Saturday, August 14, 2010

#RealWriters

I don't suffer fools gladly.  Or bullies.  Or smarminess.

My favorite stories growing up were those of the underdog.  The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes and The Little Engine That Could are leaping to mind at the moment.  Both are stories of the everyman searching for a place in the world while being thwarted by jackrabbits and important engines who loved themselves very much and the rest of the world very little and given that?  Probably didn't love themselves very much in the first place. 

These stories were read to me over and over again through the years by my mother.  We didn't do the Bible so much in my house as the mythology of stories like this. My mother loved the underdog and made sure that resonated.  She intertwined her own stories of Memphis police in the 1960s.  This is maybe why I don't love cops so much.

As such, when I see my friends, my people, those I care about, getting smarmed at and summarily dismissed, disenfranchised, and otherwise made to feel worthless?  I want to go MamaBear mad on those who would perpetrate such a slight.

But that's not always the wisest thing to do.

My mother also said, "Consider the source."

As in, the people who are being bullies are probably the ones who are hurting the most.  And a Murphy's Law favorite around my house growing up was, "Never argue with an idiot, people might not know the difference."

So.  There's been a small debate in the blogo/Twittersphere about whether bloggers are #realwriters if they aren't published and that stemmed from another debate where I lean on the side of the slighted writer.  The underdog one.  The one who doesn't have a whatever figure book deal.  The one who lit my cigarette literally last weekend and figuratively last year.

What I want to say to him, and to all those who go MamaBear on his behalf (I'm right there with you btw)

1. Considering the original submitter of the idea draws probably a lot of her audience from unpublished bloggers?  Not the most strategic statement in PR history
2. Based on who the submitter of the idea originally gave her assistance to and HIS extremely whatever take on things?  I wouldn't necessarily knock on that door for help if I were you
3.  WE love you.  We can't wait for your book.  We will rally on principle to make sure you're on some super bestseller list because you would be infinitely more provocative than she ever would.

From someone who still answers the question, "What do you do?" with a slight twinge of weird when I say, "I write." because I really only just blog to a small audience...

Please keep the light on for me.
(but I do love demolition)

7 comments:

Carolyn...Online said...

Save Silver! Loved meeting you in NY and saving you from the non-terrorist. Also, totally agree with you about the drama.

EGB said...

Oh, it sets me on fire when people feel you are not accomplished if you are unpublished!

Anyone who is an artist knows they create because they don't have a choice. You write because you must. Otherwise you go crazy. We've all wished we were happy just making pot roast and running car pool - it'd be a hell of a lot easier!!

You have an audience and you make the world a bigger place for a lot of people. THAT is an achievement.

Elizabeth

Silver said...

Carolyn! Your save was brilliant. Chi O to the rescue! Loved meeting you too.

Elizabeth ~ Exactly. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Hi Silver!
It's Kelly. It was so fun hanging with you at the gala on Friday night. Thanks for the social rescue. Will keep up with you here!
We are writers. We are writers. We are writers. Hmp!

Silver said...

Kelly! Hey! Loved hanging out with you on Friday, you were a godsend. We ARE writers. dammit. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Black Hockey Jesus said...

Just catching up and you are. You are SO NICE. Or not. What do you wanna be?

~bhj

Silver said...

Ha! funny. I want to be everything.

thanks for stopping by. :)