>have great respect for professor
>they pretty much shape how you want to be as a writer
>finally get around to trying one their published books
>it's utter garbage
Is there a more horrifying feeling than this?
Post your feet
>>7913853
Not everyone can write like Nabokov, I believe having a deep understanding of literary conventions, techniques etc. doesn't necessarily make one a great writer.
I sort of know what you mean. I had a Creative Writing class in my undergrad years and the professor there taught a lot of stuff, she really got me to improve, I enjoyed how she taught and perceive creative writing. So I went ordered one of her books and read it without letting her know. It was awful - some YA fantasy trash. I wasn't sure what to do, so I pretended I never read it.
>tfw one the creative writing profs at my college included her books on the syllabus
>tfw they'd have gone out of print otherwise
>>7913859
Mine included the annual Students Creative Writing compilation. It was fucking torture, literally every piece was suicidal/lovesick poetry or edgy and downright nasty prose works trying to copy the feeling that Fight Club did, but without any of the quirks that made Fight Club tolerable.
>>7913855
I have prickly heat, they're covered in nasty itchy spots :(
>>7913857
Maybe YA fantasy is sort of a guilty pleasure of her or she just wanted to cash in on the hype.
>>7913884
Maybe, I'm too scared to get any others.
How about the other way round, when they're a great writer but a shit teacher?
>tfw just wanna pick your brain
>have great prof for a first year modernist lit course
>two years later
>find a book he wrote in the school library
>it is completely incoherent borderline schizo ramblings on joyce's ulysses and pound's cantos
fucking ace
>>7913853
>Had incredible woman teaching me how to write
>Read one of her books
>It's a masterpiece
why dont you write a book about that feeling
>>7913853
The best writers are mostly highly dysfunctional people. If someone has it "together" enough to teach in any coherent way, odds are they're not a good writer. There are exceptions, obviously, but they're few and far between.
>>7913946
That'd actually be pretty reassuring. He must really know his stuff.
>>7914051
Yea, professors have to spend entire days couped up in their offices doing research, and must've spent their primary socializing years doing the same. They lose further prep time for meetings (professors have about 3-4 hours of meetings most days in addition to classes)
I'm surprised most professors are socially functional, nevermind good teachers.
>>7913853
That sucks, OP.
I've kept my literature power level mostly hidden from friends. A few know, but most are unaware.
One day, one of these unaware friends, who I had previously thought had zero interest in literature, whatsoever, says to me, "Hey anon, I...I...wrote a book..."
(pause)
"You what?"
"I wrote a book."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. You want to read it? (other friend's name who knows I'm really into literature) said that you're actually really into books. I asked him to read it but he said you'd be a better judge. Would you read it and tell me what you think?"
"Yeah...I means, sure, man. That's really cool actually. I'd be happy to read it. I didn't know you were into writing?"
"Cool, thanks. Yeah, I've really gotten into it in the last couple years."
He gave me his book and I went home and read it. It's trash. Utter trash. I mean, like, if you had told me this was an adult aged man that had been to college and had a job that paid him money to do stuff I'd tell you now way. No fucking way. This was some of the worst writing shit I've laid eyes on.
So I'm dreading seeing him again. I avoid it a few times. After I can't realistically avoid it any longer, I meet up with friends, knowing he's gonna be there.
Of course, "Hey man, did you get a chance to read my book? What'd you think? Be honest with me. Be totally honest with me."
(pause)
"It's...I mean...it's...it's pretty good. I think it needs work..."
"Really, you think it's good?!"
"Well it's...I mean...I think it needs work."
"But it's good though, right?"
"It needs some work."
"Yeah like grammar editing and stuff, but other than that it's good?"
"...I...honestly...listen...it just wasn't my thing."
"Hmm. Okay."
"But it's cool that you wrote a book. That's an accomplishment itself."
"Okay, thanks, anon...Did you like any of it, though?"
>Killme.jpg
>ithastobedone.jpg
"...No."
"Nothing? Not one part?"
"No, man. Sorry."
"Not even the part about..."
"No."
"What about the part where..."
"No."
"So it wasn't good? It was bad?"
"It was bad."
"Like, how bad?"
"Pretty bad."
"But if I changed up some things it could be good...?"
"Honestly I think it's best to forget it, altogether. Just burn it and move on."
"To another story?"
"I mean you shouldn't write until you've read more. Like a lot more. Like spend at least the next 10 years reading before you try again."
"Oh..."
"It's really cool you wrote a book, though. And I still want to read the next one, okay?"
"Yeah...I guess."
He self published it.
>>7914109
Cooped, not couped. Couped would be... Something different. Overthrown like a dictator.
>>7913853
Yes
>walking home from work
>van rushes me
>4 men exit the vehicle
>have bag put over head
>When bag comes off find myself in the middle of nowhere
>camera pointed at me
>men have masks
>one speaking arabic
>have head removed by knife
pretty sure this is a far more horrible feeling
>>7914134
Why did you feel the need to tell him so?
>Professor talks shit about how she's submitting a story in respected contest
>Muh contest, muh story -- all the bitch talks about
>I submit story in same contest
>Get second place
>Professor gets jack shit
The cunt ignores me every time I walk through muh English department
Kek
>>7913853
You seem to have too much respect for the abilities of the teacher.
They are professors for a reason. This used to be understood.
>>7913946
That means he's good, though.
>>7913853
My professor wrote a really shitty book and had a really shitty band make a really shitty song for it and he made a super shitty promo for that's consists of shots just circling him looking confused. It's on the internet somewhere
>>7914454
haha, loser, I won the first place in that contest.
