I just became aware of this thread, went to the NYT site, and
read Epstein's opinion piece. Sure, he's cynical about it
all, but the advice is a welcome counterbalance to the notion
that anyone can write a decent book.
What he does not say is that in order to write, you don't
have to publish a book or anything else. His point, I think,
is not about writing but about publishing, an important
distinction.
There are thousands of writers who work for companies or
public agencies and write internal stuff, advertising stuff,
marketing stuff, strategy stuff, and so forth. They all
write. Some of them even write well. For such writers, vanity
is out of the question, yet many of them love what they
do.
If the survey said that 80 percent of Americans think they
can be Pynchons, I would worry. But wanting to write
something, or having a story to tell, is not a surprising
urge. Publishing it is another matter.
Regards,
MrT
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