Friday, March 17, 2006

When you think nobody's watching...

In the wake of Frey-gate, JT Leroy's shenanigans and as articles like this suggest, I must ask the question: Do writers really believe no one is watching, checking up on or paying attention to their work? Or do they figure they'll ride on the hype, the scandal and the fury of the masses to their great literary career in hell? I just don't get it.

It's one thing to have "your side" of the story; I'm all for "he said/she said," but as Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass most recently proved, making stuff up in the public sphere creates irate bosses, friends and general public, and leads to job loss, reclaiming of advances and the need for a shield to block gobs of spittle spat from the mouths of angry mobs when going out in public. It also just makes you look bad, even stupid, or in the worst case--crazy!

Is it worth all that? Am I just too staid a writer, too straight and narrow to engage in this kind of tomfoolery? Not living enough for my art, not taking enough foolish chances?? Actually, come to think of it, I do write outlandish tales and fabricate to my heart's content. It's called Fiction.

Hmmm.

In other intellectual lines of thought--why do I persist at eating at my desk when I ALWAYS end up flinging food? I ask you!

JPR

4 Comments:

At 1:13 PM, Blogger Myfanwy Collins said...

This stuff makes me exhausted! I would be a nervous wreck to be one of these pulling the wool over the eyes people.

As for food at the desk, mine is covered in crumbs. COVERED. I'm a disaster.

 
At 5:17 PM, Blogger Katie said...

Sometimes I think I couldn't handle writing anything other than fiction or opinion.

I just cleaned out my keyboard and it was embarrassing.

 
At 9:03 AM, Blogger Stephanie said...

I honestly believe no one is watching me. :) Since you asked. :)

 
At 9:17 AM, Blogger Jordan E. Rosenfeld said...

Steph: But do you think no one will ever be watching? So much so that you'd be willing to make stuff up and publish it?

That's what I meant. Nobody IS watching until we're more heavily in the public eye, but...

ahhhhh

J

 

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