are authors actually Dumb?

Agentt

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so I am pretty sure, all readers and authors know, but sometimes, or more like all the times, authors do write some pretty dumb shit -no offense-, so because of that I just had to ask, could it be that authors are actually not doing that from laziness but from dumbness?

like, imagine someone working on a novel, and thinking about it too much, going through revisions, and even having stress about publishing - of course not all, and also to varying degrees-, and because of that, his mental capacity get full and he starts losing his sharpness. so, do you think that may actually be the reason why some author's IQ decrease? why they keep forgetting what they have written? and why their characters seem so stupid?

what do you think?
Yes, very much so. Writing is an exhaustive process, and even completing a novel is a great feat, so they do anything they can to finish it
 

BlackKnightX

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so I am pretty sure, all readers and authors know, but sometimes, or more like all the times, authors do write some pretty dumb shit -no offense-, so because of that I just had to ask, could it be that authors are actually not doing that from laziness but from dumbness?

like, imagine someone working on a novel, and thinking about it too much, going through revisions, and even having stress about publishing - of course not all, and also to varying degrees-, and because of that, his mental capacity get full and he starts losing his sharpness. so, do you think that may actually be the reason why some author's IQ decrease? why they keep forgetting what they have written? and why their characters seem so stupid?

what do you think?
There are a lot of factors. First, think about it, most authors, me included, want to write something that we ourself want to read, so realism and believability are put in the backseat.

We write fiction, create a world and characters however we like with our imaginations. We couldn’t care less about realism. As the adage goes: “Write drunk, edit sober.”

We are drunk and completely absorbed in our own world, until reality kicks in when it’s time for editing.

So, that’s one of the reason why you might find some inconsistencies, plot holes, and not-so-believable situations in some stories. Most writers just create the ideal world they want to live in and the ideal characters they want to be or be with.

Put it simply; it’s wish-fulfillment.

It’s not that the authors are dumb, it’s just that they don’t care about realism as much. I mean, why would they? This is fictions they’re writing, the made-up stories, so why would they have to care about the real world, right?

Though, with that way of thinking, it also raises another problem; some readers can’t immerse themselves in an unrealistic story, so they will point out any fault and error they find.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but honestly, if you have to do that every time, then you’ll never be able to have fun reading. Just go find the story that suits you. There’s no point in criticizing the story that doesn’t suit your preference. It’s just stupid.

Now, with all that rambling out of the way, the point is this; most authors just write what they want to read, so some dumb shits you see in the story are just what the authors want.

It’s dumb? Who cares as long as the author and some readers like it. It’s stupid? That’s just preference. Heck, I could even say a masterpiece is stupid if I don’t like it.

To conclude all these; the authors aren’t dumb, they just don’t give a fuck about realism, believability, consistency, and all that as long as it’s fun and entertaining for them and the readers. (Well, not all authors are like this. Some do care about believability and realism. If you really want to find such authors, go to Amazon or something.)

Well, hope that helps clear things up for you. (Or maybe not, that’s fine~ 😝)
 
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Ilikewaterkusa

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so I am pretty sure, all readers and authors know, but sometimes, or more like all the times, authors do write some pretty dumb shit -no offense-, so because of that I just had to ask, could it be that authors are actually not doing that from laziness but from dumbness?

like, imagine someone working on a novel, and thinking about it too much, going through revisions, and even having stress about publishing - of course not all, and also to varying degrees-, and because of that, his mental capacity get full and he starts losing his sharpness. so, do you think that may actually be the reason why some author's IQ decrease? why they keep forgetting what they have written? and why their characters seem so stupid?

what do you think?
It’s easier to write characters that are stupid, spends less brain power.
 

Jemini

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It's not that the authors are dumb. It's that humans are dumb, and that stupidity shines when it comes to anything creative, or rather, when it comes to the very complicated things that require an undeterminate amount of skills of various varieties - such as writing.

Yes, this. Very much this.

I forget which comedian said this, but it is very pertinent quote to this sort of thing.

"Think of how stupid the average person is. Now realize that half of them are even stupider than that."

It is even easier now for the really dumb writers to shine through now as well with so many self-publish options. Web novels are the single lowest bar for entry in the entire world. So, you can expect the dumbest writers to be among webnovelists.

Self-publishing has a slightly higher bar. You need to at least have the money to put into it. However, the dumb ones are going to do so poorly you will never see them. There is a natural weeding-out process. While the simple act of self-publishing is the 2nd lowest bar, actually SUCCEEDING in the self-publishing venue is the single most demanding thing in all of writing, and thus in order to become famous and successful as a self-published author you need to be INCREDIBLY smart. At least in the area of self-marketing.

