Opinion: Lazy Writing Doesn't Exist

Lazy is commonly used to describe bad writing in fiction. Be it in a movie, a tv show, a song or even a video game, if it's bad, the first kneejerk reaction is to call it lazy. I myself am guilty of this, but as I've grown older I realize that that particular word is not only false, it is hurtful. To call a writer's work (or the writer themselves) lazy is to imply that they did not do there job. Not that they didn't do their job well, but rather they didn't do the job at all. Let's talk about that clear as day difference.

A writer's job is to, well, write. Specifically, they have to turn the ideas in their heads into written words on paper. If that sounds easy, let me be the first to tell you having several years of experience in writing: 👏it's👏not. Even if you have basic spelling and grammar rules down, you still need to structure your work so that it's easy to read and follow. You also have to give your piece your own unique voice. How does your writing skills stand out from everyone else's? What makes your material worth reading? Another factor that comes into the writing process is learning to take constructive criticism and improving on previous works. And when I say criticism, I'm talking about feedback that's on the lines of "I didn't find this piece very interesting. Maybe add some comedy or character drama." That's the type of criticism you should listen too when you want to be a better writer. As for the ones you should ignore, that's where today's topic comes in.

The literal definition of the word "lazy" is being unwilling to work or use energy. Whenever I hear this word lumped into what's supposed to be constructive criticism, I roll my eyes and think "oh you don't know how wrong you are." Fart jokes are often called lazy because apparently anyone can do it. Tell me, can anyone you know make a fart joke funny every single time? Writers are also called lazy for ignoring plot holes. Can you name me a single work of fiction without plot holes so that writers can use that as an example? Then there's the times when writers incorporate pop culture references and are called lazy for that. So writers aren't supposed to make pop culture references anymore even though they've been doing in since Day 1?

See the problem with using lazy as a form of criticism is it implies the writers were just sitting on their couch all day and let the written work write itself. Maybe the writer included the fart joke because they thought it was funny. Maybe the writer ignored a "plot hole" because nobody needs to know everything that doesn't matter. Maybe the writer included a pop culture reference as a fun little nod to a previous work. You never know and you should watch what you say because being called lazy is not helpful: it's hurtful.