The industry versus ourselves

Several of my writer friends, of late, are veering away from writing - finding other activities that stimulate them as much, if not more - activities which they find more empowering.  We had a long discussion tonight about the sense of powerlessness many writers feel.  Being published doesn't change this.  As writers going down the route of traditional publication, we are effectively on the bottom rung of the publishing ladder.  Even when writers are paid vast sums of money for their work, they may still be kept in ignorance about the machinations involved in promotion and publication. 

You might say that in choosing to coach writers, I too have veered away from writing.  In fact, it's not that simple.  The truth is, I don't want to be powerless.  I don't want my fate to be decided by what others do with my books.  One of the reasons I began coaching was because I wanted 'people-contact'; I was tired of the solitude of the writing life.  But a wonderful by-product of coaching has been that I've learned about business; I have, if you like, become entrepreneurial.  And I've discovered I like being in business, because, guess what, it's not disempowering.  I find, with my business, that what I put in is what I get out.  Whereas with writing, it's not such a simple equation.

I suppose, what I've done, is to separate 'writing' from any idea of 'success'.  And I no longer rely on writing  for my income.  This doesn't mean I no longer value the act of writing.  It means that I value that act more, because I value it for the intrinsic worth of the writing  process.  It doesn't need to bring a financial reward in order to be significant.  I don't need the kudos of 'publication' in order to belive my work has value. 

Now that's not to say I'll keep the next finished novel in a drawer and fail to send it to my agent.  Are you kidding?  Sure, I want it 'out there'.  But I honestly don't think the fact of having published three novels makes me any better or worse than any other writer out there.  I know how to write and yes, I believe I'm bloody good at it - why else spend hours of one's life in front of a screen?  But there are plenty of other writers out there who are good too and are simply not published yet.  Or else they've been wrongly overlooked.

What am I saying?  That writing is, first and foremost, an act of expression and communication.  We do it because we are compelled to communicate; because we have that capability.  Yes, there are good writers and bad writers.  But bad writers become good writers all the time because they are determined.  Because they read a lot and get criticism and write more and get better.

The power is in the act of putting a word on a blank page.  It is only in the hands of publishers if we mentally allow there to be an 'us' and a 'them'; the published and the unpublished.  Personally, I don't give a damn, so long as the work has merit.  Like most other writers, I used to sneer at the idea of 'vanity publishing'.  But it's not 'vanity publishing' any more, it's self-publishing and that's a totally different thing.  I think self-publishing has a lot to recommend it.  And don't get me started about e-books... I just love the power that new technology has handed writers.  You can publish yourself instantly and get paid for it - now isn't that a thing?

Yes, I work with writers who want to get published.  But there's SO much more to it than that.  The truth, in my view, is that when we write because we are committed to the art of communication and desire to perfect our ability to communicate in this medium, publication follows as a by-product.  We find the power in our relationship with our work.

What are your views on the role that publication plays in our self-definition as artists? I find this subject endlessly fascinating and would love to hear how you view it. If your opionions are too long for a comment, why not drop me an e-mail and I'll edit your response and post it on the blog?

Comments

[Leo]

I absolutely agree. I think many writers believe that being published will fill a certain need, a void in there life, where as I don't believe it will.
We write because we feel the need to be read, but also because we feel the need to express.
And that to me, means everything.

[Jacqui Lofthouse]

Glad to hear you feel as I do Leo. And good to hear from you.

[Sue George]

Hello,
I just stumbled across this blog as you do - and I'm very pleased to find it.
Re publication... I have had two books - and other chapters of books - published (both sadly quite a while ago now) and that did make me feel like a writer. It made other people think I was a writer too.
But it didn't solve all my problems, it didn't fill that void in my life that Leo refers to, and it most certainly didn't give me much money - even though one book was in print for 11 years and can still be found on amazon.
Not being able to find an agent, and therefore getting any further work published, has been a very hard and painful experience. And a bit of a saga, which I won't go into here.
So thank God for blogging where, even though I don't get paid, I can write what I want, people read it and sometimes comment. I have found this a truly wonderful and, yes, "empowering" experience.
I may yet go down the self-publishing / e-book route too.

[Jacqui Lofthouse]

Hi Sue,

It's very interesting to read about your experience and very good to hear that blogging has been so empowering for you. I'll check out your blog and look forward to reading your work.

Jacqui