Being a writer today, regardless of the genre conventions has its challenges and is associated with a lot more negatives than in the past. Once upon a time, writers were celebrities and revered for their talent. They could make a decent living working in their chosen profession. They could diversify their writing talent and one convention such as journalism or magazine articles could support their needs while writing the next novel.
There has been a shift in available venues for writers these days. Journalism has taken on a new face with news outlets all but disappearing. Online self-publishing, although an innovative tool for those talented and blessed with the ability and means to market their stories, can be overlooked among the wanna-be writers who give publishing a tarnished reputation. Everyone is a writer and the reader is forced to search through the many choices available for quality writing. Most writers today work at other jobs, while their love of writing takes a secondary place.
Add to that the current practice of inundating readers with false news and ads for private monetary or political gain. In these troubling times. writers have taken a hit. Their legitimacy is questioned, their commitment to truth is tainted with lies, and their integrity is smeared.
What happened to our moral balance? Fact-based truth? And mutual respect? It all boils down to people. Greedy people, who crave power and confuse success with materialism, instead of becoming the best loving and caring human beings they can be. This isn't new, it's been around since the beginning of humanity. However, the world has become a smaller place where like-minded can connect easily through technology to spin their evil on the dark web or to the gullible, right in front of our noses.
But a true writer writes for the love of the craft, and will not give up, regardless of the hurdles. The world needs writers not only to speak truth but in the case of fiction writers, to create worlds for people to escape into and ease their everyday stress. As someone who writes fiction, I can escape into the lives of the people I create, relieving my stressors. I'm one of the lucky ones in a position to dedicate my time to my craft and I promise to continue authoring my stories.
