User:SimonB NZ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] The Principle of Diminishing Dorkiness

Over the last couple of days I've had cause to revisit some of my writing from 6-18 months ago (the start of the AnimeSuki Simoun thread, and stuff related to my campaign against the banning of Puni Puni Poemy). I'm not a great writer, but I'd like to think I'm a competent one: however, most of what I write - especially on topics I feel deeply about - causes me physical pain when I read it back the next day. Given the chance I would obsessively rewrite stuff, striving for a perfection I'll never reach.

Such unreasonable self-criticism might seem like a sign of low self-esteem, but it's also an insidious form of arrogance. I am a flawed human being, so I shouldn't expect my writing to be perfect. It's not like anything I say is going to change the world. And after all, that's the whole principle of a Wiki: do your best, then step back and let others improve on it.

I certainly did plenty of cringing over the material I've just re-read, especially the PPP docs (for the record, my attempt failed and the anime remains banned in NZ to this day). But looking at it now, it's actually not too bad. Yes, I see flaws of style and substance, but the groan factor has gone. Time has diminished its dorkiness.

Of course the PoDD applies to what I'm writing now, too. I'll probably look at this tomorrow and think "good grief, what a load of pretentious bumf." But that's exactly why I'm going to leave it here unchanged: to remind myself to be realistic about my ability as a writer.

SimonB NZ 08:35, 18 September 2006 (UTC)