So I recently went and looked at the page of an established professional author whose posts don't show up in my regular stream, for various reasons having to do with me generally finding his posts annoying as hell. (Like many established professionals, he's all about his own work and the wonder that is him, but if an unknown like me asks him for advice or any sort of help, he glowers and gets huffy, because he has endless amounts of time to sit around and talk about the wonder that is him, but absolutely no time at all to help anyone who hasn't already managed to succeed on their own. Pretty much every established author I've ever encountered has this attitude. Somehow or other they managed to make their way in, and they have absolutely no obligation to help anyone else do it. It's like, as soon as you become somewhat successful, you become a complete Republican... 'hey, I got mine, now you go get yours, but don't expect any help from me and make sure you keep your hands off what I got'. And perhaps I'll become exactly like this if I ever become even remotely successful, too, but I sure hope not.)
Anyway, I found he'd said a few interesting things... generally, in amidst the other posts about the wonder that is him, he does say a few interesting things... so I posted to a few of his threads.
And at one point, in a thread where the discussion centered around writing and plotting techniques, he apparently grew annoyed with my constant whining and sniveling about being an unknown writer whose work no one wants to publish or read, and he said "Being unknown is an opportunity, if you can take advantage of it."
I asked him very respectfully what, specifically, he meant by that, as I myself cannot think of any way that being an unknown is an opportunity, or how to take advantage of it. But, as I have already mentioned, he's a successful professional author with a great deal of experience in that field, so, presumably he does indeed have concrete, objective advice as to exactly how I can 'take advantage' of the 'opportunity' that 'being unknown' represents.
So far he hasn't responded to my request, but I live in hope.
I mean, to do otherwise would be to presume that he was just blowing smoke up my ass to shut me the hell up. And I'm sure he wouldn't do that.
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So this Boy Scout, couldn't have been older than eleven, is holding up this kinda chubby looking Scotch Pine. It was.... ehhhh... okay...
Well, one advantage of being unknown is that you can say damn well anything you like. Why not name names?
ReplyDeleteOn a wider point, practically everything written for the aspiring writer seems aimed at rubbing in the consciousness of one's insignificance. How to write? Be aware of your clumsiness, self-indulgence, lack of originality. Know that no creative decision you ever make will stand against a moment's judgment of that divine being, a professional editor. How to get published? Ha! You imagine that the Olympus of print could ever be a residence for YOU? See your place in the slush pile, that pit of wretchedness full of nonentities all a-loathing like the damned, and be properly grateful if one of our interns condescends to wipe her ass on your manuscript before casting it back into the void.
I don't post a lot to Blogger any more, and generally, I'm just reposting stuff from my Facebook page. Had I mentioned Adam Troy-Castro's name on my Facebook page, he'd have seen the post and gotten really really bitchy about it. I suppose I could mention his name here, though.
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