I've been writing for a long time. When I first attempted to get published right after college it was poetry and literary short fiction I specialized in. It was a painful experience because at the time there was a lot of snobbery in those spaces. It was all about who you knew and who you wrote like. Everyone trying to be the next Raymond Carver.
In the creative writing program I was in, if you were writing, reading or even discussing genre fiction you were looked down on. Everyone was in competition for one of the few slots in the various magazines and publications that were considered to be erudite enough to submit to. It was not a fun program and from what I've heard it's representative of many of the other writing programs of that time (late 80s).
One of the things I adore about the self publishing community is the open and friendly sense of camaraderie that pervades. I meet and talk to lots of other SPAs and everyone tries to help each other. I've really not met any that weren't friendly and open. We retweet each other, we read each other's work, we share experiences and ideas and it's so comfortable.
But there are still those folks out there who love to talk about themselves as Published Authors, and brag about the Reputable Publishing Company they signed with. They're poisonous, competitive and hostile. I really don't miss those people.
Today I read a review that some author-to-remain-unnamed put on Goodreads. It was three paragraphs that opened with a disclaimer detailing her complete lack of relationship with the author, the second talked about how horrible the book was in every possible way. And the third said that she wasn't going to leave a review or stars because she couldn't get past page 30. Why would someone EVER do that to another author?
This is an excellent blog. I admit that in the very early 80's I was one of those fools who wanted to be the next Ray Carver. In fact, I had intentions to study with John Gardner, and then he died in the motorcycle accident in September of '82. I enjoy being where I am so much more now. I'm not saying I had a bad experience in the writer's program I attended--in fact I learned a lot. But I have no patience anymore for the snobbery. They almost come across as entitled, which drives me nuts. I see so many other fine writers working hard and they deserve the attention. Perhaps it's because so many of us have lived a chunk of life and have something to say? What do you think? I could go on about this all night but will spare you. Thanks for the post, happy writing, and best wishes from Texas!
ReplyDeleteI can't speak to how others reached a similar place, but my problem was twofold.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I took up writing because of my love of reading from a young age but another smaller component was that I was socially awkward and like reading, I expected writing to be a personal expression, measured on it's merits. It ended up being a deeply political environment--not in terms of politics of government, etc, but in terms of networking, who you knew, and so on.
Second, after completing my degree in creative writing and struggling to get my poetry and literary short fiction published, I realized I wasn't writing what I loved to read--science fiction & fantasy. I had another realization at the same time. I love stories for the sake of stories, not writing for the sake of art or literary intellectualism. Stories are such a basic part of what humans are and have been that they transcend everything that makes us different. I'd rather tell a meaningful, entertaining story that features impossibilities than to ever write another piece that attempts to "document the human condition by exploring the mundane world we live in" or some other intellectual exercise. So many of my peers at the time couldn't even tell a simple story but they were able to hide that behind artistic aspirations.
When the dust settled I found myself writing what I love to read.