Quantum Storytelling

“I don’t like that.”

“I hate that.”

Ok, so what do you actually like?

It’s an odd phenomenon of our society; People will list dozens of things they don’t like, or don’t believe in, and yet never mention the things they do like. This is not just limited to writers, although playing the constant critic seems a stereotypical favorite among creative types. It goes beyond that. Talk to just about anyone and it’s easy to get a list of dislikes or disbeliefs out of them.

Which leaves the obvious question; What do you actually believe in? What do you like? What thrills you? What makes you tick?

Where in the cesspool of dislikes are the things that define a personality? Is a personality just a collection of pet peeves? Doesn’t ‘taste’ have to be comprised of something? As in, some kind of positive statement or effect?

I recently put out the call for game developers to join the NaNo front. A few people joined up, which was great. Some hemmed & hawed, stayed on the fence.

Then there was a 3rd type. The type that says “What’s the point? Bleh! Blah! I don’t get this 30 day discipline thing.” Worse, is the: “What’s the point in working up a sweat and doing a bunch of stuff in 30 days? You can’t force creativity.”

As if laziness were some rare and precious quality among writers! It’s not enough that you already have the other 11 months of the year to slack off, but you just have to claim all 12, too? Is it really necessary to cry chicken little and act as if one month of rigorous discipline out of twelve is some kind of unbalanced Nazi plan to destroy The Loafer’s Method of Creativity? Clearly a cheerleading session ramping up to NaNo doesn’t even pertain to that kind of person.

Are people these days defined entirely by the products they don’t use, the clothes they don’t wear, the food they don’t eat, the beliefs they don’t agree with, and the political parties they don’t like?

Is it upsetting and offensive that something like NaNo, or some tool, model for creativity, or paradigm, ends up helping some people out, but just not you? It’s fine to be a doubter. But why tear down others? Afraid that other people might be successful? Another facet of the Anti-Learning Brigade?

My theory about why this happens is pretty simple; People are both picky and lazy. Especially creative people. We want the best, fastest, instant solution that is also the most novel, creative, unique, original. And we want it yesterday. So when we see someone else working their butt off, we feel threatened.

“Hey, you can’t do that! That, er, um, thing you’re doing there where you’re using something that works and being successful with it. You should loaf around and waste time, and never really finish your work… like me! It’s not fair!”

Or…

“I tried that tool and it didn’t work for me. But you’re using it and it works? Impossible! So, you’re saying I just didn’t know how to use the tool correctly? Hogwash! The tool is broken! Down with that method!”

Just because something doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it’s broken, or that nobody else can succeed via that method. Shout something positive from the mountain tops and out come the Bristly Bears to tear things apart! A fuzzy culture of negatives, indeed.

Find something that works for you, and ignore all the people who say it doesn’t work for them. If it’s working for you, it’s working for you. You’re you, and they’re them.

Enough said?