Indie Book Club discussion

My friend shared this with me this morning, and I thought it could spawn some conversation. I started watching it with no idea what was going on, but my first thought was, I guess she's retiring if she had the guts to say THAT. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2...

"Right now we need writers who recognize the difference between the production of a market commodity and the practice of an art."

I think we have those writers. I think it's publishers who want the commodity - because it sells.

(Okay, we also have the writers who want to create that commodity. Because it sells.)

I understand her frustration, though. The complaint is similar to the one people have with MFA programs, which favor the more literary over the more commercial/genre.

I wouldn't worry about Ursula LeGuin retiring. Ms. LeGuin is one of those rare writers who has earned enough recognition and respect throughout her career that she can speak openly and honestly like she did in that sort of forum without worrying much about the consequences. Very few can do this and get away with it, but she's one who can. And I'm very glad she used her status to say something that needed to be said.

I think we all acknowledge that there has to be a balance (if we want to eat) and that most of us can't just write whatever we want however we want and expect everything to turn out fine. A writer without readers isn't worth much, and we all have to make certain concessions to the market. But at the same time, we can't afford to feed our souls to the frequently perverse appetites of this marketplace.

It's a balancing act, and the balance beam keeps moving all the time.