The Importance of Being Arrogant
Nothing good comes from being humble. Not in writing. Sure, it’s socially acceptable, and even moreso for women, I suspect. There is nothing that endears us more than a self-deprecating person. But when one sets pen to paper, one must be a “little god.”*
There’s nothing I love more than strong, arrogant, cocky writing. My best work, which for some odd reason I hardly ever do, is always when I’m at my cockiest.
I’m rarely so. And when I am, I promptly school myself into humility again.
Well, bah-humbug humility. What is this watered-down crap?
Enough.
What think you?
*If you get that reference, I will think you are the coolest person on the planet.
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats and husband. She spends summers camped near her niece, because, well, her niece is her favorite girl on the planet.
I agree. If you feel like you can’t write well while you’re writing, it shows. I think. Or at least makes it hard to come up with anything you want to let anyone read. I have this problem quite often. As far as making a show of arrogance *after* the writing is done…well, too many writers seem to think that’s necessary too, but that I don’t agree with.
I agree with you completely, Eric. Arrogance after the fact is… unnecessary and unattractive. I definitely need to get more kick-ass when I sit down by myself, though!
“Mirror”
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
What ever you see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike .
I am not cruel, only truthful—
The eye of a LITTLE GOD, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
–Sylvia Plath
Any chance that’s what you were alluding to? ^w^
As for what I think…I’m not sure this applies to poetry. Cockiness can be great for a poem if you want that cockiness to show through as tone, but otherwise, poetry is more about wisdom. Hence why I’m not very good. XD
I’m taking this advice for my novel-writing, though. Although my learning today that Andrew Weaver is having his first novel published in the coming months is not exactly boosting my self-esteem, LOL. (More details about that as they come. XD)
You are officially the COOLEST PERSON ON THE PLANET! LOL! I was actually referring to one of her journals, but I like it here better.
I’m reading the Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, and OH MY GOD I WANT YOU TO READ THEM SO BADLY LIKE RIGHT NOW! They start with her going off to college. YOU HAVE TO READ THESE! Please? Like, now?
You’re confident in your poetry. I think what I’m referring to as “cocky” is being strong in one’s voice. I have a bad habit of not using my voice 100% of the time, as powerful as I’m capable of. If that makes sense.
What? What? What’s this about Andrew Weaver? You MUST tell me!
(I was about to say “You MUST tell me now!” but I’m starting to sound like a two year old. “Now! Now! Now!” LOL!)
Here she writes:
“I love you because you are me… my writing, my desire to be many lives. I will be a little god in my small way. At home on my desk is the best story that I’ve ever written. How can I tell Bob that my happiness streams from having wrenched a piece out of my life, a piece of hurt and beauty, and transformed it to typewritten words on paper? How can he know I am justifying my life, my keen emotion, my feeling, by turning it into print?”
Oh, wow. That DOES make me want to read these journals! Pure Plath, right there! Wow!
[Before I begin, I must state that I am positive I replied to your reply on your post "The How, The Cat, and The Question," but it has vanished into the ether.
]
Yay for being cool! XD I’m not surprised she used that phrase twice, given how awesome it is. As soon as I read it I knew it sounded familiar and distinctly Plath-like, though it took me a while to remember which poem precisely it appeared in. (It helps that that’s one of my favorite poems ever! Although I say that a lot, don’t I…? LOL.)
I have so many things on my list to read! So you at least have to tell me which I should read first: The Journals or The Bell Jar?
I see what you mean now. Well, I saw it as soon as I read it, actually, but I forgot it when trying to apply it to poetry, I guess.
I’m not so sure I’m not confident in my own voice, however, given how often I feel I am emulating some great poet’s. I’m improving in that respect, though, methinks.
I wish I could tell you all about Andrew’s book! But I know next to nothing! Here’s what I’ve gathered:
While most high school students were going about their existence, Andrew was forgoing TV, reading every great work of literature ever written, and now, it turns out, writing an entire book. For which he also created the cover art. (!!!!!!!)
I use the word “book” instead of “novel,” though, because I’m not exactly sure what it is. It was described to me as a series of interconnected stories. Or something like that. The title (mumbled to me, and which I can’t remember anyway——odd, given how much I’m dwelling on this) is something like “Man Has His Own Gravity.” Not sure.
The biggest question to me is related to publishing. One person mentioned Amazon to me, which might indicate it’s being published under their weird new program I mentioned to you a while back. Or perhaps it’s self-published (which I’m going to go ahead and say would be rather lame for an 18-year-old). I just don’t know yet. I’ve contacted him for more info. (In the friendliest “Congratulations!” manner possible.) Also am told it should be “out” (in whatever form) by New Year’s.
Suffice it to say I am…rattled. On the bright side, my English teacher said he’d be a great writer, and if this proves true, well…she also said I’D be a great writer. On the dark and stormy side, he’s publishing books while I’m dawdling with unpublishable poetry, and I’m infuriated. He makes everyone I know look bad. Ugh. Like, people aren’t allowed to BE that good!
Instead of simmering, however, I think I’m going to try to channel my anger into *gulp* actually starting to write Book One of The Last Immortal within the next few months. Because I finally got my plot break-through last week! Yay!!!
Okay, I extracted your comment from the ether, LOL!
I would’ve never found it, Joey! That’s amazing. Now I want to use “Little God” as a title, and now must figure out a whole book and plot and characters for it, LOL. DON’T tell me if someone else has used it! It would break my heart!
