Cheating
Helen Dudley Bates
closely related, both mechanisms of creative expression.
Ever see someone who has absolutely no formal training splash a few streaks of
paint on a canvas and try to sell it as art?
Is it art?
A good abstract painter goes "all the way" in the field before settling into
his craft, learning form, perspective, color, anatomy. He learns how to pull
in the viewer, how to direct the eye. Only after "going all the way" in the
field--and adding a bit of his soul--can he go back and truly understand how to
simplify and still be good.
Just as the untaught artist splashes paint onto a canvas and calls it art,
anyone can throw words together and call it "writing." Sure, it has the right
number of letters. It's got verbs too. And look! Punctuation! I could call
this post "writing." But I wouldn't. It's a Usenet post, for God's sake!
Good for a few laughs, unwinding...practice, perhaps. But it's not "writing."
What makes writing good?
What will you do? Throw words together? Or will you go "all the way?"
- Helen
no cute sig. deal with it.
Bill Palmer
sisdudl...@aol.combine (Helen Dudley Bates) wrote:
>Anyone else here study art? I assume so, because art and writing are so
>closely related, both mechanisms of creative expression.
>
>Ever see someone who has absolutely no formal training splash a few streaks of
>paint on a canvas and try to sell it as art?
>
>Is it art?
>
>A good abstract painter goes "all the way" in the field before settling into
>his craft, learning form, perspective, color, anatomy. He learns how to pull
>in the viewer, how to direct the eye. Only after "going all the way" in the
>field--and adding a bit of his soul--can he go back and truly understand how to
>simplify and still be good.
>
>Just as the untaught artist splashes paint onto a canvas and calls it art,
>anyone can throw words together and call it "writing." Sure, it has the right
>number of letters. It's got verbs too. And look! Punctuation! I could call
>this post "writing." But I wouldn't. It's a Usenet post,
You use "Usenet post" in a sloppy manner. Your
insinuation is that no one in his or her right
mind would pour their heart and soul into something
called a "Usenet post." But if you bother to read
rec.arts.poems, you see new instances every day
where people put every ounce of their creative
energy into their Usenet posts. And, of course,
the same is true in the prose and writing groups,
except in these groups we have a chorus of worms
wriggling on the floor of the newsgroup, one might
say, hissing a horrid chorus of "Nobody puts good
work in Usenet." (No, I don't mean you, Helen.
YOU have some redeeming qualities. A few others
'round these woods don't.)
Anyway, I would describe your post as an "off-the-
cuff stand-alone." That is a type of Usenet post
where someone simply has something to say and more
or less types it out and and posts it. I often
do that several times a week. For instance,
I did one today called, "Whatever happened
to alt.genius.dave-ratciffe?" That was a
fun post, no polish at all, and, more significant,
no serious drawing on my creative energy, either.
On the other hand, that sort of post is entirely
different from things like "HOW I STOLE THE BILL
PALMER NAME!" or "Gothic Whispers" or "Prosthetic
Extension" where I am drawing deeply on my creative
energies.
All in all, I have to tell you that you sound
like a member of The Usenet Levellers Society
again. Their theme song is, "Nobody gets paid
here, so all Usenet posts are of equal worth
(none) because nobody gets paid for making
a Usenet post." Circular logic? You bet.
Over the long haul, money is a very poor
indicator anyway. Poe nearly starved while
a great number of long-forgotten hacks of
his day did very well for themselves. You
could say the same for Rimbaud and Baudelaire.
for God's sake!
>Good for a few laughs, unwinding...practice, perhaps. But it's not "writing."
It is what I call an "off-the-cuff" stand alone.
You rap off a few thoughts and post them. It
is simply ONE TYPE of Usenet post.
>
>What makes writing good?
>
>What will you do? Throw words together? Or will you go "all the way?"
The significant point is that you can do just about
everything in your Usenet posts. You can throw words
together here, and "go all the way" there. In my
case, that's how I would sum up the differences between
"Whatever happened to alt.genius.dave-ratcliffe" and
"HOW I STOLE THE BILL PALMER NAME!" I was "throwing
words together and having a great time doing it with
the former, and "going all the way" almost to point
of nervous collapse with the latter.
alt.genius.bill-palmer.upstairs.office
ralf
between a splash artist and someone who went through a formal education, then the
formal education isn't necessary to produce that kind of art. (There. That'll
ruffle some feathers. :) )
Same goes for writing. If the reader can't tell the difference between a piece
written by a university literature graduate and a Grade 8 writer, then the formal
education isn't needed.
Of course, both of these depend on the ability of the artist/writer. Most people,
like myself, need the education to do the job right.
Later,
Ralph Seddon
Helen Dudley Bates wrote:
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