eventual Great American Novels were written with similar love and similar indifference to fame. If it happens, embrace it, but if not, write on.

[Brian37]

I feel the same way about my poetry.

I agree. It is a plus if people like it, but everyone is a critic no matter what. I write for myself. If I stopped after one word of criticism I would have stopped 20 years ago. It is more important to simply do it, do it long enough you will get hits but it is far more important to do it for you.

[Silver]

Thank you for the words of encouragement.

Certainly, sometimes it affects me when others negatively criticize my writing because it may be too generically modern in relation to fiction, but then again I have tried to read what they consider great literature and that crap just bores me.

[ignoramus]

Kit, only an arsehole will reply with non constructive critism, if justified.
A percentage of humans will be like that irrespective of what you write.
Ignore them...

[Silver]

I can completely understand constructive criticism.

However, I have received criticism that was not constructive whatsoever.

I can also understand if what I write is not one's cup of tea, but it does not mean that my writing is complete trash. It just means that my writing caters to a different audience than the one who trashed it.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The criticism you got in this thread was as fair as you could ask for, with a reader giving you an unvarnished opinion that was still polite and had substance.

Your reply consisted of insults.

And -- if you're writing for yourself, why show your work to anyone else in the first place? This reeks of ex post facto justification. Relax and let go, bud.

If it's truly for yourself, keep it to yourself, and if it's for an audience, kill your babies.

[carusmm]

I write only to entertain people.  If I fail, I am only entertaining myself.

[Brian37]

I can completely understand constructive criticism.

However, I have received criticism that was not constructive whatsoever.

I can also understand if what I write is not one's cup of tea, but it does not mean that my writing is complete trash.  It just means that my writing caters to a different audience than the one who trashed it.

I get tons of shit about people pointing out some poems that, even when I admit they are not my best, they pick those out as being the totality of 700 plus. Selection bias and sample rate error.

I don't have myself anything but spellcheck. But if I had the resources and could delegate an editor I would. But even then, I'd still put it all out there, minus the spelling errors. The way I write isn't to get everyone perfect all the time. Photographers can tell you, you have to take lots of photos and most end up not being that interesting, but do it enough you make a gem eventually. 

But having said that. I do hate when any celebrity, be it a business person, musician, actor, sports star says "you can do anything you set your mind to"...... BULL FUCKING SHIT........

Yes and no, but not simply put like that. Yes, you can try, that part is true....... But reality has always been with making it that far up to the top, the higher up you go, the more competition and the fewer spots. I hate it simply put like that because that sets idealistic kids to be unrealistic about the math, and in turn when most don't end up at the top which most don't they either try to cheat to get there, or get depressed and become needlessly self destructive when they don't make it. And the worst bullshit criticism is I am not even telling anyone not to try, but merely have a back up plan. I simply hate the utopia implication when simply left at "You can do anything".......

There can only be 1 president every 4 years. The Indy 500 only has 1 winner per year. The Superbowl only has 1 winner per year. Sure, lots of people make the attempt and that is ok, but the math still is not there even when everyone does their best. 

If you want to do something that is outside filling an application such as those goals, that is fine, just be realistic about it. I'd say do it for yourself first, because if you chase after fame just for that, you will make yourself miserable. But if you do it for yourself, who knows, maybe, but even if you don't end up on top, you still have a therapy and a hobby.

I really do wish anyone all the luck in the world, specially when it comes to art like music and writing and painting and poetry, all those wonderful things are needed, but it is a tough road and you should always be realistic if you chose to make that attempt.