3 ms·
Sure some cushy jobs makes it possible to write on the side. It is no accident that historically a lot of authors and scientists were clergymen. But you need a
by goto11 6y ago
Sure some cushy jobs makes it possible to write on the side. It is no accident that historically a lot of authors and scientists were clergymen.
But you need an income to be able to write.
- the_af 6y ago"Cushy jobs" is overstating it. People find the means to write with poor jobs too. Yes, you need to be able to have a means of living in order to write. Selling your books is one such way, but not the only one. Lots of writers would still write without a business model. That was my only point, really. It's false that one would have to be "insane" in order to write. We can argue about ifs and buts all day long, but that bit which I was replying to was hyperbolic and false.
- goto11 6y agoCan you mention some examples of novels by working-class authors from before the introduction of copyright and commercial publishing?
- the_af 6y agoI can do one better: I can mention a hugely popular and commercially successful writer -- whom you know of, at least by name-- who used to live from paycheck to paycheck, really struggling when he started (before succeeding enormously, of course) and who wrote in the introduction to one of his books: "Painting. Sculpture. Composing. Singing. Acting. The playing of a musical instrument. Writing. Enough books have been written on these seven subjects alone to sink a fleet of luxury liners. And the only thing we seem to be able to agree upon about them is this: that those who practise these arts honestly would continue to practise them even if they were not paid for their efforts; even if their efforts were criticized or even reviled; even on pain of imprisonment or death." He struck gold, of course, but note the sentiment he expressed. By his own admission, had he never been paid for it, he would have kept writing anyway, because that's what he does. And when he was starting he had other jobs -- and a family to support -- and really struggled with money, but kept going anyway.
- goto11 6y agoAll the greatest writers, painters, composers, sculptors etc. dedicated themselves full time to their art. You just can't reach a comparable level of mastery by dabbling in your spare time.
- the_af 6y agoFirst, this is a secondary discussion. Mastery? That wasn't the argument. The argument was about whether writing books can exist separate from monetary compensation. Second, as has been mentioned to you in another comment, mastery is not directly related to having been paid for your art. There are acknowledged poets whose work was published posthumously. They didn't live off it. (The quote was by Stephen King, by the way. Regardless of what you think about his literary skill, the man sure can speak about writing).
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- goto11 6y agoIf you don't care about quality then I guess you are right.
- the_af 6y agoI never said I didn't care about quality, just that the discussion you entered was about whether books would exist without payment and whether only the "insane" would still write. You seem to want to take the argument on a tangent, but please read again the post which sparked this thread. What the original comment asserted was patently false.
- icebraining 6y ago"'But you're Philip Glass! What are you doing here?' It was obvious that I was installing his dishwasher and I told him I would soon be finished." https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/nov/24/arts.highereducation1 https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/nov/24/arts.highe...