Tag: writing

For the writer who secretly dreams of literary glory, it must be very difficult to endure the miserable status afforded by literature, unless there are other circumstances that confer some social prestige. Certainly, it is more likely that he will have to experience something very different from “glory.” Perhaps it takes some talent to deal with being mediocre in the eyes of everyone, while realizing that mediocre is, in fact, everyone else. This is the case with Lima Barreto, who seems to have lacked such talent, although he did not lack a keen perception of the phenomenon. The truth is that there is no humiliation or injustice in this contempt, and it is good for the writer to learn to handle, and even enjoy, the embarrassment, to avoid being deceived by the opinions of a false judge.

The secret of many writers is to amplify, exaggerate a few traits that are already naturally prominent in their personalities. To do this, however, it is necessary to overcome that initial fear of what readers might think. The curious thing is that these fears are almost always unfounded, and the exaggeration crystallizes into style, becoming the greatest indication of the individual’s verve. We see the effect, and then compare it with the opposite examples, of those writers who trim their own protrusions, as if trying to appear more “normal”. It seems that the desired acceptance is not achieved, and in the end their work makes a bad impression. In the final analysis, the public always prefers the crazy to the dull.

Something very striking about technique, art, study, and even personality, is that a pattern of development is often observed, in which there is a slow, more or less regular advance, which drags on for years on end. Then, when a constant seems to be established, a leap occurs and the level reached seems incompatible with the previous process. Taleb’s graphs come to mind. How can we explain why they are so frequent? Continuous effort seems necessary, but it cannot be the explanation in itself. The story, however, repeats itself, and even if it is not understood, it is good to be admired and taken as inspiration.

If the drama of the journalist who spends his life carrying the frustrated dream of doing literature is legitimized by repetition, it should be noted that, in most cases, this dream is just an idyllic image, like any other, conceived without reflection. The frustrated journalist never reflects on what journalism offers him and what literature can hardly match. First of all, a salary; then recognition and reputation. If we analyze it carefully, these are things without which any journalist could only imagine working in a nightmare. Even the worst journalist receives a salary and enjoys some prestige, has an audience that listens to him and reads him. In a scenario without any of this, would he still make literature? Of course not. So the alleged drama is always more fanciful than real.