4 ms·

Not to detract from the message or discourage anyone from writing, but if you're looking to reproduce the specific career arc mentioned in the article it may be

Not to detract from the message or discourage anyone from writing, but if you're looking to reproduce the specific career arc mentioned in the article it may be helpful to keep in mind that Lena Dunham started her career with well-connected parents and at least a modest amount of family wealth.

mcny 4y ago
Thank you for mentioning this. I looked up her Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Dunham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Dunham Some points: > Lena Dunham > The Dunham family are cousins of the Tiffany family, prominent in the jewelry trade. > Oberlin College Creative Writing (BA), 2008 > She has a younger sibling, Cyrus, a 2014 graduate of Brown University
- q845712 4y ago
  see also https://catandgirl.com/polymaths/ https://catandgirl.com/polymaths/
hummus_bae 4y ago
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themadturk 4y ago
It's definitely true she had something of a leg up, but she still has to write. Except for having the space (time) to create and help starting her career through her family connections, to move forward and actually create a career, maintain a reputation, etc. she has to continue creating in one way or another.
- q845712 4y ago
  absolutely - I'm really not trying to detract from Lena Dunham's work ethic (she's a prolific creator) nor from the thrust of the article which is encouraging other people to be prolific creators. -- it's just that if someone else is writing a ton and wondering why they can't succeed, it's helpful to understand what other ingredients are involved. I also think there's some amount confidence in one's prerogative to create and publish, when for example both of one's parents are also in creative fields. Confidence that creating is worth the effort and confidence that if one's creations improve in quality that there will be help to find an audience.
  - themadturk 4y ago
    This is all very true.
herewegoagagain 4y ago
True and at the same time, the advice still stands. Just write. Stephen King didn’t come from wealth and he kept at it until this day he can look back on a successful career in writing. Really recommend his memoir: On Writing.

mcny 4y ago

Thank you for mentioning this. I looked up her Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Dunham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Dunham Some points: > Lena Dunham > The Dunham family are cousins of the Tiffany family, prominent in the jewelry trade. > Oberlin College Creative Writing (BA), 2008 > She has a younger sibling, Cyrus, a 2014 graduate of Brown University

q845712 4y ago
see also https://catandgirl.com/polymaths/ https://catandgirl.com/polymaths/

hummus_bae 4y ago

[dead]

themadturk 4y ago

It's definitely true she had something of a leg up, but she still has to write. Except for having the space (time) to create and help starting her career through her family connections, to move forward and actually create a career, maintain a reputation, etc. she has to continue creating in one way or another.

q845712 4y ago
absolutely - I'm really not trying to detract from Lena Dunham's work ethic (she's a prolific creator) nor from the thrust of the article which is encouraging other people to be prolific creators. -- it's just that if someone else is writing a ton and wondering why they can't succeed, it's helpful to understand what other ingredients are involved. I also think there's some amount confidence in one's prerogative to create and publish, when for example both of one's parents are also in creative fields. Confidence that creating is worth the effort and confidence that if one's creations improve in quality that there will be help to find an audience.
- themadturk 4y ago
  This is all very true.

herewegoagagain 4y ago

True and at the same time, the advice still stands. Just write. Stephen King didn’t come from wealth and he kept at it until this day he can look back on a successful career in writing. Really recommend his memoir: On Writing.