As a member of an active and passionate writers group, I have participated in many a debate over many different writing related subjects. For example, I once told a guy to check out the book How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish. (And I’m telling all of you to go read it too.)
On the surface, telling a writer he needs to learn how to write a sentence could be construed as being…ummmm…rude. Incredibly rude. Harsh even.
But I didn’t stab him. Nor did he stab me.
Unlike this guy.
Apparently, one gentleman asserted that prose was the only real writing. He became the victim of a friend who also happened to be a poet. The poet stabbed the prose proponent to death.
So, look, there are really only a few rules in this game:
1. Write hard.
2. Write well.
2. Remember writing is subjective — so don’t kill your friends. No matter how much you’ve been drinking.
And while I may have taken too joking a tone over this, I am well aware that a man is dead. His death was tragic and a truly terrible thing. I hope what we take away from this is that there is enough room for everyone to have their own opinions and to create beautiful things — poetry, prose, or otherwise. Rest in peace.
Yikes. Perhaps the real lesson here is don't go drinking with crazy people!