Wow, talk about a discouraging piece! Annie Dillard really brings young writers down to reality, and she did that for me. I, like most English majors, wish to be a published author someday, and I know how difficult it is to break in to the publishing world. I want to write for young adults and children, however, not 'adult' novels or nonfiction. Still, Dillard's statistics: "the chance of any manuscript coming into a a publishing house and getting published is one in three thousand" (XVII) brings the harsh reality straight into my hopeful mind.
Thankfully, I decided a long time ago that I would become (or go to school for, at least) a professor or editor so that I would not end up a homeless person scratching out stories on tattered napkins. In spite of Annie's daunting fact list about publishing, I found myself enjoying and appreciating the rest of her introduction. Some of her pieces of advice were old news to me (read books if you like to write, don't use passive verb constructions), but a lot of it was fresh and new. The way she spaced her article made it interesting and easy to read; it caught my attention, almost as though its title could have said, "42 Things Young Writers Cannot Live Without Knowing" or something more interesting than that.
I also like how Dillard says that "you'll have time to read after college" (XII). What a relief! I always think about all the books I want to read, and I pick one and read it, even though I barely have time. It's nice to know--from such an assertive author--that the time will come when I will have time to read all those books. Come to think of it, my parents both work but they constantly read, so I think it's true. Another thing she said was to read a grammar book two to three times a year, and she cited our class book as a great one to start with. I have it, so I guess I'd better get cracking!
When Annie mentioned how our country has a "cult of celebrity,"(XVII), I felt sad. It's sad that fresh, potential-filled writers have a minimized chance of success just because America would rather read and purchase books from a known author than they would from someone they'd never heard about before. I guess our culture isn't one to try new things, which is a shame!
--Laura Strawn Ojeda
Nice response!
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that has influenced me the most was her request that writers buy poetry books in hardback. It made me think a lot about my responsibility as a writer to the community of writers. If I'm not buying poetry books, then who is?
Sari
That's so true! I, sadly, don't have the money to buy many hardback books, but I do love receiving them for gifts! I buy a lot of books, though, whether on my Kindle (cheaper--free classics, cheaper textbooks) or in paperback and sometimes hardback (fiction that I want in a hard copy, etc.) Unfortunately, I have no poetry books, though my family does.
ReplyDeleteLaura
I have to say the same as Laura. The price of books adds up. Hardcover books are the nicest to own, though they are also the most expensive. But it doesn't stop me from owning two (nearly full) bookcases of books that I absolutely loved. I buy them because, like you said Sari, who else will? Though I have to admit, it's become somewhat of a hobby to collect books, haha.
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