The Journals! Here’s another tidbit I fell in love with today:
“I bent over the washbowl in unthinking ritual, washing the proscribed areas, worshipping the glittering chromium, the light that clattered back and forth, brittle, blinding, from the faucets. Hot and cold; cleanliness coming in smooth scented green bars; hairs in thin, penciled lines, curving on the white enamel; the colored prescriptions, the hard, glassed-in jars, the bottles that can cure the symptoms of a cold or send you to sleep within an hour. And then to bed, in the same potentially fertile air, scented of lavendar, lace curtains and the warm feline odor like musk, waiting to assimilate you—everywhere the pallid waiting. And you are the moving epitome of all this. Of you, by you, for you. God, is this all it is, the richocheting down the corridor of laughter and tears? Of self-worship and self-loathing? Of glory and disgust?”
I don’t think your poetry is unpublishable. Keep writing poetry! And YAY on The Last Immortal! Good luck!
Wow. Another awesome excerpt. “Beauty is only the beginning of terror.”
I wouldn’t worry about whether anyone’s used it (though I don’t think they have). The Last Immortal is the title of one or maybe even two fantasy and/or sci-fi books from the ’80s, but that certainly isn’t stopping me. (It helps that all those books are out of print, I guess.)
The poetry I have written to this point is unpublishable, truly. I fully acknowledge, though, that I might one day write poetry good enough to be published. (Oh, and I’m talking MY OWN BOOK here, not an anthology. I probably have at least one poem good enough for an anthology, LOL.) It’s more that I’m annoyed to see someone my age publishing a book when I have dreamt for at least seven years (and probably longer) of being published. *sigh*
(On a related note, I realized a few minutes ago that Andrew was discussing this book with a parent at a grad party this Saturday, and——thinking he was discussing being published in some kind of anthology——I tuned him out. GAH! I should’ve known better than to have stopped eavesdropping, LOL!)
You stopped eavesdropping? I didn’t think writers were allowed to stop eavesdropping! LOL!
What about your English teacher? Can you email her? I bet she’d know!
PS: I’d totally be jealous, too. I’d totally be writing my ass of, too.
PPS: WHAT’S WRONG WITH AN ANTHOLOGY?!
Yeah, I almost never stop eavesdropping. And when I do, it seems I’m left kicking myself. =P
She does know. The question is whether she’ll tell me. She knows enough about my competitive nature to possibly want to keep information from me “for my own good.” *harrumph* We shall see.
Nothing is wrong with an anthology, of course! However, I wouldn’t be surprised and/or interested if Andrew were published in one, hence why I tuned out. An 18-year-old publishing a whole novel (or whatever it is), though, gets my attention.
You bet I appreciate anthologies, since they’re my only hope for seeing my poetry published seriously within the next few years.
And anthologies of stories are also awesome, naturally.
OMG! You’re right! When I write without worrying what others think sometimes the best stuff comes out. Yes, I use a few cus words, yes I get a little outragous but it always seems a little better when I do. I think thats my “voice” but it’s shy and doesn’t always come out to play.
Aimless, I know exactly what you mean! I always try to weaken my writing in emails and the like, just because it can be a bit abrasive if I write clearly, you know? Knowing how to write can be detrimental, in those cases, LOL!
I think it spills over to my real writing. I shy away too often.
I’m going to read her journal. Awesome writing.
If you had asked this two weeks ago, I might have said I was a little God. (Though I wouldn’t have used those words.) Not this week. I was even thinking of stopping my wip and starting another one. Then I remembered I felt the same excruciating doubts with my last book at the same quarter-way through. That turned out to be one of my favorite books. So, for me, the Little God plays musical chairs with the Doubt Demon.
Oh, Edie, her writing is so beautiful it makes me want to cry!
Yeah. I SO hear those doubts. I’ve got Doubt Demon big-time this morning! Must kick my own ass again.
I agree. (But darnit, I am not the coolest person on the planet.) *grin*
Confidence within the writing; humility when sharing it.
LOL, Janna!
“Confidence within the writing; humility when sharing it.”
I love the way you put that! Perfect!
I love what Edie said about the Doubt Demon and Little God playing musical chairs. That seems to be part of the writing beast. Just when we think our work is “golden,” it becomes a lesser version, thanks to that stupid inner critic that just wants to pee on our morning Frosted Flakes.
Amen to that, Kath! I loved what she said. I wish I could re-title this post: The Little God and the Doubt Demon!
Oh God, you guys are SUCH writers. “pee on our Frosted Flakes.” What an image! And so true!
I’ve always wanted to be cocky, but like you, as soon as it starts to sweep over me the world schools me back into humility.
*sigh*
What can you do, Charles? I was intent on it last night. I can’t seem to find the mojo, this morning.
I like this quote by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Kind of reminds me of what you’re getting at here.
That rocks, Elizabeth! I need to paste that to the ceiling above my bed!
I like what Janna said, too. I can usually push away my doubt while I’m writing by telling myself I’ll worry about people’s reactions later. I’ve mostly run into it in this draft with swearing, which is stupid (to me), but I don’t want to rely on curse words to get my characters’ points across.
You know, the worst part, for me, is that it’s MY REACTION that kills me, LOL!
Swearing is cool.
I have mixed feelings about it. I just hate that some people are offended by it.
Yeah, I don’t do humble. I’m sort of like Arthur Fonzarelli. Just like he stumbles over the world “sorry”, I find it impossible to say “humble” in mixed company. Actually, I even have trouble writing the thing. You may not realize it, but I have to type the word in two parts. First, I write the “HUM” and then come back later and do “BLE”, it’s the only way I can handle it.
ROFL, Stewart! That’s hilarious.
I think you know the way to live!
I was sooooo self deprecating when I was younger. Each year I get cockier and more obnoxious. I also get braver and willing to do embarrassing things to have fun. You’re coming to a realization I wish I had reached a long time ago.
Oh yeah, Robin. I’m just learning that. It is so much fun to live life as you like!