Come to Your Senses

This morning as I was reading a chapter of Lawrence Blocks Spider Spin Me A Web, A Handbook for Fiction Writers -- I am nearly at the end. All the articles are ones that he has written way back when - but they are still as current as new fallen snow. What impressed me was one where a young woman was worried about the decline of the publishing market. The midlist was shrinking, only the big names could get contracts - and so on. Well, that article was from back in 1980 something. Guess what folks, it hasn't changed - at least our perception of it.

Block says, "What advice do I have for you? The very best advice of all Stop Writing! Quit wasting your time. Instead of postage, and envelopes and typewriter ribbons [Author note: you can tell this is a tad old]put your money into something sound, like lottery tickets and Czarist bonds. Come to your Senses!" He does go on to say the only reason he would dare tell us that is because he knows we are writers and we can only continue to write, we cannot stop. So it fits even yet - instead of printer ink, or just your time when you send e-submissions - get a "real" job. LOLOL

Isaac Asimov still echoes in my mind "I write for the same reason I breathe, for without it I would die," I say Amen to that.

So Write Like the Wind, Write on, just write until you can't write anymore, and let it be it's own reward.