Today's bit of bloggery is me rambling about why I think it's harder for new writers today, than say way back in the olden days of fifteen-twenty years ago.
The good is that there are so many freaking sources and forms of information out there that didn't exist pre-internet days. We had to count on books like Writer's Market and magazines like Writer's Digest. You would only connect with other writers really at writers conferences or workshops.
The bad is that there are so many freaking sources and forms of information out there that didn't exist pre-internet days. Yup. Same situation, but it's good and bad. Newer writers have SO much information thrown at them now. Writing and being a writer isn't a formulaic thing, but more and more people are looking for ways to "make it", looking for the way to find the magic formula. They are focusing on marketing and business before even learning the craft. Many of them do this because they've been told they have to.
In the old days ya sat in your corner and wrote. Read lots of craft books and rewrote some more. Now the market has changed--back in the old days there were no options beyond trad publishing. So now us indies have a huge open field, and we do have to do more for our books than the trads of olden times.
But the deluge of "what you must do" is killing some newer writers. I just want to tell them to set the ideas of making a million bucks aside, get your ass in the chair, and write. Shut out the mass of information--too much will make your brain go into panic mode, and it is damn hard to be creative day after day if you're busy freaking out.
Write what you love--or what's the point?
