Okay, I'm making it very simple today:
While editing my rant, I thought this would be a great idea for a blog post. I've shaken my head since forever about writers slagging off bestsellers like Twilight, Harry Potter, or 50 Shades of Grey. One look at any forum on writers' websites, and you will find tonnes of people saying those authors can't write to save their lives, and the books are just terrible.
Many think they are much better writers, yet, still they are without a contract, or, now that they're self-published, their books linger in the lower ranks like #265,547.
So all their superior writing didn't get them anywhere, right?
I've always said, I'd love to be the one who wrote any of those books, because then I'd have millions in my account, could live my dreams and, quite frankly, I wouldn't care one bit if the world thought my writing sucks.
If I still wanted to write (which I probably would), I could always improve, then change my author name and get the other books rolling.
Who would you rather be:
a) the highly successful author being slagged off for shite writing or
b) the prize-winning starving novelist
Many think they are much better writers, yet, still they are without a contract, or, now that they're self-published, their books linger in the lower ranks like #265,547.
So all their superior writing didn't get them anywhere, right?
I've always said, I'd love to be the one who wrote any of those books, because then I'd have millions in my account, could live my dreams and, quite frankly, I wouldn't care one bit if the world thought my writing sucks.
If I still wanted to write (which I probably would), I could always improve, then change my author name and get the other books rolling.
Who would you rather be:
a) the highly successful author being slagged off for shite writing or
b) the prize-winning starving novelist
Prize winning starving novelist - fame and fortune aren't satisfying, accomplishment is, reaching people on a deeper level is. If I wanted success, I'd write something more mainstream - nothing wrong with it if you want it, just isn't even on my list ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's honest and perfectly understandable. I'd like to be both, but will probably achieve neither. haha.
DeleteMy heart says "the prize-winning starving novelist"
ReplyDeleteMy head (heir and bank manager) say "the highly successful author ..."
However, if you were b) and award-winning, wouldn't you potentially become an a)? Or at least not starve ;-)
Hey, Phil, you made it. :-)
DeleteI'm the same. I think the highly successful author is better off in some way. But then again, if I managed to sell millions of books and write bestseller after bestseller, I wouldn't eve care about a prize. I did what I love for a living: entertain as many people as possible with my stories.
I could always try for a highbrow book under a different name if I wanted to.
Honestly speaking, I would definitely choose a) the highly successful author being slagged off for shite writing.
ReplyDeleteSame as you Stella, I do not care what others may think about my writing as there is always a room for me to improve. I'll take their feedback and criticism as a way to improve myself in writing. Even if I'll go self-published, who needs a contract from traditional publishers if my books are already best selling? Even great if it would be adopted as a movie.
Yep.
DeleteOf course it would be great to have both, but if I had a Genie appear in front of me asking what I'd rather be, the writer with the millions or the poor prize winner, I'd go for the millions. I've got so many dreams I want to come true and I could do so many good things with the millions ...
Unless you get truck loads of money for winning a prize, that is. :-)