It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. To an extent, this may be true. I certainly find it heartwarming when my girls say things like, "when I grow up, I want to be just like you!" That I am a role model for these little people is amazing, and I aim to be a good example for them in everything I do.
This is also true for writing that I submit to publishers. I strive to send in my best because that is what I want to be known for. I want to set a bar for myself that even I have to stretch to reach. I think this is how any fledgling writer or artist feels. They want their work to be taken seriously, they want legitimate criticism, and they want feedback that allows them room for growth, rather than acid-like words that leave them withering in the dark confines of their defeat.
But when things come out in a way those artists or writers didn't expect, those words can be used against them. The concepts they attempted to introduce or discuss are picked apart by people who are out for one thing: attention. Of course, writers want attention for their work, and artists want attention for their paintings, sculptures, projects, what-have-you, but for someone else to incorrectly and haphazardly dissect your piece of intellectual property for the public to make a half-assed opinion on, that's just wrong. They're doing it for the ratings, while you're doing it for the sake of art or the sake of having something important to say.
Sometimes these aren't even pieces of huge impact. Look at Rebecca Black's "Friday" single that blazed across the World Wide Web like wildfire. All the girl wanted was a little fun, to have an experience. That people took her work to make fun of her and make rash judgments about the music industry being decimated by talentless bags of money with nothing better to do is sickening. That girl will never live down that experience, and it will follow her forever. From that moment on, pretty much anything she decides to do with her life will be shadowed by the parodies that will taunt her for the rest of her life.
I was thinking about this last week, while scrolling through Facebook and hearing several different versions of the classic Christmas poem, The Night Before Christmas. (Or, as originally titled, "A Visit from Saint Nick.) The man who wrote the poem, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote that piece for his children. That it became a deeply rooted Christmas tradition for many families is a wonderful thing, and the most that any writer could hope for. However, I have a feeling Mr. Moore would be shuddering in his grave at the idea that our children are now hearing versions such as the Redneck Night Before Christmas, or the Politically Correct version.
http://www.appleseeds.org/twas-night_vers.htm Politically Correct and many other versions
http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_dec2003/Redneck_Christmas.htm Redneck version
Sure, it's funny. A little. But what those parody writers are failing to recognize when they do things like this, those poems are what we are being left with, while the originals are fading back to traditions we're letting go of. I think it is abominable when the pieces that make fun of other work becomes more popular than the original itself.
If I am ever published, I hope that my poems are the stuff of romance novels. I hope that people quote me in their love notes. I hope they write them on the bathroom mirror for their significant other to find when they step out of the shower. I hope they strum the heartstrings I plucked those words from.
Quote me to your heart's content, but don't steal, then twist, my words for the sake of a laugh. Don't insult me, or other writers who poured their hearts and souls into their work.
It is one thing to imitate work you admire. I find myself being influenced by many different writers. I use elements of other artists/poets techniques and styles to mold my own writing. I feel like this is the best way to flatter those writers.
And if you're out to insult them, then you're a jerk, and I hope you got a big ol' lump of coal in your stocking.
This is my last post for 2013! It's been a fun start to this writing blog, and I look forward to a new year filled with amazing words, beautiful lyrics, and lots and lots of acceptance letters! Or even one or two! Hope your new year is filled with as much love and optimism as mine. xoxo : )
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