The Downside of the Internet

I've always read as if I were starving and the mere written words, regardless of quality, could sustain me. I can count on one hand the number of books that I've started but never finished... like the vast majority of you... I just have to read.

That said... lately I've been considering the internet... the proponderance of the written word there... and the overdose of it all.

Believe it or not I've been trying to work out a serious novel... to organize it... and I am finding increasing difficulty. I'm begining to wonder...

The majority of the writing on the net is complete crap. Everyone has a blog.. and they write at break neck speed... even though given their actual ability they should probably be firmly limited to a paragraph or two per day.

I'm using a lot of words to say something pretty simple right now... which is one reason I'm working on a novel and not a short story... but the point is... what if all this exposure to crappy writing is influencing us in ways we don't necessarily appreciate?

If hours spent reading quality writing can improve one's writing ability (assuming one has some in the first place) then isn't it possible that hours spent reading crap could be harmful?

A wise man once said... the blogosphere is made up of people with nothing to say, and an undeniable urge to say it. That's not a ringing endorsment... and indeed... I find myself more and more turned off. The number of blogs that I regularly visit shrinks continually. I'm not saying that the blogosphere has jumped the shark by any stretch... I'm just wondering if millions of monkies pounding on keyboards really will produce a great work of literature. Because so far its not looking to good.