The big mainstream publishing houses are the highest bar for initial entry, but a much lower bar for success than the self-publish route. Therefore, you need to at least have an above-average IQ to get your book picked up (meaning 115+ IQ) and also have a lot of skill as a writer on top of that. You can see some dumb concepts succeed in the big publishing houses, but even those dumb concepts will usually at least have a good implementation.
 

Letmeintincan

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so I am pretty sure, all readers and authors know, but sometimes, or more like all the times, authors do write some pretty dumb shit -no offense-, so because of that I just had to ask, could it be that authors are actually not doing that from laziness but from dumbness?

like, imagine someone working on a novel, and thinking about it too much, going through revisions, and even having stress about publishing - of course not all, and also to varying degrees-, and because of that, his mental capacity get full and he starts losing his sharpness. so, do you think that may actually be the reason why some author's IQ decrease? why they keep forgetting what they have written? and why their characters seem so stupid?

what do you think?
Gotta be honest. I'm pretty dumb.

Q: Why do authors forget things

For forgetting things, I would say it is a lack of taking notes.

I don't know if you've written before, but remembering everything you write is much more difficult than remembering aspects of something someone else writes. People remember different things sometimes, that's true for authors too. Its ok for the audeince. If they forget a plot point, they forget. If the author forgets, that's bad news bears. Plus, when you're reading a story, you're enjoying it in the moment. There is no time lag between one chapter and another. This is not at all true for authors. In fact, if you don't keep comprehensive notes and can still remember everything, my hats off to you. Finally, writing is a mental process. You have to actually think about what you're writing and come up with something that is at least half interesting.

Q: Why are the characters dumb?

As for stupid characters... I think that tends to happen when drama, plot, etc are the main driving force of the characters. I.E.

I need my Protag to go to the lost woods of kaldabash to find an ancient scepter. However, the lost woods of kaldabash are filled with dangerous beast and whispering fiends. A poor farm boy would never dare go there. Unless...

'Oh no my friend has an incurable disease that can only be healed with ancient fungal leaf found in the heart of the forest. Instead of asking for help, because this is the section is which I'm supposed to be alone in the woods, I shall brashly and rashly dash forth. There is no time for inaction, I say!

Q: Does stress negatively effect the writing process?

Yes
 

LunaSoltaer

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Trying to get the world in your head to a world on (internet) paper is REALLY FRAKKING HARD. It takes endurance, patience, perseverance, actual talent... FUCK.

And then illusion of transparency kicks you in the nethers because you can't turn on "reader mode" on your own work. You KNOW where the plot's going - Unless your characters rebel, which mine DO. You feel that glow of pride a reader might not. You have inclincations your readers may not share. You may think your system for converting sword swings into digital signatures is superhot, but someone else will likely just say "oof yikes".

Most good writers have things called backlogs, slush piles, editors, and beta readers. All of these things exist to prevent the cascade of shit that is one brain trying to conduct an enitre literary symphony.

And that's not taking into account how shit emotions can be for the writing experience (Oh, and how amazing too, but it's fucking dual-edged.)
 

Kitsura

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Yeah, I'm a dumbass that's why I go on hiatus with over 2500 readers.
 

punchew

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so I am pretty sure, all readers and authors know, but sometimes, or more like all the times, authors do write some pretty dumb shit -no offense-, so because of that I just had to ask, could it be that authors are actually not doing that from laziness but from dumbness?

like, imagine someone working on a novel, and thinking about it too much, going through revisions, and even having stress about publishing - of course not all, and also to varying degrees-, and because of that, his mental capacity get full and he starts losing his sharpness. so, do you think that may actually be the reason why some author's IQ decrease? why they keep forgetting what they have written? and why their characters seem so stupid?

what do you think?
yes

my brain is slowly melting
 

K5Rakitan

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Short version: You become the retard to understand the retard
I didn't do it with the intention of understanding the retard. Nobody told me that would happen to me before I gave birth. There are a lot of things they don't tell you.
 

CheertheDead

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Authors are just humans that have crowd issues so they express themselves in silence form. You can’t just expect anyone of us out there to be 120/100. I myself am pretty smart at 101 IQ but sometimes it takes a square root so I can confirm. Yes. Authors are dumb.

I mean if an author said they are dumb, chances are they were not lying.
 
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T.K._Paradox

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Sniffing glue does not make you a better author, but being an author does make you better at sniffing glue.
Writer bad. Tree pretty.
T O U C H G R A S S
Short version: You become the retard to understand the retard
Ah yes, the perfect technique. Crouching Genius, Hidden Dumbass.
I don't have brain damage but I do write while drunk, high, or both. I was also raised by two alcoholics who regularly smoked weed. My memory is shit.
You must be fun at parties.
 

Kuropon

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