Subdued Intrinsic

Personal Tidbit: You can get my favorite socks here. They are massive amounts of rainbowy-striped goodness.

Guys, right now the likelihood of breaking into the writing biz looks bleak. Not only is the recession forcing everyone from publishers and huge retail book chains to literary agencies of all sizes into scaling down but now it seems all those other people--the ones who've never tried writing before--are getting laid off, and a lot of them decided, "Hey, I can add to my income and use this extra time to write that book like I always wanted."

It's difficult not to resent these people because they're stacking the already-insane odds even higher against 'real' writers (what makes someone a real writer as opposed to a delusional one is an existential debate for another day). Agents' slushpiles are growing by leaps and bounds, making it harder for them to find the diamonds in the rough. It's also irritating because the message seems to be, "writing is so easy a laid-off cave man can do it", which is insulting to people who consider writing the main career calling in their lives.

When I heard about this the mental image of a factory amidst a union strike came into my mind, and those 'new writers' were the replacement workers--the 'scabs', if you will--breaking through the picket lines. Only of course we of the original workforce, the ones who have always been doing this job, aren't on strike. We're just being struck.

So, the new challenge is seeing around the ungracious feelings and in finding something that gives you hope regardless of the current standing of the book business.

Here's to your success!