I'm not sure I believe in...
...writer's block. I do believe in people wanting so badly to be writers, but really have little, if nothing to say.
...freelance writing gurus. I do believe that most them are nothing but hucksters making their money from writing books on how to become a freelance writer, rather than actually doing it. Just like all those middle-of-the-night informercial guys selling their programs on how to make money investing in real estate.
...starving artists. I do believe in self-fulfilling prophecies.
...teaching people how to become writers. I do believe you can make people better, help them understand craft and grammar and the such, but the talent for putting words together is something that comes from such a different, distant place.
...poetry contests. I do believe that 99% of them are scams preying on the desperation of aspiring poets looking for validation.
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1 comment:
Yes to all of those -- especially #4. I think this whole "anyone can write" thing is a symptom of a larger societal glitch in the West in which it has become unacceptable to acknowledge innate ability as a requirement for doing something well. That mentality, in turn, creates the necessary opening for #2 to flourish.
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