My Pet Peeves

As a writer, there are several things that drive me absolutely wild! Number one: when I first tell someone that I've written and published my first novel, that person immediately chimes in with, "Oh, I write, too! And I'm thinking of writing a novel!" Upon hearing that, my first thought is: Oh, really? Have you any inkling of how HARD it is to write anything worth reading? I'm tempted to quote Dr. Ben Bova at them: "Writers don't use ink, they use their own blood."

Writing truthfully takes everything you have within you: your talent, determination, education, intelligence, heart, and guts! Everyone is NOT a writer any more than everyone is a cardiologist!

The second beef I have is with editors or others who critique books with the attitude that THEY know much better than the author how to write this particular book! I'm not criticizing editors who make the inevitable corrections in spelling or grammar---we can all use help with the minutia.; however, I object to those who think they have every right to tinker with the entire concept, the setting, the characters, even the type of language in which the writer expresses himself or herself---or God-forbid!---the genre itself!

To such individuals I say: Go write your own darn book and stop trying to make mine into something it's not!

Now I fully realize that when a new writer starts out, they often need a lot of help. Over the years I've read many good books on how to write successful science fiction, and they did help me immensely---because I took them seriously. And sometimes it can be difficult to recognize the flaws in your own work, which is why I have a reliable first reader whose opinion I value. But that does not mean that every critique is valid. I have to weigh each point and examine it for validity.

Lastly, I think I hate it most of all when someone dismisses my work, without reading it, with a phrase such as: "Oh, I don't read science fiction." As if they are above such meaningless fluff! I'm tempted to remind them that some of the greatest minds of the last century wrote science fiction; the late Dr. Isaac Asimov comes to mind---the man was an absolute genius! Unfortunately, I am not, but I love what I do, I do it well, and I do everything within my power to make my books as good as they can be. I don't think I'm wrong to expect at least some modicum of respect for my integrity as a writer.

Whatever your field of endeavor, I'm sure you have similar beefs or peeves! Please let me know,

MRTighe