What is it about this place that makes me want to stay? I really am not sure yet. There is a masquerade ball going on, a dance of the fans. There is rudeness galore. And then, there is a flash of kindness and insight and empathy, and I say fuck! I think I can learn from these nasty little fuckers.
I don't really say "nasty little fuckers". That is my defense mechanism, kicking in, like hitting the on switch on the hairdryer. It just keeps whah whah like a newborn baby but less urgent. You know the sound.
So, even though you are as alien to me as a drawer full of razor blades, I open my heart to all of you, just for the fun of it. With regard, gsr Also know as "Smithy", which I rather like.
Haha, I think you've nailed the appeal.
Honestly? My feeling is that the people here are hard-edged, but softies inside. And finding approval here means something more because of it. When you put something up in the workshop and some of the real hardasses love it, it feels much better than hearing how great something is from someone who likes everything.
I agree that I do feel a certain triumph if I get the approval of a hardass.
In my defense: I was military for many many years, and we showed acceptance by verbally blasting each other. If someone talked to you like they were holding your hand, they didn't think much of you and felt they needed to coddle you.
So, yes, I'm abrasive, argumentative, insufferable. But I also give a shit about people, so, I try to be compassionate and mostly respectful.
I'm the sweet treat with a weird taste that you just aren't sure you like.
It is a train wreck I can't look away from.
I think someone probably once said that all writers are voyeurs. Or even worse, we create our own characters so that we can watch them (and of course play god).
I also think that, while it's important to encourage people who are just starting out, at some point early in your writing career you will produce something that is simply shit and need to be told it is. Writers need a thick skin and to develop their self-editing skills.
And they have to be crazy. Adults who sit in a room by themselves and make up stories?