Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Rejection
sea storm:
Rejection. Such a good topic. I think that writing comes from somewhere magical and is not easily assessed by others. Often not until they are dead. Writing to be appreciated by the public or by critics is a bit of a losing game. The general public doesn't really appreciate a lot of things that have value.
When I read about J D Salinger and the amount of rejection he received it struck me how determined he was and how narcissistic. He believed that he was the best writer probably well before he was the best writer.
When I was studying painting a sculpter came to talk to us. He was working in abstract, minimalist concrete. I stupidly said to him" Doesn't it bother you that your work is not considered beautiful and most people feel quite scornful of it?" He was a very wise person and he said, " I don't really care what people think. My work comes from a very deep place inside me. If people don't like it, I don't care. If you don't like it, I don't care. But thanks for asking the question and learning something."
This was decades ago and I still remember what he said. As time and experience hopefully gave me a broader perspective and understanding of painting, I keep what he said close to me.
After he said that. That art can come from somewhere deep inside and it doesn't matter what other people think my art changed. It is so easy to want to go the way of popularity but it is not really giving yourself a chance to speak your unique voice.
Creativity is difficult. Often there are no cheering crowds. It is difficult be alone in your creative journey but this seems to be a big part of it. There was a sign up in the creative writing class that said," writing is easy, you just have to sit at the typewriter and open a vein." It takes such courage to continue to push the rock up the hill and battle yourself all the way. There are breakthroughs that are exhilerating but much of it is like slogging through oatmeal. Shut out the voices of the critics. critics are often serious malcontents and not very highly evoved anyway. Let the strongest voice be your own.
Blessings to you and thanks for opening up this thread.
Sea storm
Cadbury:
I enjoyed it! I liked the slightly unconventional twist. It was great! I love the idea of a last last resort. I'd happily read more of your work :-)
Dr. Richard Grossman:
Hi sea storm and Cadbury,
Thanks so much for your responses! sea storm: What you wrote was so true and so well put! I will try to keep it in mind. I hope you have continued with your creative writing!
Cadbury: Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. In part because of yours and sea storm encouragement and the encouragement of others on this thread, I just finished another 10-minute play/tragicomedy (I mentioned it before in another post here): “Suicide Squeeze: an existential crisis at third base” . I published it on Smashwords. Since it’s a play in part about voicelessness, I’ll start a new thread with the title.
Thanks again for the reads!
Richard
sea storm:
Hi Dr Grossman
That is so wonderful that you are not letting rejection dictate what you do. It is a major feat to do that. Like swimming against the tide. It takes that to get to where you want to go sometimes.
I love the idea of a ten minute play. Wish I could read your play but can't figure out how to get there. Will try again. I firmly believe that your creativity is a part of you that needs to be nurtured and that is hard in so many ways. Nevertheless, you have done it.
i am sorry if I squelched you. I think I have a bad streak in me that hates baseball. There its out of the bag now. Men and sports. Sorry again. You probably LIKE baseball and use it as your metaphor for life. Playing baseball is fun though. Also it seems as if the title of your play is involving suicide. A very powerful word. So there you are.... just an insight into someone who isn't able to appreciate your play because of their own bullshit.
Please keep writing. You can move mountains. Look what you did here.
Fondly,
Sea
Dr. Richard Grossman:
Hi sea storm,
Thank you for your very kind comments! I’ll keep trying. You didn’t squelch me at all. I think The Last Resort will appear if you just click on the link:
http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-last-resort-by-richard-grossman.html
Concerning “Suicide Squeeze” (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/441446), given your relationship to baseball and perhaps sports in general, you would be the perfect reader! Trust me, your views are part of the play! It was my baseball fan friends whom I worried about alienating! But the baseball stadium is only the venue. It is a play about being squeezed between two very different parents, trying desperately to find meaning in life, and alienation from all those around you—with comic elements of each.
Best,
Richard
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