>>7914201
You could be. It's not guaranteed though.
>>7913853
this happened a couple of times during my college days. the professor i admired the most was an octogenarian one who never wrote a word of fiction and told us (a handful of students who would drink with him after class) all he ever wanted to do was fuck beautiful women, drink great whiskey, and read good books. being a professor at a state college made that dream happen.
>>7913859
>tfw one the creative writing profs at my college included her books on the syllabus
this happens a lot more often in philosophy classes, where the professor includes his/her thesis/dissertations as required reading. wtf, man?
>have great professor
>he literally shapes how you view the canon
>finally get around to getting a copy of his out of print book
>it's genre fic
goddamit harold. goddamit.
>>7914488
Topkek
>>7914512
I know you're just memeing but: Voyage To Arcturus (haven't read his fanfic) goes way beyond genre. It has some fantasy tropes but it's one of the most unique books I've read in my life.
>>7914512
Fuck you, dude. Harold unashamedly loves literature more than everything you've ever loved in your entire life, combined. And he's one of the only people left defending it as worth a damn.
I'm gonna miss him when he's gone. The world is better with him in it.
Fuck you so hard.
>>7914526
I think it might've been one of those books where the author called it sci fi to get it published because no one would touch it if he called it literary. Nowadays, you can't get literary fiction published unless it's some incredibly banal campus novel or a really inane mood piece.
>>7914544
>published in 1920
Whoops, nevermind, I'm retarded.
>>7914541
Sorry, I just hate the Harold hate that has come up here. James Wood is basically next in line, after Harold goes, and he's all right, but even he's started to show cracks in his foundation. The future is not looking good, senpai. Not looking good at all.
>>7914109
Most profs who teach creative writing have MFAs, not PhDs, and just write and teach with no research responsibilities.
>>7914559
>tfw harold thought the current fad of anti-intellectualism and identity politics in literature would fade
>tfw he's the one who's fading
it's a grim future :(
A lot of great writers are mediocre or poor writing teachers, a lot of great writing teachers are mediocre or poor writers. They're two different skills.
>>7913859
That is a fantastic scheme. Is it legal?
>be DFW
>write a novel that critics call "the greatest novel in 30 years"
>none of your students know about your books or that one of them was popular enough to land you an interview with Charlie Rose
>they probably don't even know who Charlie Rose is
>they just know you as the notorious "grammar nazi" teacher
>>7916156
I have a hard time believing that happened.
>>7916129
It's sleazy, but I don't think there are any laws against it. University policy may vary from school to school though.
>>7914479
Find video plz
>>7916210
Because it didn't. He was relatively famous for an author after IJ.
>>7914134
Ouch
>>7914134
What was it, anyway? Some sort of YA Dystopian Fantasy shite?
>>7913853
I have that feel except my prof actually writes pretty good novels.
Tibor Fischer, by the way
>>7914134
shoulda just told him to release it under a psuedonym
>>7914479
your professor sounds like a gnarly dude
>>7916306
>>7916401
I would not have been so hard on him if I didn't think he was a decent guy. I was trying to be mean enough that he wouldn't go around showing it off to others but nice enough that I wouldn't completely discourage him from writing forever. That's why I told him it's great he wrote a book and I still want to read the next. I definitely didn't think he'd self publish it. When I found out he self published it I just kinda facepalmed.
>>7916321
Basically, yes. He didnt intend it to be YA and it was fantasy but not exactly fantasy like you'd immediately think of the fantasy genre. I don't want to out him completely on the off chance he's here. He's never mentioned 4chan but I also had no idea he was writing anything, either.
>>7913973
Delusional
>>7913853
>tfw your professor is an incredibly talented poet
feels good man
>>7916455
Naw dude a lot of people go into teaching and academia when they realize they can't cut it at what they do. I know it sounds harsh, but I've noticed this within a lot of the humanities at my college. Some may do it temporarily before transitioning into something else, but in most cases it's like the plan B for them.
>>7913946
reminds me of my own first year class
>modern and contemporary literature
>tutor is writing his PhD in Australian poetry
>a few years later, browsing lit journals in uni library
>find an article that my tutor from first year wrote
>'oh shit'
>it's about how Australia is the mecca of poetry and how our accent, slang, the phonetics of our speech etc. makes for a more expressive form of poetry
>lists 20 contemporary poets he thinks deserve to win the nobel prize
>mfw everything his says is logical and compelling
>>7914134
Oh man, I had a similar experience, although not quite as bad.
A girl I do a lot of classes with at uni and generally get along with published a short story that was incoherent degeneracy in our uni's monthly magazine. It switched tense all the time, characters were introduced in one sentence (ie 'i walked into the living room and said hello to Jane') and simply forgotten about and never mentioned again. Also, every character in the story had the same name as one of her close friends in real life (and the narrator was clearly based on her).
She asked me if I liked it:
'well, you know, I guess it just wasn't my thing.'
'Yeah, but what did you think?
'I think the less I say about it the better...'
She told me that all her other friends that read it thought it was really deep, and it was a shame I couldn't understand how profound it was. She barely passed a first year creative writing subject later that same year.
>>7916522
>cunt
>fuckin hell cunt
> cunt cunt
>punt the cunt like a footy playa
>right
>good cunt
There. 1 Australian Nobel prize please.
>>7916568
i feel nothing
>>7913853
Conversely a good writer may not be able to articulate his method to a student.
coaching and writing are two different skillsets.
>going to university to be taught how to read
lmao
