Everyday Junglist
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About me. You know how everyone says to be a successful writer you should focus in one or two areas. I continue to prove them correct.
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There is a Price to Be Paid For “Dumbing Down” Your Writing to Appeal to the “Average” Reader
There seems to be some consensus, at least on across the blogosphere, that in order to appeal to the so called “average reader” and maximize readership it is necessary to “dumb down” one’s writings. In the past I have come down very hard against this idea. In particular I take issue with the idea of grade level writing, or trying to keep one’s style and grammar and vocabulary choices at or below a certain arbitrary grade level, sixth and eighth grade seem to be the most common options. The idea being that people are generally not all that smart, not that patient, and will quickly click away from anything that challenges their intellect or in which they encounter unusual words they are not familiar with. Basically anything that makes them to think too much or forces them to come to terms with their own ignorance. Recently a writing colleague on a different site responded to my insistence that I would never dumb down my writing by asking a very simple question, would it hurt to do so? She went on to explain that as a non native speaker of English it is even more difficult for her than for most to keep up with “higher level” writing and she lamented that it was very frustrating having to constantly “go up and get a dictionary” to look up words that she did not know. I will admit the non native speaker was not the stereotype of the person I had in my head when imagining these so called ordinary joe’s and jane’s, and her points had some validity. They certainly forced me to stop and think about my position, and ultimately caused me to write this piece. For that I am eminently thankful to her and her question.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Writers
Eight Rules for Publishing Articles That No One Will Ever Notice
I get almost no views here on Vocal (and, until I got suspended for the second time, I got almost no views on my previous internet publishing home, Medium). On Vocal I have had just 74 reads in the past 30 days. I’ve been writing for close to seven years, one to three stories most days. It’s pretty exciting to think about how much time I have wasted.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Writers
Writing Articles That People Want to Read is Not My Objective
I call your attention to two articles out of many millions that are available online purporting to give you the secret for success in writing on internet based web publishing sites or social platforms (linked below).
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Writers
So You Think You Want to Write Humor and Satire?
Author's prepreface: I published this on Vocal two years ago, and on Medium before that, but thought I would resurrect it yet again with just a few changes for Vocal's new Writing community. Hopefully it will get at least a few more views there then it has anywhere else. I happen to think it is quite funny.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Writers
The Reason I Will Never Make any Money Writing
Author's preface: Hopefully now fully approved. lol! If you are anything like me (trust me, you are not), then you suck at writing. That said, just because you suck at something doesn’t mean you can’t make shit tons of cash by doing it. Look at this very website (Vocal.media). There are a few truly great writers who regularly contribute, some pretty darn good ones, a few more OK ones, a shit ton of average or below average ones, and the remaining who probably make up just over 51% of the writing population here, the terrible, horrible, downright craptastic ones. Oh, and then there’s me. I will leave it to the reader to decide where I fit in on that sliding scale of trainwreckage, but that is really beside the point. The point is that there are a boatload of writers in that 51% who are making gobs and gobs of cash by writing. Yep, you read that correctly, you don’t have to be one of the greats, or average, or any good at all, to fulfill your dreams of endless bags of cocaine and supermodel blowjobs by the gross, through writing. Female dreams and your own dreams may differ slightly from mine of course. And, no, btw, that is not my dream in case you were wondering. I was just trying to be funny, and failing terribly, as is my typical style, and a pretty good example of just how bad I suck at writing.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Writers
A Warning About Warning
Warning by Jenny Joseph was written in 1961 and, unlike its main character, has not aged well. It's vision of rebellion which features wearing non-matching clothes and trampling flowers in your neighbors garden is so anodyne as to be offensive considering what was happening in the counterculture of the time.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Critique
Brink of War
Author pre pre-preface: I think everything is now sorted, and while I did publish this story earlier with a different title, I am publishing it again with this title as a test and because it links to the earlier pieces in the series in the author's preface below. Why not just add the links to the other version you published Dan? you might be asking if you are not hopelessly confused or totally clueless or just pissed off at me right now. Great question, would be my reply. lol!
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Fiction
Can We Stop Writing Stories with Titles That Are Questions Now Please?. Top Story - August 2023.
Author's preface: Another story that was mysteriously not approved for publication the first time around. Somehow my account got flagged as AI or spam. Flattered but obviously not true. I am a real person I can assure you of that. Also, there is no such thing as AI, but that is a topic for a different article. LOL!
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Writers
The Whisphering Video
In a certain country there was once great lamentation over a deadly virus that caused great sickness, killed much of its people, and laid waste its economy. The President promised a large reward to anyone who would free the land from this plague; but the virus was able to mutate so quickly that no one could develop a medicine which could stop it. At last the President gave notice that whosoever should develop a medicine or vaccine that could kill or stop the virus should have his only daughter to wife.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Fiction
Tales of the Goddess
"And what is your opinion, Goddess?" Baj immediately regretted those words coming out of his mouth for he knew the answer he would get even before it escaped the rouge red, pouty lips of the Goddess. It was one of her favorite pith philosophical observations on the nature of Gods and mortals, and no matter how often she said it (a lot) it also pleased her to no end and irked the ever living shit out of Baj. This is no doubt one of the reasons she took so much delight in saying it. "Gods and Goddesses do not have opinions mortal, for once we say something it is a fact." Baj groaned out loud and snorted drawing a look from the Goddess that could freeze the ocean and a sharp snap of pain across his mind as she punished him with a mental slap. It stung, much worse than an actual whip, which is what it was meant to emulate. This was how the Goddess maintained control of her servants. Of course, that same whip could be used to deliver great pleasure as well, great pleasure. As to what either did for the Goddess Baj could not say, but in this instance at least the ability to punish must have brought her some satisfaction for she smiled and laughed wickedly as he winced in pain, dropping to one knee from the force of it. "Do not forget your place mortal. Do not mock your Goddess. Ever." He glared up at her from his one knee and replied quietly "Of course Goddess, Please forgive me my insolence. Sometimes I forget just how holy and exalted you actually are." The Goddess smiled, pleased at his words of contrition even though they were said without a shred of earnesty. Even after untold milennia of living among mortals she still struggled mightily to grasp the concepts of sarcasm and irony. This fact gave Baj much pleasure and he constantly mocked the Goddess in ways she thought of as genuine admiration and praise. It was one of the very few ways he had of fighting back against the barrage of minor humilations she threw in his direction.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Fiction
