www.inkthinkerblog.com — reading Teddy G’s post on ignorance as excuse over at Cobwebs of the Mind, I found myself incensed. Not at Teddy, mind you, but at the whole concept that ignorance is an excuse at all. It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. Allow me to clarify.
We are writers. Our job is to find or develop information, synthesize it, and present it to others in such a way that they can understand it. Stringing letters together to form words and words to form sentences does not make someone a writer. Good writers make it look effortless, but it seldom is. If someone who calls himself a writer can’t take the time (or, heaven forbid, doesn’t have the skills) to do basic research on a potential agent, employer, contest, or other business arrangement, how could he possibly fulfill that arrangement’s obligations in the first place?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about helping folks who are getting started, but people, you have to help yourselves! Back in May, I blogged about a phone call I got from a person named “Pat” who utterly wasted 20 minutes of my time asking me questions that could (and should) have been answered with a Google search. (You can read the whole story here.) With the plethora of writers’ resources online and availability of Internet access at public libraries and universities across the country, there is no excuse for not making an effort to educate yourself before bringing in reinforcements. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, or if you find it and need to make sure you understand it, by all means, ask questions. But don’t expect others to do the leg work for you (unless you’re paying them) if you’re too lazy to do it yourself. I’ve got my own research to do, and so does every other working professional writer out there.
So now you’ve got a starting point. Teddy’s list is a great one if you’re checking out agents, and I hope you can use it for ideas if you’re trying to evaluate other prospects as well. If you don’t do the research and you end up getting scammed, I’ll be sorry. I’ll be sorry that it happened, but I’ll be sorrier that you did it to yourself. Writing is a business just like any other. It requires the same amount of planning and forethought. Remember that at all times.
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Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest
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Great Post, Kristin.
I am going to add this URL into the body of the text of my post as well.
Not just in the comments!
and btw…you got it soooooooooooooo right :)
Amen, alleluia, HOORAY! I hate the posts or the questions by writers just starting out that ask “what should I write about?” or “how many states have the letter ‘e’ in their names?” Do some freakin’ work for yourself! I’m with you – if you can do a basic Google search and find the answer, then you shouldn’t be bugging someone who’s very busy with your question!
Thanks, guys! Way to have my back on this one! :]