The Dangers of a Community

When I saw this picture, it captures the mood and point of this post (I think).

Well, I read this interesting piece on urbis today. I wanted to share the pearls of wisdom catherinethegreatdammit wrote and my response to it. And then some comments. The piece is called: I like the Circle Jerk of Friends... I am going to watch until I go blind.

You know, I joined Urbis at the urging of a friend. Since joining I have come to realize that this is nothing more than a circle jerk of writers, by writers, for writers. It makes me giggle, but at the same time, I want no part of it.
I care less about any of the shit on here.

I write because its in my blood. I care less if I get published and I care less if anybody from the dumb fucking site with its ghey pictures of wanna-be publishers giving wanna-be editors handshakes likes any of my shit.

I write for my friends. And, because they hear what I am trying to say, they urge me to get published and all that yadda-smadda. You see, I write about how my life has been affected by bipolar disorder and alcoholism. I write about being a mother and a woman who is true to herself, regardless of what others may think.
They need my voice and I give it to them because I love them.

But, as for making my writing meet a criteria set by other amateurs, I think its laughable.

I abuse commas…,,,,a,,,a..as and spelling and pucntuation because I see the words as my craft they are as malleable to my hands and my imagination as I want them to be.

I care less if anyone understands or reads this, because I have already had my say. I am just getting my rocks off by posting this.

I am fulfilled beyond measure and I feel sad that this website panders to the same ego-stroking dumbfucks who buy into vanity publishing.

So…No, I am not going to read your shit and comment. I don’t care two dicks and a dogfart about your damn credits.

I have my satisfaction.

And, it responds to the stroking of my fingers on my keyboard like a lover who hungers for my touch.

Now, go fuck off all of you.

I am going back to staring at the sun.

My response to this piece is as follows:

I hope one day to get your Zen attitude, so I can also look down from your lofty heights. I’m here because I was hoping to get some tips so I can get published, but not via vanity publishing. Maybe I am just naive or misguided. Or just delusional. I suppose I just don’t have in my blood like you, chasing a zephyr of a dream that I may never attain. Sigh!

I suppose I have a long way to go before I can be like you, only see myself as being important. Putting everyone else beneath me. Living in a little space where my rules dictate and everyone else is subordinate to me. Where I don’t have to listen to anyone else because they are all inferior to me.

I wish I could achieve that Zen loftiness you have achieved, being able to push reality away, for my own little safe verity. But instead of being like you, I am just a credit whore that this place has turned me into.

You hit the nail on the head with some of your points. It is just that, in my humble amateur opinion, your tone takes away from the points you are trying to make.

It just seems to me that they don’t have you on the right meds; you may want to check with your doctor. Or you are failing your anger management courses & need new ones. Once that is taken care of, then you can touch up with piece and give it the punch it really needs.

But I did notice one thing, at the very end. You write I am going back to staring at the sun. That could be the problem. The sun can be extremely damaging to the eyes. In the end, affecting and clouding your vision. Possible leading to blindness.

I left the mistake in the last line on purpose, since I can write using my own rules when I want to!

Obviously, this person has issues. Yet the sad thing, you will always have assholes like this in a community. And that is the point this post.

Urbis is a community of writers. Each community, be a church, pub, painters, bowlers, whatever will have their share of sycophants, those that only want their ego stroked, the assholes, the doom-sayers. And they revolve about the real people who make up a community.

Agreed, an artist community has more vocal extremes. The sycophants are more cloying. The ones that want their ego-stroked ignore any and all critiques. And the assholes, well will be assholes.

I've seen, be it at Hurley's or Brutopia, people who are 'special' and the cloying groupies around them. These groupies catching each word dripping from these people's mouths, for their little sacred chalice to hold close to their heart. Not seeing through the flimsy veneer that is in constant peril of becoming ripped at any time.

For me, on urbis, over 90% of the reviews I have received have been constructive and pointed things out that I didn’t notice. Or gave me encouragement to continue. It has helped put a fire back in my belly that was missing for some time. This long weekend, I plan to revise a short story, a non-fiction piece and try to finish a new short story. So urbis can't be half bad, in my humble, amateur opinion.

Unlike other times, we have lost the mentoring system for artists. So communities like urbis become more and more important. Inexperienced writers, painters, etc. need a place where they can experiment, learn and grow. Throughout history circles of artists were important to the growth of artists. Experienced artists would take inexperienced artists under their wings. We really don't have that in great numbers today.

A good example of a recent writer’s circle is the Inklings. They were a literary discussion group that met between the 1930’s and the 1950’s. Some of the books that came out from this group include Lord of the Rings, Out of the Silent Planet, and All Hallow’s Eve. I wouldn't say that group of about 19 writers was a waste of time.

Yet you get people who look at the idea of community as a waste of time. They will not learn from anyone else. They don’t need to. That is what I find unforgivable about this piece: the sheer arrogance that is behind something like:

But, as for making my writing meet a criteria set by other amateurs, I think its laughable.

I abuse commas…,,,,a,,,a..as and spelling and pucntuation because I see the words as my craft they are as malleable to my hands and my imagination as I want them to be.

This, for me, encapsulates catherine. She most likely can’t write for shit so when people point out mistakes, we becomes amateurs that know nothing. To abuse commas, spelling, etc., you bloody well know the rules. James Joyce was able to do his thing because he knew the rules and how to bend or break them. catherine wants to play in her sandbox and only allow people who let her play by her rules in. And only her rules.

And she says:

I write for my friends. And, because they hear what I am trying to say

Boy would I like to live in her little bubble. Just from my own experience before coming out. I wrote some gay-themed stories, about the pain I was going through. No one got it, save one person. It was only once I was out, my friends went: oh, it was about you?

Most friends say they will be honest but often they are not. They don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they couch what they say. And no matter how close you are, there are things they don't fully know about you.

One thing I can’t leave alone is:

You see, I write about how my life has been affected by bipolar disorder and alcoholism.

Oh, oh, oh, I have problems with alcohol and raise you three nervous breakdowns. And living on the street for 8-9 months. But now I am being silly!

Yet she has some valid points. One is:

ego-stroking dumbfucks who buy into vanity publishing.

There are those there. Yet every community you find yourself in, there is the dangers of panderers or people who want to tear you down. There will be those who ignore your advice or think you are full of crap. And then there are the genuine ones there that want to help you the best they can.

Life is rough. You need a thick skin to survive in any kind of community. You have to roll with the punches. Whether catherine is bi-polar or not, the vitriol and arrogance in her words shows someone who is not happy and doesn’t want to be out in the real world. To come out and play with us.

urbis is not perfect. What community is? You just have to know the good parts you want to use from it and ignore the rest. And a hissy fit isn't going change things.

I’ll leave you with two things. The first is a review catherine wrote on a piece my buddy, Jason wrote:

I am sorry to say but this whole piece was so utterly was superfluous in the wording and the dialogue that the storyline came across with far less impact then it could have.

And if you want to check out her blog, the site is:

http://blog.myspace.com/catherinethefookingreat

Peace!