grow up

0 Comments

1. 

   rhapsodyinbooks

   17 Dec 2009 Reply

   I agree with you and her, but I think it sounds kind of harsh to label it as the need "to grow up," because if you have [gotten older] in a situation of really low self esteem, reinforced by society, is it so easy just to say okay I'm going to throw all that out of my head and be different?

2. 

   elliottzetta

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   I don't think it's low self-esteem...writers write despite the slim likelihood of getting published; if they have enough drive or confidence to do that, to put their work out into the world where it's likely to be ignored or rejected, then they have what it takes to stand up for themselves. It doesn't quite work to compare a writer to an abused person...writers aren't traumatized; they're simply afraid of losing the favor ($) of whatever agent or publisher took an interest in their work. Maybe that's cowardly rather than immature, but it doesn't stem from being deeply damaged--it's from buying into the desperation mentality the industry has created to sustain the myth of its own supreme importance...it's like being in high school and doing something stupid so the popular kids will let you sit at their table during lunch.

3. 

   Doret

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   I recently read a Willie Mays biography. At the time baseball was just signing African American players. There was two camps, teams that did and did not

   There was an unofficial quota of 3 African American players. Anything more than that was too much, owners didn't want to push fans.

   When the Negro Leagues folded there were so many African American baseball players reading to play in the Majors but unfortunately many were robbed of a chance because of the unwritten quota and other teams refusal to embrace color.

   I think the same thing is happening in publishing. Ten White authors can tell the same story ten different ways and get published. The same is not true for authors of color.

4. 

   elliottzetta

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   Agreed, Doret. Trouble is, everybody wants to be one of the lucky three instead of saying, "Hey--let's expose these assholes...let's raise some hell...let's start a new league of our own..." It's risky, but isn't it better than sitting around waiting for permission to join the "elite" quota club?

5. 

   Neesha Meminger

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   I actually don't think it's harsh at all to say "grow up." Because, really, that's what it is. Not in the sense of "hurry up and get over your problems," but more along the lines of "look inward, pick through the rubble, cleanse and heal those wounds, and do the necessary work of EVOLVING."

   We live in a world where there are imbalances of power. And those imbalances of power give license to those *in* power to not ever have to face certain responsibilities. To not ever be accountable for the toll their actions and behaviours take on those they wield power over.

   In one essay I wrote, I said something about men never having to "grow up" because they have quick and easy access to pornography, strip clubs, prostitution, etc. (I was referring to sexual maturity where sexuality is seen as one part of a spiritual, emotional, physical whole). Likewise, most White people grow up never having to examine White-skin privilege because the "proof" of their deserving it is all around them, in the media, on book covers, in books, on television, in films, in history books, etc. -- indeed, most assume whatever privilege they have is earned, without questioning at all the structure in place to provide that privilege.

   These are systems set up to make sure that those in power never have to evolve into grown up, responsible, mature adults who think for themselves, examine the world they live in, and begin to think about the *whole*, not just individual gain.

   To me, that is what "grow up" means in this context. Of course, there are many within the publishing industry and beyond, who are in positions of power, who do see what is going on. Who *do* question the current systems in place. And who are speaking out and demanding changes.

   THAT is evolution. That is growing up.

   And while I don't think writers are *abused* in the literal sense, I do understand the comparison. It's a devaluing of one's self and one's contribution to the world. Writers are devalued in the current system much the same way that art, in general, is commodified and devalued in our society. Artists are not seen as the culture-shaping visionaries they can be, but as potential cash cows. And if they turn out not to be profitable, they are often tossed to the curb. And that is what those who are "lucky" enough to be published fear: the annihilation of a long-held dream.

   Sorry for the looooong post, Zetta.

6. 

   elliottzetta

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   Don't apologize, Neesha! Your last point really resonates with me b/c THAT is exactly what too many of us do: we realize our work is undervalued, not even SEEN as art, and we look for validation from people who don't truly value what we do. I remember feeling I didn't have the right to CALL myself a writer until I had my first publication. But as Toni Morrison pointed out, there's a difference between being a writer and being an author...and you don't need anyone else's approval or permission to write...publishers/editors/agents have no incentive to grow up or evolve--as you noted with men, privileged people accept the status quo b/c it serves them in various ways. Writers have to affirm their own self-worth and the value of their work by separating what they do from the commercialization of the publishing industry...work can circulate without being a commodity...or it can sell, but probably not enough to support your lifestyle/household. I think that's the future of publishing--more writers, fewer huge advances, more "working authors" seeking grants and teaching gigs and speaking engagements to stay afloat...I'm not sure what that will do to the quality of books, but writing to please others doesn't lead to great literature...

7. 

   rhapsodyinbooks

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   Zetta, you make a good point about writers probably not suffering from low self-esteem. Still, I like Neesha's use of the word "evolve" better, because I think that places the challenge in a social rather than personal context. I also like her observation that "Artists are not seen as the culture-shaping visionaries they can be, but as potential cash cows. And if they turn out not to be profitable, they are often tossed to the curb." (Although I often wonder if this holds as true for writers of color - I get the impression one is more apt to get published if there are fewer indications in the text that the characters aren't white rather than strictly a financial calculation.)

   Thank you Zetta, as always, for your thought-provoking posts!

8. 

   elliottzetta

   18 Dec 2009 Reply

   Thanks for joining in the discussion, Jill! I want writers to stand up for themselves...and maybe that's a lot to ask when there's no union or safety net out there to support us. And maybe being a woman of color and dealing with multiple oppressions every day makes me less sympathetic to those writers who crouch and whinge and fuss in private but keep taking it from these publishers...maybe they need proof--like Justine Larbalestier not getting dropped by her publisher after taking a stand on the cover of Liar...