Re: On My Disgusting Attitude (Was Good Will Hunting Before I Was
Hapworth2 (Hapworth2@aol.com)
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 16:31:11 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 98-01-08 15:06:06 EST, you write:
<< It seems
natural when we see Salinger or Ginsberg or Matt Damon or whoever do it
and we sit around and critique it without ever trying it ourselves. Why
is it that we learn to critique as critics and not as writers? I don't
know what kind of tangent I'm getting on, but there it is. >>
I think that what you are saying is "how can we say it's bad if we couldn't do
it ourselves?"
I can't disagree more with this, if it is an accurate interpretation of your
statement. I think that this viewpoint works for almost nothing...Haircuts? I
sure couldn't cut hair but I still dont want mine crooked...Music? I know a
few chords, couldn't write a song, but I can tell that performers like
"Hanson" and "Greenday" don't have immense talent in the field either (no
offense to any "Hanson" fans...just my opinion)...what else?
There are certain characteristics to anything that make it good or bad, even
though this opinion may very from person to person...I myself am somewhat of a
good writer, but even if I wasn't, I would still most likely be able to tell
the difference between Hemingway and R.L. Stein.