I’ve been gettin’ around the Internet lately, exploring my world and seein’ what all is up and who’s got it goin’ on.
Know what? A lot of people got it going on. For starters, I’ve been reading a lot of #FridayFlash entries lately. Theoretically, the entries are a thousand words or less, which is why they’re flash pieces, and so, it’s not hard to get through a few a day over a weekend.
I tend to limit my reading to those who’ve commented on mine in the past, but I’m always open to expanding my horizons. Lately, I’ve found a couple of writers whose work is set in a sort of hardboiled noir style. Very cool, and it makes Dashielle Hammett’s prose mild and soft in comparison. I love that stuff. I can feel the gritty streets and the dirty deals, I can taste the unfiltered cigarettes and smell the hats and suits and lady’s talcum-touched noses. Awesome.
These people are amazing talents, and I never fail to be a little intimidated when it’s all said and done. I mean, I don’t know if I live up to that level of achievement. But I so do love the reading.
How much online reading do you do? If you do a lot, would you be interested in seeing these writers? I can point anyone who’s interested to the collector where the #FridayFlash pieces are entered; you can choose who and what you want to read from there. Or I can recommend my favorites. I’ll leave it up to you, if you’re interested, of course.
But these folks are good. Very good. And I wonder how to climb to that level or how to decide whether that level is above or lateral to me. We’ve talked that one to death, but now I want to know: How do you decide what to read? How do you determine whether you’re ready to go into the industry or if you still need work? How do you decide what level you’re writing at, and is it where it should be or needs to be, or does your own standard supersede any other? (Mine does, I suspect.)
In short, do you read and compare yourself to other writers, or do you just read for fun? because you like the person? because you’re both wannabes?
Just curious. Hope you all had an awesome weekend.
-JDT-
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