So I’ve been thinking about what to do with this blog other than post my fairly scant news, and I’ve decided to try sharing my random insights on writing. Maybe this will be of use to someone who’s struggled with the same things I have, or maybe someone will just get a good laugh out of it. Who knows? We’ll see what happens.
I’m hoping to cover something from all aspects of writing, from the creative process itself to the nuts-and-bolts aspects of getting published, but for this first post I’d like to focus on how you, as a writer, interact with the greater writing community. I’m calling it, “Feed the Good Wolf,” but it could just as easily be, “Listen to the Shoulder Angel,” or, “Seriously, Don’t be a Dick.”
A few years ago, I was working at an academic publisher. There was a writer’s group there, and it was from this group that I heard about a writing competition. I forget exactly who was running it, but they were putting together an anthology aimed at new writers. That’s right: PUBLICATION was on the table here. Cue heavenly choir.
I was not yet published. Not even a little. Did I want in on this anthology? Hell. Yeah.
As I was preparing my entry, it suddenly occurred to me that other people might want to hear about this competition as well. I thought it might be nice to send a link to my old University, so the latest batch of Creative Writing students might get in on the action too. If I sent my old tutors a link, maybe someone could print off a poster and all those fresh-faced under- and post- grads could send in their entries. I felt really good about this idea!
Until the ol’ shoulder devil started talking. “Hold on there,” it said. “That sounds like an awful lot of extra competition you’re courting there. You sure you want to do that?”
I HAD been sure… until then. But the more I mulled it over, the more it seemed like a mistake. How would I feel if I shared this competition, and then lost? Like a sucker, that’s how. I’d been tremendously lucky to hear about this competition; was I obliged to share that luck? I decided I wasn’t. I’m not proud of it, but that’s what happened. I listened to the shoulder devil, fed the bad wolf, and generally acted like a selfish, insecure ass. I sent my entry off and sat back, proud of what a pragmatic, cut-throat decision I’d made.
The competition was cancelled due to lack of entries.
Yeah. Score one for cut-throat pragmatism.
Now, I don’t know if sharing that link would have changed anything. Maybe there still wouldn’t have been enough entries of sufficiently high quality. Maybe the competition would have gone ahead, my story wouldn’t have won and I’d have been angry with myself for a different reason. Or maybe the anthology would have happened and I’d be in it, pleased with myself for taking the high road.
I hear from time to time that society works better when people are altruistic, because the fewer people act like selfish asses, the more nice things we’re able to have. In this case, a potentially great thing didn’t happen, that I might have been able to save but didn’t, because I was too busy watching my own interests.
Look, I can’t tell you to share a great opportunity rather than hoard it. All I can tell you is that if you’re a writer, then the writing community’s interests are your interests. Do you want to live in a community of good wolves, or bad ones? That’s up to you.
Harriet Phoenix 