opinions
Everyone has OPINIONS. But some people’s blogs have become nothing but opinion after strident opinion on everything, ad nauseam, until you wonder about the poor people who actually have to hear them talking in person all day long. At least I can click off the page…
Your blog, you place for your opinions. I get that. Really, I do. But to have an opinion on every single thing you happen upon gets really, really, really tiring. And insulting. Almost like I’m being lectured to and there’s nothing more I dislike than being lectured to. I already have a mother for that, thank you.
I know the romance community, or any of the writing community, isn’t perfect, but I’m really tired of listening to all the backbiting going on in writers’ blogs specifically. Many people want to air all the ‘issues.’ I don’t know just how helpful that’s going to be. Because, here’s the thing…
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. And, if you have one and you feel strongly enough about it to actually voice it, I hope you throw it into the ring because you truly believe it, and not because you want to stir the pot and play devil’s advocate just for the sake of doing so. I hope you state it clearly, give examples and try not to sound arrogant as all get out about every single thing you post. I hope you don’t become the blogger who cried wolf, because then I can’t tell what’s really important to you since every single thing seems to rifle you to the point of indignation. Some of the best, thoughful posts that stir people up are ‘innocent’ ones - people who state their honest opinions in a completely non-insulting way and create a flow and exchange of ideas that actually helps something.
Anyone can create controversy and throw out an opinion they know will piss people off, but when done on a daily basis, it becomes sickening. And transparent. Do you need the stats that badly?
I don’t get it. I’m finding myself more and more, like Sylvia, sticking close to home. The people on my sidebar are the blogs I visit on a daily basis because they don’t rant every single day, because they’re thoughtful with their opinions and honest with themselves. (And yes, I have more I’m going to add, because I’ve discovered new ones that make me happy when I read them. Happy does not always equal ‘not thinking.’) I visit them because, first and foremost, they’re writers and they blog about the writing they’re doing, and I find that inspiring. That’s what I’m looking for – inspiration, craft, a few laughs, and the occasional, blow- off steam rant.
I’m all for whining too – I do plenty of that myself. And I never professed to have the answers to world peace or the writing community here - it’s not what I’m all about and never will be. And I don’t care. I’m very happy here.
So these days, I actually prefer going to blogs and reading about how many pages someone wrote or what’s going on in so and so’s family and yes, I like the publishing insights and I happen to find the ‘how I write’ posts very interesting. Because I’m a writer, first and foremost. I started my blog to talk about my writing, not to bitch and moan on other people’s parade, and not to denigrate every single thing I come across in the genre or pick it apart until it’s dead on the floor. The snaky shit’s just giving me an ulcer. You have opinions? Great – but don’t force-feed them to me every single day…tell me what YOU’RE doing to change things in your own writing life instead of insulting people and books and blah blah blah…
And then, every once in a while, your well-placed rant will actually make me smile.
April 9th, 2005 at 10:50 pm
I’m with you, Steph. I have a handful of blogs I visit daily, and when I venture into a war zone
I just kind of shake my head and wander on.
And I love the whole thing about visiting the blogs in your sidebar . . . since I’m there!
BTW, the combat smilies are too cute!
I want some.
April 9th, 2005 at 11:55 pm
I agree and I’ve made a point to tune it out. Some folks are just shit stirrers. Kacey at Wine on the Keyboard calls them crazymarkers
I’m just gonna keep my head down and write
Okay I’m sorry I have to use this one
this one looks like he’s farting
April 9th, 2005 at 11:56 pm
meant to add, I LIKE thought provoking posts but the beating of the dead horses I’ve seen lately I can definitely do without.
April 10th, 2005 at 3:42 am
I agree with your post. But I also wonder what I’m missing?
I think I must either keep to myself alot, or I’m really dense. I’m just not getting the backstabbing. Or maybe I’m part of it and I don’t even know it?
I just always try to stay positve, and if I get a bad feel, I leave. Once in a blue moon someone says somethign that gets me going, butit hasn;t happened in a while.
