#letthiswork

Whenever I see people sit down to write a blog, whether it be on TV or in a movie, the words just flow out perfectly on the first draft. The ideas are sound, the syntax is perfect, and there is a magical instant audience hooked on every word published. Julie and Julia is a good example of this; the blog that is central to the plot becomes an internet sensation overnight. The image of writing a blog is glamourous, all it takes is sitting down and talking to the screen for a huge crowd to start following everything posted. That’s the dream anyway. A small silly part of my brain thought that could happen, somehow my blog would be popular instantly, but reality won out in more ways than one. The fantasy of perfect writing the first time around and instant views remains only possible in fiction.

I have sat down to write a post on a few different topics, but found the muse missing and the post not being worth publishing in the end. The topics are decent, or I think they are anyway, but the content just doesn’t come together how I want it to. Something goes wrong. The voice is too passive, the sentences too clunky, something is off. I suppose I had this idea in my head that if I was indeed a good writer the posts would flow perfectly every time. So when I struggled to even get a post moving, I doubted my abilities. From that point, it only made sense that of course no one was looking at my blog. If the content was no good then no one would bother viewing it. This was my first slump, only a week after starting the site, not the best way to start.

During this small down time I did research. I looked at my favorite writers, the most successful writers, and even the really bad writers of the world. I started with Netflix. The source of all procrastination, but also the place to find some solid writing. Whenever I need inspiration and motivation to be better I re-watch my favorite TV show ever, The West Wing. I have been a fan of The West Wing for years now and I re-watch the whole series every so often. I always come back to the writing and how good the first few seasons are. However, it also shows me something other than what very good writing looks like. The head writer, Aaron Sorkin, leaves the show a few seasons in and the show begins to tank after his departure. The difference in the writing quality, style, and substance was drastic, but the show continued on for a few more seasons with decent reviews. So if the best writer leaves and the quality goes down, but the fans stick around. What does that say about the science of viewer count?

So if the writing does not need to be the best thing ever created in order to be popular, then what is the factor that attracts viewers? Franchises like Twilight are clear evidence that the writing does not need to be impressive at all in order to have a rabid fan base and amass a profit. Looking at some famous and well-loved pieces of writing makes me wonder what element turned poor prose into a full blown sensation. The only answer is that something resonated with readers and it spread from there, but it was not the skill of the writer. The nature of the viral anything is almost unexplainable; something becomes instantly famous regardless of its merit.