(S) Of that which concerns vanity: A short polemic for great writers (T) FINAL EDITION

OF that which concerns vanity: A short polemic for great writers

Part one of three

extract taken from James Mandraka, student, 20, Titled: Abc stories: A short polemic for 'great' writer.

There are writers out there who lose my attention after a single page. And in this list are stories that are rewarded also. And when that happens (and it happens often enough) I bang my head against the wall and think why are these stories being rewarded? On the other hand I have read some very good stories that have been lost to time. No reward! I mean that’s just untoward, silly and malign.

I mean okay my opinion is but only my opinion. And I am no great master so as to show you great from just plain wrong. But come on some of these ‘great stories’ have very loose starts and I can’t be even asked to carry on reading to the next paragraph let alone the end of the story. I mean why should I go from this paragraph to the next?

For heavens sake, give me a good reason. I don’t know you, do I? Don’t write a story and expect it to be read. Don’t practice on me. And for god’s sake develop the damn thing. Even if that development is aiming rock bottom. I mean some of these stories I’m reading, they’re so damn plain!!!! It’s so infuriating. And I’m not talking about those who detail mundane events. I read something about a guy walking down the road to the park .It was one of the best things I’ve read I think, definitely in my top five hundred.

And another thing. Editors who give awards to themselves and to their friends. Vanity, I heard once, is the quickest way to make blunt one’s sword. I will tell you the easiest way to spot this: I mean no writer writes a piece worth reading every nine out of ten tries. I mean that just doesn’t happen. I mean if I were to choose between the twentieth book of an author who was ‘acclaimed’ for the first nineteen and the twentieth book of an author who was ‘acclaimed’ for their nineteenth and this latest one is widely considered to be better, I would pick the latter.

Part two of three

Extract taken from: Jennifer Hendersat, College Tutor, 40, titled: Pageants: A cynical look,

Finally, lets end on an interesting note:

The USA has won the Miss Universe pageant seven times and is still the leading country to have won it. Guess which country gave birth to Miss Universe?

The UK has won the rival Miss World four times (not counting one who resigned which would mean they would be first with India and Venezuela). However if you were to awards points for coming first (three points), second (two points) and third (1 point) after the events, the UK is still currently leading the pack. No prizes for guessing where Miss World started.

Miss Universe started in the USA whilst the Miss World contest started in the UK. However when answering the question of which country has won the best Miss ‘everything’, the answer (heavens knows why) is Venezuela (5 Miss Worlds, 4 Miss Universes, 5 Miss Internationals (fourth biggest contest) and they’ve even already won the relatively new Miss Earth (currently third biggest contest) once.

Part three of three

Extract taken from Michelle Davies & Lindoroy Kerchief, 61 and 72, guest lecturers, titled: Of that which concerns vanity.

When it comes to vanity, the first thing to accept is that on the grandest of scales vanity precedes us. Writers are a good example of this irony. I have met writers who hate reading novels, or stories by rival authors and even more concerning are those who write expecting to be read whilst not caring to read others work for reasons I trust the average reader can work out by themselves.

On a second note, regardless of our roots it should be noted that we human beings often surprise our selves by being excellently capable of being altruistic.

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Of that which concerns vanity:
Let in it altruism rejoice.

Author unknown, between jan 1847 and july 1848, taken from piece titled: Vain is the writer, blunt is his sword.
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