Competition
A good friend of mine, J.A. Konrath, touched on this on his blog, which is my topic of bitching today. The competition in the publishing industry is fierce we all know this but we like to think that no one around me would stab me in the back. Well, guess again. If you are around a lot of writers especially in your genera at some point someone will stab you in the back. One has to be very careful about who you let read, edit or comment about your work.
If someone can tear you down and get you out of the way, they will. I've seen this in writing groups, forums and friends. Speaking of forums, I think they can be of great importance but they are also like high-school. It seems to be a popularity contest and I wasn't popular in high-school. But some people are put on pedestal, which is ridiculous. I don't think anyone should be that important to a forum.
Some could say that I'm jealous but I'm not. But, I don't think that the good of the one should out weight the good of the many. (thank you Star Trek) Many are ignored, questions go unanswered and comments are not interacted with. So I have noticed that many don't even bother posting any longer, which is horrible. I guess that some just need the attention.
A good point is I broke my ankle in January and mentioned it a couple times. One friend asked me a couple of weeks later how I was doing and a couple people seemed shocked that I broke my ankle. As if it was the first time that I had mentioned it. (roll eyes) And that my dears is the little fact about the behind the scenes of writing.
posted by LA Burton @ 1:29 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Sounds like an awful group. Why hang out there?
I think you're write about the competiveness in the industry and I think's a shame that a few people feel it necessary to step on others on their way up (or down) the ladder. Luckily I've been fortunate with my writers' group but something I noticed during my degree (which was in creative writing) was that some people will say or do anything to make themselves look better at another person's expense.
Some of the best and worst people I've met have been writers, but there seems to be a very fine line between those who support each other and those who only want to help themselves. Hopefully we can stay on the right side of the line!
Sounds like an awful group. Why hang out there?
Because you will find these kinds of people everywhere and a writer has to network it's just part of the territory. All I'm saying is be very careful.
The writing group that I belong to now are a great bunch of people and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I also have a few good friends (in England) that I respect and would send my work to anytime.
Professional writers, I have several well know writers that have read my novel and has given me some great advice. One such author is Kim Harrison, a great dark fantasy writer and friend.
But there a few out there that I wouldn't trust with my query letter. Just let your gut talk to you and listen because it knows best.
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