Tag Archives: annoying

Writing Exercise #1: What Bothers You?

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in Writing

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The first thing that comes to mind when I think of writers of substance (read: writers who create the kind of work that can support at least 90 minutes of thoughtful discussion) is that they see problems that really bother them. Social injustice is a big one; race, gender, sexual identity, and other power dynamics crop up a lot in the writing that has that ring of importance. Unfortunately, I am one step away from being politically illiterate. I’m straight, in the racial majority, and while I’m female, I have no dramatic stories of oppression to share. There was one time someone mistakenly called me a secretary because they saw me sitting at the front desk, but that’s about it.

But I still want to write something meaningful, so I took out a sheet of paper, set the clock for five minutes, and started listing things that bother me (no matter what they were). Here’s what I came up with*:

  1. “God” being an embarrassing word to say, never mind entity to believe in. I am religious, and I am rather intelligent. Not that I’d ever have the opportunity to verbally spar with Christopher Hitchens, but if I did, it frustrates me that he’d already think less of me for believing in God. This also goes for some believers who reject clear evidence in favor of literal interpretation–they make science-embracing, faithful people have to justify one or the other aspect of their belief. It’s annoying.
  2. Public schools
  3. Busywork
  4. The fact that I kind of like “Bridezillas.” How tacky 😛
  5. Cooking meat in milk
  6. Thoughtless cruelty
  7. Rape
  8. Rape or sexual abuse victims who go on to abuse others
  9. Narcissism
  10. Empty apologies
  11. Wearing shoes in the house
  12. Trash on a table
  13. People thinking they know a country just because they’ve visited (sadly, I have been guilty of this one)
  14. Patronizing people
  15. Laziness
  16. People who ask you how to do something, especially something simple, and then say something dismissive like, “Oh, I could never do that.” Why did you ask in the first place?
  17. Making inconvenient personality traits into illnesses (apparently being shy or introverted is an illness now)
  18. Wiccans
  19. Not having enough money, even though I work a lot
  20. Serial marriages and divorces.
I feel more strongly about some than others, and some definitely make better writing fuel than others, but I was surprised to see how many things I had a strong opinion about. I’m tinkering around a bit, trying to see which ones appeal to me most to start putting some new thoughts and characters on paper.
Now that I’ve put my list out here, I’d love some company. What bothers you? Make it as trivial or deep as you like–either way, I’d love to hear your perspective.
*A brief disclaimer, of sorts: I am not posting this list with the intention of being incendiary. This list was written as a writing exercise, and is not necessarily meant to condemn any person or group. They are opinions only, and I fully appreciate they may not be shared.

The Power of Annoyance

02 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Goals, Growing Up, Publishing

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In my sophomore year of college, my sociology professor had us read this book by Edward Bellamy, called Looking Backward. The story, theoretically, was about a guy who pulls some Rip Van Winkle stunt and sleeps himself into the next century. Really, the book was an excuse for Bellamy to use characters as his mouthpiece for his theory of the perfect utopian society. The story felt lifeless, the theory was full of holes, and the phrase “heaving bosom” appeared near the end of the book (one of my top five least favorite phrases in the English language).

I was outraged. I could have written a more believable societal structure in my sleep! And a better plot! When I pulled my professor aside after class to rant at him for five minutes about how much I hated the book, though, he was oddly pleased. It didn’t matter to him whether I loved or detested the reading material he assigned; what was important to him was that I got invested enough to be passionate about it.

Which brings us to present day. I mentioned before that I’m currently reading a career development book by an author who I find completely insufferable. He comes across to me as one of those slick, arrogant, narcissistic types who only reaches out to remind themselves of their own power: “You look so miserable down there. Let me tell you about the amazing things I did to make sure I’ll never be like you.”

“I like my work,” I snarled at the pages. “I don’t buy into the outsource-your-life philosophy you’re selling. I want to live my own life, thank you very much.”

Then I remembered Bellamy. So I put down the book for a moment and tried to figure out what it was that was irritating me so much about this author. I decided I didn’t like the way he presented what seemed to me to be very difficult tasks and acted like everyone should be able to do them. Contact celebrities, for example–who was he to assume that some anonymous person could call up someone important at random for an interview? What happened to pounding the pavement with the rest of the proles, you jerk?

And then I realized I didn’t like the way I was sounding, so I decided, you know what, I’m going to try it. There’s an article I’m writing about diets and eating disorders and how to teach children about being healthy, and I emailed the president of the National Eating Disorder Association to ask for an interview.

And I got it. It’s scheduled for Wednesday.

Being annoyed is not always a bad thing. Knowing why something gets under your skin can reveal a lot about you–what you’re scared of, what your ideas and theories are, which direction you need to push yourself. I may not agree with the rest of that insufferable book, but I’m going to keep reading it. If his life principles irritate the hell out of me, it’s not the worst place I could start to get a firmer grasp on my own.