Without Words

It’s not usual that a writer is without words, but that’s how I feel today. I don’t know why I feel that way. Perhaps I need caffeine, or fresh air, or both. Or I might simply be too tired, and need a fountain pen instead of a keyboard. A change of medium often helps writing. I need something old fashioned today.

This morning, I received a message about a flame (a bad comment about someone’s fanfiction) and when I checked, I found it was the infamous Flame Rising. The thing is, I came across two of his flames today, and they were both exactly the same. That disappointed me somewhat. After hearing all these things about him, his flames were not humourous, original, or at all skilled. I didn’t laugh at his flames the way I’ve laughed at some other flames. Well, I did grimace at his flame(s). 

I myself don’t flame — I write harsh constructive criticism. That’s different. And each one is different. That might mean I won’t get around to doing as many people, but I like to think that I can offer them suggestions and give them something to think about. Mostly I pick on grammar and spelling and the like.

And the truth is, writing is a tough job. I once had my writing ripped to pieces –figuratively– by my English teacher in front of the whole class. It wasn’t pleasant, but it taught me something, although in general, it was more an attitude thing than a technical thing. I still write in the condemned genre (epic historical fantasy) but I’ve learned to accept criticism and think about it. That’s very important for a writer because like the way a parent sees their children, a writer’s work will always be good and dear to them, no matter how bad it is. Being criticized like that allowed me to see my work from someone else’s point of view, and therefore I can improve — well, I hope I have improved over the years. My writing certainly sounds different from what it was two years ago.