Interesting, Strangler Lewis.

Some go to the free hotel breakfast in their insideout jammies, others in nice street wear. It just depends how much you want the world to see and how much importance you place on your own POV and how much on the public's POV.

The assumption there, of course, is that you're staying in a hotel without standards where the maitre d' would tell you you're looking lovely this morning rather than suggest you go upstairs and change. Such a hotel may be the equivalent of the Facebook experience where the only feedback one would be likely to get from the "public" on such a piece would be some dutiful variation of "Awesome." In that sense, I'm not sure Facebook is a good online writers group model. But then, it's not clear to what end CP wants to put this out there. Share feelings? Show the power of her writing? Do both? Seek validation of both?

It hasn't happened often to me, but getting published and paid is fun. Getting rejected is not, but there are many writers and limited fora, the people who get published all know somebody, and the editors are all assholes. Etc. Thus, one can still value one's own POV--which is why one writes in the first place--even after a rejection. One may even be prompted to take a harder look at one's own craft.

It depends on the kind of writing.

Wonderful post

It's a good question. I like to do both, and seek validation, yes. I know I fall on the self-absorbed side of things and sometimes I truly feel that I am a blowhard saying nothing new. The morning after this post I thought ugh, what a mess that must be, and then was pleasantly surprised by the strong response. After all these years I know that you guys are honest about my writing and aren't going to say such precisely lovely things when it's just another post.

I want to post it to Facebook if it has some value in it. The responses I got here are the type of thing I'm looking for. I don't post poetry or personal ramblings much there because they aren't all people that know me closely, of course. The forum that FB provides pushes different buttons in me. I never would have guessed prior to joining that I'd post so many political and social awareness concepts, but the ability to reach so many people is almost a mandate for action.

I don't think that my essays are earthshaking but if they make people think just a tiny bit then that might be worth putting myself out there.

I tried only once to get published and was rejected, of course. I never could muster full dedication to sending in things. I really don't feel the need to be published, or perhaps more truthfully, I don't want to be rejected a hundred times just to be published once.

Also, I truly do not value traditional publishing much at all anymore. If I felt a strong drive to have people see my essays and poetry, I'd work on blogging, push it via social networking, etc. I'd love a paycheck just like anyone else would but I simply don't have the passion to make a career out of it. A few bucks here and there doesn't motivate me. You want to be my agent? (Hmm, actually SL, I take it back.)

Good point. Back when they'd force you to do a "note" with longer posts it made it much more readable.

Perhaps I'll dust off my blog and post it there in some form.