It's impossible to ignore you...
Neil Gaiman has something really brilliant and insightful to say about how we as consumers tend to feel like we have the right to tell writers/artists how they should work. Go read his blog post here (it's the second part, in response to a letter).
As a writer, I know I do not write well enough or fast enough for myself, for my own expectations. I have to fight my inner demons to be able to write anything at all lately, because I have trouble finding the voice, or if I find the voice I can't find the story, or if I think I know what the story is the characters fall flat and refuse to move. I hope to be able to move past this (and soon), but I can only imagine how much harder it would be, and how much more guilt-ridden and sullenly angry I would be, if I had strangers nagging me that I wasn't Doing It Right, or Fast Enough. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, of course. But I don't think everyone's entitled to force those opinions on others. You might not think Author X is Doing It Right, but perhaps you haven't realized that what they're doing is the Best They Can. It might not live up to standards, but it's what they're capable of right now. It's not always enough for the author maybe, either, and maybe they do need a kick in the butt. But I hardly think that's the purview of complete strangers to them, even if we all feel so much closer than strangers because we read blogs or follow twitterers or stalk them. Especially don't stalk them. In case no one has mentioned it, Stalking Is Bad.
As a consumer of fiction in its various guises, I have felt frustration that I have to wait to find out the rest of the story. In fact, I'm currently waiting for several authors' books to come out, and a couple are as far away as 2011! Gah! And I know that I've avoided starting hugely long series because, hey, there's 17 books in that series. That's a commitment to that fictional world I'm not sure I'm ready for. And then, what if I get to the 17th book, and the 18th isn't out yet, and then I will have to Wait For It. I mean, whoa, tragedy. But if it's an author I find I really like, then when the book I've been waiting for does come out, I'm so happy and I skip around in joy. And then I devour the book, and I'm glad I waited, because the author that I like wrote a book and I got to read it. And if they never write a sequel to something, well, honestly, there is so much more fiction out there to discover, that while I'm disappointed I won't get that author's take on that situation with those characters, I can probably find something else I enjoy just as much. And hey, there's always *writing* the story I want to read. [Although see corollary above re: my trouble with writing at all lately.] I don't co-opt other writer's characters and stories, but I know that I can and do co-opt the feel of the story I want. I want this story to feel like a dark fairy tale. I want this story to feel like a secret history you forgot but has been tickling your brain this whole time. I want this story to feel like with every breath you're flying, but you're flying because a giant hook has pulled you up from under your ribcage and is pulling you along through the air 1000 feet up. Impaled by dragons is good.
So I guess what I'm meandering about is that I agree with Mr. Gaiman, pretty much. Writers aren't anyone's bitches but their own, or at least they shouldn't have to be. My experience being a writer is that I'm pretty awful to myself when I'm disappointed with my writing. And I'm perfectly well aware that if I want to sell my novels and have a wider audience, that I need to get the writing done and do it well enough that other people are likely to want to read it. I'm pretty sure complete strangers complaining to me about me would Not Help.
As a writer, I know I do not write well enough or fast enough for myself, for my own expectations. I have to fight my inner demons to be able to write anything at all lately, because I have trouble finding the voice, or if I find the voice I can't find the story, or if I think I know what the story is the characters fall flat and refuse to move. I hope to be able to move past this (and soon), but I can only imagine how much harder it would be, and how much more guilt-ridden and sullenly angry I would be, if I had strangers nagging me that I wasn't Doing It Right, or Fast Enough. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, of course. But I don't think everyone's entitled to force those opinions on others. You might not think Author X is Doing It Right, but perhaps you haven't realized that what they're doing is the Best They Can. It might not live up to standards, but it's what they're capable of right now. It's not always enough for the author maybe, either, and maybe they do need a kick in the butt. But I hardly think that's the purview of complete strangers to them, even if we all feel so much closer than strangers because we read blogs or follow twitterers or stalk them. Especially don't stalk them. In case no one has mentioned it, Stalking Is Bad.
As a consumer of fiction in its various guises, I have felt frustration that I have to wait to find out the rest of the story. In fact, I'm currently waiting for several authors' books to come out, and a couple are as far away as 2011! Gah! And I know that I've avoided starting hugely long series because, hey, there's 17 books in that series. That's a commitment to that fictional world I'm not sure I'm ready for. And then, what if I get to the 17th book, and the 18th isn't out yet, and then I will have to Wait For It. I mean, whoa, tragedy. But if it's an author I find I really like, then when the book I've been waiting for does come out, I'm so happy and I skip around in joy. And then I devour the book, and I'm glad I waited, because the author that I like wrote a book and I got to read it. And if they never write a sequel to something, well, honestly, there is so much more fiction out there to discover, that while I'm disappointed I won't get that author's take on that situation with those characters, I can probably find something else I enjoy just as much. And hey, there's always *writing* the story I want to read. [Although see corollary above re: my trouble with writing at all lately.] I don't co-opt other writer's characters and stories, but I know that I can and do co-opt the feel of the story I want. I want this story to feel like a dark fairy tale. I want this story to feel like a secret history you forgot but has been tickling your brain this whole time. I want this story to feel like with every breath you're flying, but you're flying because a giant hook has pulled you up from under your ribcage and is pulling you along through the air 1000 feet up. Impaled by dragons is good.
So I guess what I'm meandering about is that I agree with Mr. Gaiman, pretty much. Writers aren't anyone's bitches but their own, or at least they shouldn't have to be. My experience being a writer is that I'm pretty awful to myself when I'm disappointed with my writing. And I'm perfectly well aware that if I want to sell my novels and have a wider audience, that I need to get the writing done and do it well enough that other people are likely to want to read it. I'm pretty sure complete strangers complaining to me about me would Not Help.