Summary

The author warns new writers to be cautious of self-proclaimed writing experts who merely mimic others' advice without real experience or creative thought.

Abstract

The article titled "No Not Everybody’s An Expert" on the website underscores the prevalence of individuals in the writing community who present themselves as experts without possessing genuine expertise or original ideas. These individuals, likened to parrots, regurgitate advice they've heard from others, often for personal gain, such as financial reward or recognition. The author emphasizes the importance of discernment for new writers, advising them to seek guidance from seasoned writers who have a proven track record of diverse and resonant storytelling, rather than falling for the superficial allure of 'experts' who lack authentic experience and insight.

Opinions

The author believes that many self-styled writing experts are actually just repeating what they have heard from others, without any personal experience or creative achievements.
It is suggested that these 'parrots' are motivated by the prospect of receiving payment or other rewards for their mimicry, rather than a genuine desire to help others.
The article posits that true writing expertise comes from lived experience, making mistakes, and learning from them, not from simply echoing the words of others.
The author advises new writers to be skeptical of anyone who claims to be an expert and to instead look for guidance from established writers with a substantial body of work that demonstrates their understanding and skill in the craft.
There is a clear distinction made between those who contribute meaningful, original content and those who merely imitate others for personal benefit.
The author expresses a desire for these 'parrots' to recognize the impact of their actions on new writers and to start providing more thoughtful and authentic advice.

No Not Everybody’s An Expert

Most are just parrots

Image by Marjon Besteman-Horn on Pixabay

Disclaimer — no birds were harmed in the telling of this story. Now, feelings? Well, we’ll see, won’t we?

Parrots are such beautiful creatures. All the gorgeous plumage. Majestically colorful blends of the prism. Simply gorgeous. But you know they have another unique feature, right? Yes, they do, those spectacular fowls can mimic human language.

If you’ve ever owned a parrot (I haven’t, but one of my daughters has), you can spend hours teaching your pet how to talk. There’s the ubiquitous “Polly want a cracker?” that is always a fantastic ice-breaker when you invite the pastor and his new third wife over to the house for dinner.

If you’re really ambitious, you can work with your Polly adopting a more boot camp intensity until your feather friend is spewing the Gettysburg address at the top of its birdy lungs.

And hanging upside down on its perch.

Yes, they are simply marvelous birds, reciting everything you want them to verbatim so they can have another hit of that magical birdseed you’re holding in your hands.

Be forewarned all you new writers. A lot of these self-professed experts cranking out answers to writing Nirvana are nothing but parrots. All they do is repeat what somebody else is saying.

They’ve never had a single good idea or thought of their own. They’ve never taken a creative writing class in their life. They’ve never had a melt-down because something they’re working on just isn’t cutting it.

They certainly haven’t been around the writing block long enough to understand or convey just how tough this writing career of ours is.

Well, for them, it’s not.

Why? Because all they have to do is repeat what they hear and read from some so-called expert who, by the way, happens to be a larger, more colorful parrot, over and over, and someone’s bound to pop a little coin in their mouth.

All they have to do is write all these beautiful things they read and hear verbatim but with their own little screechy voice, and just like the parrot they are, they get another hit from your pocketbook.

Keep popping the seeds in their mouths Karen the parrots are talking.

Here’s one thing you new writers need to know. If you come upon somebody calling themselves an expert (be careful, a lot of these parrots have learned not to use the word expert) verbally or you sense what they’re telling you is probably a bunch of untried, unrealistic bullshit.

It most probably is.

Keep in mind it’s probably just another Polly, mimicking what they heard from another parrot who is mimicking what it heard from another parrot.

They’re doing it because they all want your f*ckin’ crackers.

Don’t do it. Trust me, none of us veterans here think we’re experts. We know there’s really no such thing. You’re either a writer or you’re not. Hey, we might provide you guidance every now and then, but usually, it’s because we’ve lived through a major f*ckup, and we wouldn’t wish the kind of pain and torture we just experienced on anybody.

Well, except for maybe the parrots. They could use a little real life-lesson every now and then. Perhaps they’d close their beaks and start using the ball bearings they have for brains to think about what the hell they’re doing to the new writers among us.

Polly want a cracker? Of course, they do.

Here it is new writers. There’s a ton of beautiful birds here who will stretch their wings, dazzle you with their colorful plumage and spout nonsensical bullshit they’ve read or heard from other parrots just to get some of your money.

Many of you will fall prey.

Sorry, I wish it wasn’t so, but all the veterans here know it’s true. A lot of us here have the exact same kind of scars you’re going to earn on this journey. Many of you will fall prey. But at least do this before you start heeding advice.

If they’re any good they’ve got hundreds of stories.

Check out these writers as best you can. Don’t just read a single piece and think you’re done. A shit ton of the great writers here don’t pour out their entire soul or the thoughts in their head in one piece. If they’re any good, they’ve got hundreds of stories.

If they resonate with you. If they make you smile, make you happy, or make you feel good about what you’ve done and the direction you’re heading, then listen to them.

Learn from them.

They may never call themselves an expert, but you can be damn sure they ain’t a Polly.

Thank you so much for reading. You didn’t have to, but I’m certainly glad you did.

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