Monday, March 29, 2010

Internet Discouragement

Tip of the Day: Well, I was going to let you all know why my driveway is covered in earthworms (yours too maybe?) but it turns out to be more complicated than I thought! Consensus is that it can get too wet underground for their non-lung breathing. There's your science-is-fun fact for the day.

On Friday, Lisa posted about maintaining a positive attitude online. She discussed our online personas and how we want people to see us on the internet. But I want to change the subject a bit.

Have you noticed lately that hanging out on the internet can be depressing?

I get discouraged as a writer. I guess everyone does sometimes. I get discouraged when I can't get a scene right, but I usually figure I can eventually revise it into submission. I get discouraged when I get form rejections, but I usually figure it's part of the business, and just one opinion on one story.

But reading too many blogs and message boards is much more dismal. I used to enjoy it, but now so much of it is on the state of the business. Libraries losing funding. Amazon commenters refusing to pay more than a few bucks for an e-book. Publishers bidding millions for the latest celebrity ghostwritten title while they slash acquisitions. Layoffs everywhere.

For a while, I kept reading, thinking it was a good idea to be informed. But I finally realized the problem. For many of us, our love of writing has turned into the skills we use at our day jobs. We're librarians, book sellers, editors, journalists, freelancers. And I've made so many writing friends over the years. Ack, what are we all going to do?

Oh, but look. I can stop reading about it. Problem solved. Well, not really, but honestly, I feel a lot better.

So now it's time for a poll.


-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My aunt just went into a little bit of a rant on Facebook about how she hates people who complain about everything online. I don't think it's confined to the publishing world. I prefer to look at the bright side of things.

Andrea Mack said...

Kate, I am a bit of an ostrich about it sometimes, because it IS depressing. But there are lots of success stories out there too, to keep our spirits up.

Tessa said...

It can be depressing but when I'm in a bad mood I usually search for something positive or other people going through the same thing - so at least I know I'm not alone in my insecurities! Which is a huge relief.

Kristina Springer said...

Yeah-- I don't like the depressing news but I read it anyway. And what is with celebs suddenly "writing" YA fiction? Please.

Kate Fall said...

Wow, I was surprised by the results of the poll. Less than 10% of respondents say they avoid publishing news when it's bad. I think we are all very brave!

Christina Farley said...

Publishing is ungoing some huge changes which might be why it feels so overwhelming. I like to keep informed I suppose but it is hard. And reading other people's blogs keeps me motivated and it's exciting for me to see how people are living out their dreams.

I love your poll! So fun!

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