How much help have you really gotten from other writers?

Link is right. Luck plays a huge role. There are always going to be smart people who, for whatever reason, won't ever reach their potential. That's just the way life works.

You could be the smartest, most talented person in the world, but that doesn't mean that anyone should be obligated to help you. For some reason, you don't seem to understand that.

Yes, you're right. I've had a relatively easy life. I'm also not very special. I'm just an average writer who enjoys learning and keeping an open mind.

If you don't mind, send me an essay (go to my profile and hit "Start a Conversation), and I'll tell you what I think.

 

The world, bookstores and libraries are filled with good writers. Do you only write about yourself in your essays?

 

No, I'm saying that the tone of your posts is young and immature. If you're 57, I'm 103.

 

But that person needs to be prepared to learn, to accept advice, to accept that he has to do a lot of work before he really has anything worthwhile to offer, to accept that the people who are helping him are doing him a favor.

I don't see that in you. I can't see you being able to make use of any such opportunity. The fact that you don't accept that a writer needs to, at the very minimum, be able to communicate, means that you need to take some serious steps in understanding before you can begin your path toward becoming a writer.

You can take those steps. But you're clearly not yet willing to.

 

I wish there was some way that we could do a community vote to get this thread closed. v.v

 

This is post 195 in this thread. Aberdeen is now arguing with himself. (Really, go back and see!)

Does anybody have anything more to contribute?

 

“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.” -- George Carlin

 

Contribute, no. To ramble unproductively: this thread is yet another reminder to me that people believe what they need to believe, no matter how much those beliefs hurt them. Aberdeen might have what it takes to be a successful writer, but I think that he will never allow himself to achieve that success. Success requires humility and learning from failure, and I don't think he can bring himself to experience that.

And I can't accept that people who determinedly close their eyes and ears will never see or hear until they choose to. None of us will be heard. I know that. But I post anyway. For no good reason.

 

I feel all of your pain in this moment.

...

Bro hug?

 

Move to adjourn.

 

But it's funny, why close it?

 

Because however self deluded he is, he's in pain. (Unless he's a troll, just playing a joke, and I hope that's true.) He's not ready to look at reality, and at a certain point, we're just feeding off that pain.

 

I honestly don't think he's in pain. I mean he may be compensating for something (I don't mean like that but I mean something in his life didn't turn out right), but I think he truly believes what he thinks.

 

But false beliefs come, IMO, from pain. And releasing them causes more pain. He's not ready to feel it, rip off the Band-Aid, whatever. But it's still pain.

And still, I keep talking. I clearly can't stick to my own convictions on this. (As I'm sure I've said elsethread, I think that every time I argue with a self-deluded, self destructive person, I'm arguing with my mother. Lifetime habits are hard to break.)

 

He is wildly narcissistic. There is no pain there.

 

I can't believe this just keeps going and going. At this point, it's showing more insight (not a pretty insight, mind you) of some other people here than the OP.

 

Okay, everybody, I'm closing this thread for a day or two. Nobody's contributing anything new, and it's turning into a let's-all-pile-on-aberdeen fest. We don't want that.

See you in 48 hours!