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Aug

29

The Anti-Learning Brigade

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : August 29, 2006

Category: Creative Process

My buddy Jon has a great post about The Anti-Learning Brigade, which is somewhat inspired from my last post. He gets to the core of the topic a little better than I did.

I too have encountered a kind of anti-knowledge crowd in my travels as a creative person. Everyone is eager to tell you why you can’t do something, or why you’ll fail. Until you actually do it. And then they either shut up, or they’re mystified. But never apologetic–go figure. A few from my life:

“Some people have been learning to play guitar since they were three years old. Eric, you’re sixteen. You shouldn’t try… just stick to what you already know.”

Between the age of 16 and 17, I learned to play guitar. I may not be Eddie Van Halen, but I learned. I can write a lick on guitar. I can play lick on guitar. More importantly, I had fun learning it. It’s now amongst my catalog of skills.

“What are you doing making game levels, wasting all this time in your bedroom? You think you could actually get a job in the game industry? Keep dreaming.”

Wow, there’s an amazing paradox here. I kept at it, and I landed a job in the game industry. But just wait one minute… I thought it wasn’t possible!? What were those voices telling me I was crazy, and that I couldn’t do it?

Likewise, when I took it upon myself to learn writing, people said, “Dude, you can’t learn that. You’re either born with it or you aren’t. You’ve either got it or you don’t. What makes you think you can be a good writer?”

There is nothing stopping anyone from learning… EXCEPT those negative voices of the Anti-Learning Brigade. Ignore them. Chances are, if they actually BELIEVE what they’re trying to tell you, then they’ll never amount to much. If they don’t believe it, then they’re just trying to shove you out of the competition, and make their own lives easier. In either case the Anti-Learning Brigade is founded upon ignorance and anti-competitive philosophy.

Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. Don’t let anyone interfere with your learning game. Crush em’ under your boot heel by proving them wrong. Make them eat their words. There is nothing more empowering than crushing someone mediocre who has to resort to deception and politicking to try and end your self-improvement.

Crush them. Crush them now.

Aug

29

Writing Can’t Be Learned

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : August 29, 2006

Category: Rants

This just in from the literary front on the Island of Snobbus:

Writing can’t be learned.

That’s right folks, you heard it here first. According to Emily Barton, Francine Prose’s new book claims that writing can’t be taught, and can’t be learned. A rather amazing statement, but not altogether original when you consider the high brow snobbery that exists in the literary and fine art world. “Writing can’t be learned.” goes along with classic statements such as, “I’ll know it when I see it.” and “If I have to explain it to you, then I’m not going to.” and other emperor’s clothes of the intellectual elite.

I’m not sure what’s worse though, Prose’s statement of divine ignorance, or Barton’s lackluster list of books on writing. Somebody hasn’t figured out this whole Amazon thing yet. In case there are any doubts, I could link you to at least NINE decent books on writing without even trying. And that’s not counting all the ones that exist by any measure, nor even half of the recommendation links if you add a few to your Amazon shopping cart.

I’m not sure what causes otherwise sane, intelligent people to think that A) Any line of work that requires a relatively finite, fixed, discrete skillset can’t be taught, and B) That no decent writing books exist.

What planet do these people live on?

Aug

25

Dead Drops & Triple Agents

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : August 25, 2006

Category: Rants, Reading

The Main EnemyI’ve been reading The Main Enemy, an account of the 1980s showdown between the CIA and the KGB. Every time I read one of these non-fiction books about the CIA it leaves me shaking my head at pop entertainment’s inability to cash in on some of the cooler aspects of The Spy Life. Most pop depictions of spy work depict guys with guns (drawn) running around getting into shootouts. While that’s great for an action scene, there are some more interesting aspects of spy work that fascinate me.

Spies often leave information concealed in ‘dead drops’ – a location agreed upon by the CIA case officer and the ‘spy’ who has been recruited to deliver the materials. Yet I rarely see dead drops in fiction or movies. Why? Am I the only one fascinated by the idea of evading surveillance for 3 hours, losing the ‘tail,’ and then sneaking away to a dead drop?

We’re all familiar with the concept of a double-agent. But what about a triple agent? A defector who flip-flops during or after their defection and starts spying for their own country again? It’s the kind of twist to make your head spin. So where are the triple agents in fiction or Hollywood? Is the concept too complicated?

While I’ll always settle for a good gunfight, top secret super spies or not, I’d love to see a more sneaky tactical side to stories featuring intelligence organizations and spy characters. Show me you’ve done more than typed ‘CIA’ into Wikipedia search. Show me you’ve read a book or two on spy games. Popularize concepts like a case officer, a dead drop, or a triple agent.

While I’m sure some stories have this stuff, I’m not familiar with them. Writers steeped in these memes could do well to turn over a few stones and use these lesser mined concepts.