3 ms·

The tldr is that writing books is hard and most attempts fail.. especially if made by amateurs haphazardly and without practice, instruction or plans that invol

The tldr is that writing books is hard and most attempts fail.. especially if made by amateurs haphazardly and without practice, instruction or plans that involve learning to do something before being good at it. It finishes with a satisfying lesson in curmudgeon economics. ... Anyway... it's interesting that so many people want to write a book. They may be naive, but they do know it's hard. That's why they haven't done it yet.

joe_the_user 8y ago
"...it's interesting that so many people want to write a book" Indeed, The article's main conclusion, that not everyone can write a best selling novel or biography, is nearly truism in that there are a few bestsellers per months and millions of people in this country (or any country). I think it the interest of many average people in being best selling writers, along with interest in making and staring in TV shows, comes from the way that all these forms tend to expose the unique, inner, human characteristics of their protagonists. The urge to have this experienced by an audience is strong. And moreover, it's reasonably plausible that just about everyone actually does have inner qualities, that, if cast in the right light, can be extraordinarily beautiful. "All" that is needed is to artfully allow a jump from exterior appearance to inner experience (a very difficult process but one which when done right, seems easy). The problem is that such portrayal is hard and making that portrayal accessible is also hard and the competition for doing these things separates the few best sellers from the many literary attempts.
- majos 8y ago
  My read on why writing a book is seductive is more cynical: most people believe that writing a book is an achievement and signifies something about the writer -- depth of thought and feeling, intelligence, vague specialness, etc. So writing a book seems like a fine way to transform an unspecial life into a special one. What's even better: from the outside, anyone can write a book. We all tell stories, most of us can read and write, and those are the only technical requirements. By contrast, when you're 50 you know there's just no viable path to say becoming a surgeon or painting like the old masters or finally writing that symphony. The skill barriers are just too obvious and high. But you can start writing a book today, and indisputably, you'll be writing a book.

joe_the_user 8y ago

"...it's interesting that so many people want to write a book" Indeed, The article's main conclusion, that not everyone can write a best selling novel or biography, is nearly truism in that there are a few bestsellers per months and millions of people in this country (or any country). I think it the interest of many average people in being best selling writers, along with interest in making and staring in TV shows, comes from the way that all these forms tend to expose the unique, inner, human characteristics of their protagonists. The urge to have this experienced by an audience is strong. And moreover, it's reasonably plausible that just about everyone actually does have inner qualities, that, if cast in the right light, can be extraordinarily beautiful. "All" that is needed is to artfully allow a jump from exterior appearance to inner experience (a very difficult process but one which when done right, seems easy). The problem is that such portrayal is hard and making that portrayal accessible is also hard and the competition for doing these things separates the few best sellers from the many literary attempts.

majos 8y ago
My read on why writing a book is seductive is more cynical: most people believe that writing a book is an achievement and signifies something about the writer -- depth of thought and feeling, intelligence, vague specialness, etc. So writing a book seems like a fine way to transform an unspecial life into a special one. What's even better: from the outside, anyone can write a book. We all tell stories, most of us can read and write, and those are the only technical requirements. By contrast, when you're 50 you know there's just no viable path to say becoming a surgeon or painting like the old masters or finally writing that symphony. The skill barriers are just too obvious and high. But you can start writing a book today, and indisputably, you'll be writing a book.