Paying forward | Pinnacle Newsletter #12
#12 Paying forward
Twenty years ago, when I first started writing fiction, I was a member of a web forum called Forward Motion run by sci-fi author Holly Lisle. At the time, I'd never seen anything like it. The ethos was simple: no matter how experienced or inexperienced you might be, pay it forward.
I haven't been an active member of FM for more than a decade, but I remember it as a positive place where beginners learned from old hands. You could post chapters for critique, and other writers would be glad to help you out, secure in the knowledge that someone else more experienced would return the favour somewhere down the line. The system worked remarkably well.
I've always remembered this very simple ethos, and have tried to apply it in my own small way where I can.
There can be a tendency to see other writers or creators as the competition, but the truth is that someone else's success does not detract from your own, and there's room enough for everyone.
I wasn't really in a position to do much paying forward for a long time, other than critiquing the work of others and advising where I could. Now, I consider myself fortunate in that I've climbed a couple of rungs up the ladder and can help people in tangible ways: editing entire manuscripts, publishing first-time features from new writers, and more.
I try my best to use that privilege wisely, and am always conscious of the help I received myself many years ago – and continue to receive today. Because the truth is that nobody has ever 'made it'. There is always more that you want to do, the failures will always sting, and there are always many people far more experienced than you are. You'll probably never stop feeling a stab of imposter syndrome every now and again. I do all the time.
Of course, paying forward doesn't only apply to writing. In the mountains, we're all serving the long apprenticeship, and there's a time-honoured tradition of paying forward that knowledge. I continue to learn from experienced mountaineers and backpackers while passing down the things I've learned through my own travels.
In an age of individualism, remember to look down and help others while you're on your way up. Paying forward benefits everyone.
An admin note
I'm performing site maintenance on alexroddie.com, so you may notice weird behaviour. To cut a long story short, I designed myself into a corner with the old theme, but my late-2017 plan of building the site from the ground up in hand-crafted HTML won't scale for what I want. I'm sticking with WordPress but building a new responsive theme from scratch. There will be rough edges until it's finished, which could take a few weeks.
Recently published
Yep, it's another week of TGO links and nothing on the blog. I have a deadline coming up on Monday, so I'm looking forward to a slightly less crazy period (fingers crossed).
Review: Ordnance Survey Aventura GPS – my review of a deeply flawed GPS device. It's clearly aimed at beginners, but that price…
Watch my video review here.
Mapped walk: Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill, Peak District.
Links of interest
Snowbound – a great digital feature from a new writer. I loved working on this one.
Walking for mental health – the thru-hiker – Keith Foskett talks about walking and mental health.
Forty years ago, Chris Townsend set out from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Wildlife and Attitude.
Geoff is supporting Cancer Research UK on his Channel to Med ride.
GPS-enabled trail guide apps vs. general-purpose GPS navigation apps – some crucial advice here, given the proliferation of nav apps, many of which have unknown provenance.
From my Commonplace Book
To do good, you actually have to do something.
– Yvon Chouinard
Until next time,
Alex
www.alexroddie.com