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lauraanne_gilmanPart of the ongoing meandering WFC conversation this year seemed to be career paths -- what you have, what you want, what is ideal, etc. A lot of different paths were discussed, each one with its plusses and minuses, depending on circumstances and goals. The only conclusion reached was that everyone's got a Brighter!Shinier! person they have a shameful but totally understandable envy of/lust for their career.
(there was some very blunt discussion of what makes us go into 'why-not-me' meltdown, which is often not what you might think [aka money]. Writers, unlike actors or musicians, don't often get immediate feedback, especially from our end-consumers. This is inevitable, because a good story, no matter the form, often has a delayed reaction within the reader, and the percentage of readers sending fan mail is wee sma'. So the care we get from our agents and editors take on a perhaps unhealthy importance.... and that's why a good agent can be the difference between a good career and a healthy career.)
There isn't, btw, a "wrong" career path. I've seen a dozen different writers 'make it' a dozen different ways. It all depends on what you want, and what you can do, and what you can handle, in terms or productivity and what you produce. And yet, often we are green over the career path, not of someone who matches our abilities, but someone who is diametrically different. Curly hair vs straight hair, writ on paper.
I had the advantage, I guess, of being able to observe author careers firsthand for a decade before I stuck my toe in, so I knew what I wanted and how (theoretically) to do it. But theory and practice are miles and miles apart, especially in the arts. Again, a good agent comes into play here -- even with my observations and plans, I still rely on Greatest Agent Evah Jenn to knock me back into line when I get lost, and remind me when things yes, really are going well and to stop worrying. And while there's no way I can take my eye off the bottom line -- not even the Greatest Agent Evah can replace your own awareness -- it allows me to focus on the important stuff: getting what needs be done, done. And loving your own hair, however it needs to be styled.
(there was some very blunt discussion of what makes us go into 'why-not-me' meltdown, which is often not what you might think [aka money]. Writers, unlike actors or musicians, don't often get immediate feedback, especially from our end-consumers. This is inevitable, because a good story, no matter the form, often has a delayed reaction within the reader, and the percentage of readers sending fan mail is wee sma'. So the care we get from our agents and editors take on a perhaps unhealthy importance.... and that's why a good agent can be the difference between a good career and a healthy career.)
There isn't, btw, a "wrong" career path. I've seen a dozen different writers 'make it' a dozen different ways. It all depends on what you want, and what you can do, and what you can handle, in terms or productivity and what you produce. And yet, often we are green over the career path, not of someone who matches our abilities, but someone who is diametrically different. Curly hair vs straight hair, writ on paper.
I had the advantage, I guess, of being able to observe author careers firsthand for a decade before I stuck my toe in, so I knew what I wanted and how (theoretically) to do it. But theory and practice are miles and miles apart, especially in the arts. Again, a good agent comes into play here -- even with my observations and plans, I still rely on Greatest Agent Evah Jenn to knock me back into line when I get lost, and remind me when things yes, really are going well and to stop worrying. And while there's no way I can take my eye off the bottom line -- not even the Greatest Agent Evah can replace your own awareness -- it allows me to focus on the important stuff: getting what needs be done, done. And loving your own hair, however it needs to be styled.
