Saturday, January 10, 2009

Down with the economy, up with literature!

Or some optimists believe.

As Geoff Dyer says, "Anyone who has an eye on the market is not a writer but a whore." READ IT HERE

So write what you want to write, dollars be damned.


Peace, Linda
Posted by Linda at Saturday, January 10, 2009
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6 comments:

  1. J. M. StrotherJanuary 10, 2009 at 4:06 PM

    "So write what you want to write, dollars be damned."

    I like that.
    ~jon

    ReplyDelete
  2. HopeJanuary 11, 2009 at 5:29 AM

    I may adopt this as a new mantra!


    ...and I missed you too *shy eyes*


    Much love,

    Hope

    ReplyDelete
  3. ... PaigeJanuary 11, 2009 at 9:55 AM

    I do write what I want. Duh, I thought I was following you
    My bad!

    ReplyDelete
  4. GretaJanuary 12, 2009 at 12:39 PM

    I'm on the right track--writing what I want. Now if I could just freaking FINISH something!!!

    Thanks for the link, Linda. Good stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  5. StephenJanuary 13, 2009 at 3:36 PM

    To some extent, I think Dyer's comment is spot on. We should write what we want, but there will always be some element of the "market" to this business of writing. Sure, we're probably tired of lust-riddled romances ... and stories of vampires ... and books about wizard prodigies. Those kinds of market-driven stories are good examples of the whoredom that Dyer mentions. But to suggest that we just write and write and write, and let the world find us, may be a prescription for a lonely, lonely road indeed. Lately, I am learning that publishers are often asking what we can bring to the table. It's not enough that we can write one story or one novel.

    So then, it leaves me as a writer to wonder where I might end up if I never consider the market for my work. Or built one, for that matter. Which is why, as the author of this article suggests, and have others, today's writers are required to take alternative routes to create their own market (or make an inroad into a pre-existing one) by using blogs and myspaces, etc., etc., etc. And once established, hopefully the writer can persuade the publisher that the market is already there and the "commercial" changes to the story are unnecessary.

    As writers, we need to be our strongest advocate, and that includes making ourselves marketable.

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  6. LindaJanuary 13, 2009 at 5:03 PM

    Stephen, So well put. I absolutely agree with you - we writers DO need to keep an eye to the market. Always. But to CHASE the market? I don't think so. By the time we catch up, the front runner's fallen behind and ducking behind a tree, passed by another.

    Write what you want, make it the best you can, market the work AND yourself, and persist. These, plus a bit o' luck, might bring us closer to publication.

    Peace, Linda

    ReplyDelete

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