After some digestion
I was thinking back to a conversation I had with some other writers about breaking into the biz. The analogy we ended up using was baseball:
Generally, a player is a specific kind of hitter. He may be a fast guy who leads off the order with a lot of singles and bunts. He may be the heavy hitter in the middle, swining for Hr's and driving in runs. He may be at the end of the order - a gritty hitter who can foul off a lot of balls and tire out the pitcher.
And a hitter can change how he hits - a shortstop who is known for singles might bulk up and start hitting homers -- but generally you don't go from a speedy leadoff hitter to barry Bonds.
You do one thing well and that's what gets you your spot in the batting order in the first place. Consistency. You can change up later, but you need to establish yourself first.
Which is a long-winded way of saying I think I agree with what Tao is saying more than originally thought. I don't like being forced into a box - but the thing is, once I thought about it, it's better to put your best foot forward, no? Especially if you are naturally drawn to a particular genre. The question becomes then -- what if you aren't? What would your advice be Tao to someone who didn't seem to be drawn to one genre or area? I don't feel that way -- I know where my 'wheelhouse' is -- but I am curious as to what you all think.....
I was thinking back to a conversation I had with some other writers about breaking into the biz. The analogy we ended up using was baseball:
Generally, a player is a specific kind of hitter. He may be a fast guy who leads off the order with a lot of singles and bunts. He may be the heavy hitter in the middle, swining for Hr's and driving in runs. He may be at the end of the order - a gritty hitter who can foul off a lot of balls and tire out the pitcher.
And a hitter can change how he hits - a shortstop who is known for singles might bulk up and start hitting homers -- but generally you don't go from a speedy leadoff hitter to barry Bonds.
You do one thing well and that's what gets you your spot in the batting order in the first place. Consistency. You can change up later, but you need to establish yourself first.
Which is a long-winded way of saying I think I agree with what Tao is saying more than originally thought. I don't like being forced into a box - but the thing is, once I thought about it, it's better to put your best foot forward, no? Especially if you are naturally drawn to a particular genre. The question becomes then -- what if you aren't? What would your advice be Tao to someone who didn't seem to be drawn to one genre or area? I don't feel that way -- I know where my 'wheelhouse' is -- but I am curious as to what you all think.....
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