Somebody just said to me that he couldn't understand how somebody could like a writer's work, then meet the writer and dislike them.
This seems very strange to me. For example, I like some of Orson Scott Card's work, but can't stand his politics. I've also met writers I've admired and found them to be hard to get on with in person.
The flip side of this is that writers should not be judged by their work. If I write a horror story from the point of view of a serial killer, then there are some people who think that makes me a violent person. I once workshopped a story in which the point of view character was suicidal and had people ask me if I was okay - clearly writing about a suicidal character was some kind of plea for help and I was depressed, in their mind. A good mystery writer knows thousands of ways to kill somebody...does that mean they're more likely to commit a murder?
The writer creates and informs the work, but we are not our work...or shouldn't be.
Absolutely agreed. I've been able to enjoy many a person's work--whether writing or acting--while knowing that I wouldn't likely get on with them in person or share their opinions. Separate the work from the creator on some level, and you'll be able to enjoy more things.
ReplyDeleteAnd similarly, again, we do put something of ourselves into what we write or into our acting, but we are not our writings or our roles. If I write a character who is a psychotic killer, that doesn't mean I am one. And on the flipside, if I write a character who is a saint, that doesn't mean I am one. Writers, actors, etc. are, ideally, skilled at putting themselves temporarily into the mindset of a person different from themselves in order to write a compelling story. If we could only write people that were the same as us...we'd be pretty poor writers.
(And then there's also the sort of weird connections and assumptions people can make with writing for RPG characters specifically, but I'm going to leave off there before I get all irritable again.)