An editor posted this joke when I was first writing. Alas, I don’t know where it originated, or where to attribute it. If anyone is aware of the origins, please let me know. It’s one of those things ‘out there online’ so I hope it’s okay to reproduce it here; if anyone can tell me differently, again please advise. For now, I believe it’s an important message to pass along.
Sometimes new writers ask others for advice. This sums up my unmitigated advice to writers and all creative people everywhere:
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.
The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame he makes that little boy walk.”
They then decided they both would walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.
The moral of the story?
If you try to please everyone, you might as well…
Kiss your ass goodbye!