TL;DR a.k.a executive summary: MFA, big cities, social media, career tunnel focus--meh. I am breaking this newsletter into two parts. Open next week's email for the "yay" to counter the "meh."
Thank you for this! That post also rubbed me the wrong way. In general, I'm not a fan of the trend of saying writing is the hardest thing in the world, I think that comes off a bit gatekeepery and makes it seems like talent/disposition/magic sauce mean more than the banaity of showing up to work, like all other jobs.
I completely agree, Caitlin. Showing up is nearly all of it, and when we combine that with the fact that other jobs are often underpaid and there's no security for anyone, we might come to the conclusion that it's a "one week at a time" world of hard work and hustle for most of us.
Thank you so much! Yes, I found your Substack from that original post and as a writer, felt very discouraged by it. I appreciate you sharing your experience, it gives me hope!
Thank you for this! That post also rubbed me the wrong way. In general, I'm not a fan of the trend of saying writing is the hardest thing in the world, I think that comes off a bit gatekeepery and makes it seems like talent/disposition/magic sauce mean more than the banaity of showing up to work, like all other jobs.
I completely agree, Caitlin. Showing up is nearly all of it, and when we combine that with the fact that other jobs are often underpaid and there's no security for anyone, we might come to the conclusion that it's a "one week at a time" world of hard work and hustle for most of us.
Thank you so much! Yes, I found your Substack from that original post and as a writer, felt very discouraged by it. I appreciate you sharing your experience, it gives me hope!