4 ms·

This has that cringey quality you can only find in self-indulgent writing. Kind of like what you'd expect from a small lib arts school undergrad lit major. Some

by itisit 4y ago

This has that cringey quality you can only find in self-indulgent writing. Kind of like what you'd expect from a small lib arts school undergrad lit major. Some things are better left unwritten or delivered in conversation over a drink or two.

aeontech 4y ago
Sounds like it’s not your cup of tea, but I wonder what prompts you to leave this negative comment? Do you think the author will read it and change his style? And, what do you think about the actual matter subject of the post rather than the style?
- itisit 4y ago
  > Sounds like it’s not your cup of tea, but I wonder what prompts you to leave this negative comment? The hackneyed gerund-noun title is reason enough. Seriously, the writing is coming from someone who wants to be a writer as opposed to just being one: the contrived cadence, the awkward diction, the constant minutiae... > Do you think the author will read it and change his style? Hopefully. > And, what do you think about the actual matter subject of the post rather than the style? It's a terribly cliched type of travel essay: "This city is absurd, but there's beauty in places."
  - Veen 4y ago
    > the writing is coming from someone who wants to be a writer as opposed to just being one Mod has made a living writing, creating books, and taking photographs for many years. I'd say that makes him a writer, not a wannabe writer. You have critiqued his style, and that's fine. You don't like it, but your stylistic preferences don't govern who deserves to be considered a writer. Would you mind sharing an example of writing that is in your preferred style?
  - closedloop129 4y ago
    >But you learn. You learn to navigate the shameful ATMs, and you learn, quickly, routes between places that avoid the crowds. You learn the Biennale is Good. And you find a talented shiatsu specialist named Lorenzo who communicates only via Google Translate. Isn't that style meant to be read ironically? The general 'you' cannot learn about the shiatsu specialist named Lorenzo. Is that still bad style?
- smcl 4y ago
  Sometimes it's nice to shout into the void a bit when something irritates you - I can't say I haven't ever done the same :)
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
tamade 4y ago
I enjoy his travelogues and photography. His observations of Japan as a foreign resident are particularly perceptive. He's been able to indulge in a life as a travel writer-- if you can look past the cringe there's quite a lot there.
ricardobayes 4y ago
I'm glad I was not the only one thinking that. The writing is clunky and the verbiage is weird even for someone who travels often. Probably the peppered-in Japanese does it in, which is completely unrelatable to anyone who's not an expat in Japan.
bufferout 4y ago
I couldn't agree more. A tourist patronising other tourists from the self-perceived giddy heights of extrospection.

by itisit 4y ago

aeontech 4y ago

Sounds like it’s not your cup of tea, but I wonder what prompts you to leave this negative comment? Do you think the author will read it and change his style? And, what do you think about the actual matter subject of the post rather than the style?

itisit 4y ago
> Sounds like it’s not your cup of tea, but I wonder what prompts you to leave this negative comment? The hackneyed gerund-noun title is reason enough. Seriously, the writing is coming from someone who wants to be a writer as opposed to just being one: the contrived cadence, the awkward diction, the constant minutiae... > Do you think the author will read it and change his style? Hopefully. > And, what do you think about the actual matter subject of the post rather than the style? It's a terribly cliched type of travel essay: "This city is absurd, but there's beauty in places."
- Veen 4y ago
  > the writing is coming from someone who wants to be a writer as opposed to just being one Mod has made a living writing, creating books, and taking photographs for many years. I'd say that makes him a writer, not a wannabe writer. You have critiqued his style, and that's fine. You don't like it, but your stylistic preferences don't govern who deserves to be considered a writer. Would you mind sharing an example of writing that is in your preferred style?
- closedloop129 4y ago
  >But you learn. You learn to navigate the shameful ATMs, and you learn, quickly, routes between places that avoid the crowds. You learn the Biennale is Good. And you find a talented shiatsu specialist named Lorenzo who communicates only via Google Translate. Isn't that style meant to be read ironically? The general 'you' cannot learn about the shiatsu specialist named Lorenzo. Is that still bad style?
smcl 4y ago
Sometimes it's nice to shout into the void a bit when something irritates you - I can't say I haven't ever done the same :)

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

tamade 4y ago

I enjoy his travelogues and photography. His observations of Japan as a foreign resident are particularly perceptive. He's been able to indulge in a life as a travel writer-- if you can look past the cringe there's quite a lot there.

ricardobayes 4y ago

I'm glad I was not the only one thinking that. The writing is clunky and the verbiage is weird even for someone who travels often. Probably the peppered-in Japanese does it in, which is completely unrelatable to anyone who's not an expat in Japan.

bufferout 4y ago

I couldn't agree more. A tourist patronising other tourists from the self-perceived giddy heights of extrospection.