So, please, stay positve. And if it’s me, call me on it!:thumbsup:
April 10th, 2005 at 8:59 am
crazymakers and war zones are good ways to desribe them…
And Sasha - am LOL - you’re def. not part of the backstabbing *g* And it’s not so much the backstabbing stuff (and no - I haven’t seen a ton of it - it’s usually just a post or two that runs wild) - it’s more the constant opinionated, I’m better than you, barrage of posts, usually from an unpubbed, which always makes me scratch my head like, huh?
April 10th, 2005 at 11:26 am
‘ite now Steph, watch it with the blah blah because I blah blah a lot
In fact that’s all I really do since I don’t have a clue most of the time and blah blah equates babbling. Oops there I go again. What were we talking about now? 
April 10th, 2005 at 11:47 am
Like you, Sasha, I was wondering what the heck I’ve been missing(?), since I’ve been weaning myself off all the out-of-control bog surfing/hopping. The time-wasting factor, dead horse beatings *g*, circular/repetitive arguments, are the main reasons I decided to bow out. Plus I felt it was draining re creativity .) Now I’m pretty much back to square one and those first handfuls of blogs I stumbled upon are the ones I continue to visit faithfully, with a few new additions.
April 10th, 2005 at 12:27 pm
Hi Jaq - I just found your comment in my ‘awaiting moderation’ file in Word Press! I don’t know why it got put there *g* Hopefully now you’ll always just be approved immediately!
April 10th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
I noticed I got a blank ‘error’ message page, when I tried to post,:cry: but then I did something (or you did something. gg) and I saw my post, so didn’t think anything more of it.
April 10th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
It happened again! Got the erro message:
“There is no GD-Library-Support enabled. The Captcha-Class cannot be used!” But when I click onto the link in favourites (didn’t use the back button on toolbar) My message posted. :???: (you need a WTF smiley, like Shannon has. gg )
April 10th, 2005 at 5:21 pm
I dunno.
I find it uncomfortable to criticize a person’s revelations or opinions that they feel strongly about, but may not affect my life. For example Barbara Striesand dares to post her opinion about politics on her site. She also puts up confrontative “truth alerts” about what she feels are lies, usually concerning herself.
I’m sure she gets a lot of flak and would please more people writing about the songs she recorded, her musical process or what she sang that day.
But should she?
Some people live vanilla lives, love thier status quo, and have few opinions. Their blogs reflect that.
But some people are different.
If people become afraid to voice their opinion for fear of offending whomever or being criticized, few opinions will be voiced and it will be a more vanilla world.
Vanilla is a nice flavor, but personally, I really like to have the variety available.
April 10th, 2005 at 6:03 pm
*waves to Monica*
It’s not the different opinions/revelations that bother me at all - I’m all for people having opinions and I’m for variety, which I think is what I’m begging for. The every day barrage of everything’s wrong in every book, in the genre, in the publishing world, in my life, is a lot to take - I don’t see the variety in that and as I said above - I can’t tell where the person’s real passion lies if it’s an everyday, everything’s wrong kind of blog.
I’m a big girl and I have my own set of opinions, so if someone really wants to get their opinion through to me - I don’t really want it/need it smashed in my face in a - if you don’t believe this, you’re stupid - kind of way.
Some of my favorite bloggers are known for the controversy they create, even when I don’t agree with what they say - but it’s spaced out…does that make sense?
April 10th, 2005 at 6:15 pm
Jaq - I just found your comments awaiting moderation again…very strange…
*trots off to find Bekke*
and yes, I def. want a WTF smiley
April 10th, 2005 at 6:48 pm
I can’t get my moody plugin to work for anything, and those smileys are so cute. Shucks
There can be a certain degree of obnoxiousness
involved in expressing a strong opinion, sometimes purposely, sometimes because the person is unskilled.
I sometimes mention race on my blog (usually not consecutive posts unless my knickers are really in a wad :grr:), and it’s such an inflammatory topic that some people deem it obnoxious if EVER mentioned. The same with politics, religion or bad words.
I do get understand that feeling when sometimes you just want to get that person a martini or chocolate or something to chill ‘em out.
(Okay, I admit it, I steal smileys from people’s blogs. Is this a crime? :worried:)
April 10th, 2005 at 6:52 pm
I steal smilies all the time
Maybe we can share a cell because I’m currently stalking Shannon’s WTF smiley…
April 10th, 2005 at 7:42 pm
I was gonna steal smileys but I think I might design a new blog skin instead