Ironic, I know. Here I am, getting ready to blast the Internet out of the water for screwing up the craft of writing and I’m doing it as a blog post. On the Internet. Sue me.
How do I go about this, exactly? I mean, the Internet has certainly opened doors for a lot of folks who otherwise would be undiscovered writing talent. The publishing industry will be forever changed because of the Internet. So, let’s say we toss those two little things out of the conversation and proceed with the premise mentioned in the title.
The Internet has taken a lot of the work out of writing. People don’t need to know how to write. They can use spellcheckers and grammar checkers. Heck, they can use speech to text software and ignore the whole typing thing altogether. Editing and rewriting are accomplished through keystroke and cut/paste operations (although these things are not necessarily the fault of the Internet.) Retype an entire page because of a single typo? I’m gonna go find something easier to do. This writing stuff is for lunatics.
The Internet has taken away our ability to be patient. We send an email query and then nervously check our inbox every few moments for a reply. We obsess about this so much, we end up neglecting our writing. The time spent wringing our hands could be time spent writing, editing, revising. Writing used to be a lot of work followed by a lot of waiting. Manuscripts printed and mailed. Geographic moves to be closer to the publishing houses. Walking around with a manuscript copy in a leather satchel.
The Internet has put the writing process into the hands of a lot of people. I think the ease of calling yourself a writer these days has weakened the level of commitment necessary to actually be a true writer. People self publish an unedited novella on Kindle and all of a sudden they can add “writer” to their resume. It cheapens the term.
In the movie Ratatouille, Chef Gusteau’s premise is “Anyone Can Cook.” Of course this premise is bolstered and proven by a rat with exquisite culinary skills. Could the same thing be said for writing? Possibly. I mean sure, anyone can write. But some folks shouldn’t and the Internet doesn’t know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. So the writing world becomes bloated with “writers” whose primary skill-set includes broadband access and a WordPress.com (free!) blog.
I’m certain that there are some who will label me a stick-in-the-mud curmudgeon who is stuck in their ways and unwilling to embrace new things. Maybe. But I don’t sit at my ancient Corona typing by candlelight. I use the Internet too (obviously). I try to keep due diligence with my writing. It is a craft that needs to be held up to the light and polished on a regular basis for it to beautifully shine as it was intended. Like most anything else in my life, I try to keep things in balance. I apply as many of the old ways as practical and attempt to use the new ways to bolster my writing.
I wonder how many of us writers would be around if there were no Internet.
Okay, that’s my take on the matter. You may fire at will.
