Random Musings

The writing biz is just awful.

My friend drove us to a gigantic bookstore full of volumes such as "the history of poop" and "365 nights of sex," and we were going to hear how our worthy projects could join these on the shelves. And once again received unwelcome news that it's all hustle hustle hustle.

But first: four poets read their award-winning compositions. The poems were mediocre, which I suppose was the only bright spot in the evening. They won awards for writing worse than me.

That's the whole point, though, innit? Effort trumps ability. These poets hustled and found some contest and wrote into it. So on to the panel of poetry journal editor, author, and editorial consultant. It reminded me of Donald Barthelme's remark that St. Anthony went into the desert to find the answer. "Alas! It was the same old answer!"

I.e., writing now is really selling, and you have to have the "platform." You need the web site, the list of 5,000 to 10,000, you need a bunch of subscribers to your blog. Subscribers???

But you can't publish something you've already put out there on your blog. OK. And your blog, explained the author promoting his book about sports something told me my blog can't just be "random musings."

"You've been reading it!" I told him. I didn't like the uncomfortable chair, the megastore atmosphere, and the bad news I heard for not the first time. But I accepted it, because this is what you have to do if you want to somewhere somehow locate an audience.

P.S. If two or four of you read random musings, could you please send a link to all your friends. Thanks