Consider the Source

My friend Teddy posted an excellent entry today on his blog Cobwebs of the Mind that got me to thinking about the myriad of sites and blogs out there offering advice to writers. He takes to task one particularly nasty supposed-agent whose main mission in life seems to be utter crassness. C'est le vie. I stumbled across this spewage a while back, read one post and dismissed the blogger as infantile. With the rise of the blogosphere, everyone and anyone can post whatever they like with no fear of reprisal. Especially when it is anonymous. (And I applaud Teddy for having the courage to shun anonymity.)

So what does a writer do when he's searching the web for useful information and runs up against blogs like the aforementioned? The best advice I can give you is the same advice my father gave me, and although the context is different, the value of the advice is the same...

Consider the source.

When you read anything written by anyone, ask yourself what you can discern about this person and their character. From that you can consider the source of their writings and accept or dismiss them as necessary. I like Teddy because his posts are insightful and intelligent. I like Snark for the same reasons. Although I very frequently disagree with Snark in her personal philosophies, I haven't yet disagreed with her business philosophies. And whether you want to think of writing in those terms or not, it is a business. If the blogger mentioned above behaved IRL the way he behaves online, he wouldn't be doing much business at all.

Since this is a business, is that really the type of person you want to take advice from?