So from time to time every writer runs across something in our world where we have to make a decision that we know involves doing something “questionable,” to either further our work or our careers. These choices range from trashing another writer’s work to taking shortcuts that border on plagiarism. A lot of these shortcuts that we know are “cheap” may, on the surface, appear like the fastest shortcut to a great future.
Are they?
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Writers are often naturally curious and flexible, able write about doughnuts in one article and cloud computing in the next. Because of our insatiable need to continue learning on a mosaic of topics, we sometimes fall into one industry or another, because we love it just “that” much. Couple that with our recurring “oh-crap-I-still-need-to-live-in-the-real-world” realization, and we often gravitate toward industries that change frequently or hold some sort of personal interest to us.
The phrase “jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none” often applies to writers for that reason, but it doesn’t accurately describe the emotional side or the attraction we have to certain industries. For example, I had a great experience working for an internet company, so I’m making it a goal to keep up on top of trends in “search” because it’s fascinating to me and practical. It’s what we “do” every day and what every writer should pay some small bit of attention to because it affects everything from blogging, finding source material, shopping for holiday gifts online, etc. Additionally, I make it a point to keep up with entertainment industry trends–to see where the market is shifting and changing–for my fiction and project management work. Science fiction may not be that popular now, but it will probably be again. Trend watching is something all writers do naturally, in order to write both topical and factual articles that readers will want to read. In my opinion, there are two dangers to getting sucked into the trends, however, that affect our critical thinking and our ability to write to the broadest audience possible.
Simply, the “fan” trap is what happens when a writer loves an industry so much, that they lose focus.
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Since Fridays usually end up being movie night in our neck of the woods, I thought I’d focus on the pros and cons of writing movie reviews and how–especially if you’ve never written one–they can help your writing.
When you sit down and write any sort of a review–be it a movie, book or even a website review–it helps take you outside of your normal element to just “observe” the good, bad and the ugly in a product. Thinking critically, as every writer knows, is something that doesn’t always come naturally to us. If you write creatively and for businesses, sometimes different brain cells feel like they’re kicking in to give you a shift in perspective. With reviews, you can do a little bit of both.
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So here I am again, in the valley of a long series of peaks and valleys. Like most writers, I do not live a linear life. Linear — that mathematical “straight” line summed up by a series of experiences that happen at specific milestones. Grade school, high school, college. College sweetheart. Internship. Job. Marriage. 2.5 kids and a dog. First house. First divorce. Second job. And so on.
If you’re a writer or any other creative, chances are you do not live in a world made up of straight lines and right angles. We do things that don’t make sense to most people. We live in a world made up of daydreams and the occasional pot o’ gold because that is who we are and we’re usually fine with it — until something bad happens that reminds us that we still have to live in the so-called real world.
What is real? Is it living up to someone else’s expectations or your own? Do we have to put blinders on and move forward no matter what? Sure, there’s this little thing called “money” that we all have to deal with — I’ll never go back to eating mac ‘n’ cheese — but money is a flow. It’s a kind of a “chi” that we can get anywhere, but we have to block out the voices to focus on it, which can be hard when all you want to do is lock yourself in a room and hibernate through the winter with a tall glass of Guinness.
I remember the first time I talked to writer C.J. Henderson, who you may remember wrote Baby’s First Mythos. CJ is a personable fellow, but a very realistic writer who has lived several lifetimes like many of the rest of us.
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