Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Cringe Factor
One of the most gratifying things about writing is that you (usually) get better at it the longer you've spent doing it. After several years and a few hard knocks, I've found that the only way to be a better writer is to write (and not add to my HUGE collection of books on writing).

The down side (and there's just the one) is the skin-crawling, face-numbing, full-body recoil when I read something I wrote way back when. I occasionally Google myself, and it hurts me to know this is still out there (yah-haw-haw-haw-HAWN). I wrote this almost five years ago when I was an idiot. And thanks to this (circa 1999), my name is linked to multiple relationship and dating advice web sites, oddly enough. It should have a sarcasm disclaimer and an addenda that no-one should EVER take relationship advice from ME. There's more, but I can't bear to look.

I can hide my blast from the past print clips away and never look at them, but a lot of what's on the Internet stays on the Internet. Right?

3 comments:

  1. Uh, no. One of my clients actually googled me! The next time I talked to her, she started telling me about mutual friends in Savannah because she'd seen from the google results that I used to live there. It was a little stalkery, but still tame. Be careful what's floating out there about you. Like, um, shampoo horns.

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  2. Ew. I had a guy I was dating while A.S. and I were broken up, and he googled me and sent me a message with the WORST lede I have ever written just to make fun of me. I was so humiliated. THe guy was a Republican... need I say more?

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  3. I google almost everyone I meet now. Definitely anyone I date. I would never tell them, but I do it. I forget that other people know how to do it too. Until I meet someone at a party and they tell me they read this article online that I wrote in 1997...

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