Notes of a Defeatist

Remeber in school often once a year they’d have Career Day?

People’s relatives might come in and discuss what a lawyer does. What it’s like to be a firefighter or nurse.

Memory doesn’t serve me, if any journalists or writers ever spoke. There’s only one adult that I knew that wrote fiction and worked at a newspaper, and that never paid her well enough to make it a full time gig.

The big advice given to us kids was “Do what you love. And, you’ll never work a day in your life,” or some cheesey smile variation.

Figuring out what to do with career advice, especially nuggets of wisdom like the one above has been a struggle for me the last few years.

Considering this information from a study Para Publishing.com that struggle may not ever get easier.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

42% of college graduates never read another book after college.

80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

70% of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57% of new books are not read to completion.

70% of books published do not earn back their advance or make a profit.

However…

80% of Americans want to write a book¹.

The late great John D. MacDonald wrote in the forward to Stephen King’s Night Shift how he approached his compulison to write.

“I am often given big smiling handshakes at parties (which I try to avoid attending whenever possible) by someone who then with an air of gleeful conspiracy, will say, “You know, I’ve always wanted to write.”

I used to try to be polite.

These days I reply with the same jublient excitement: “You know I’ve always wanted to be a brian surgeon.”

They look puzzled. It doesn’t matter. There are a lot of puzzled people wandering around lately.

If you want to write, you write.”

Makes me wish John D. MacDonald could have spoken at one of those Career Days, but at least his advice can still be sought. Just remebering to keep at it, even if the odds are against you.

tags technorati : Writing, literacy, John D. MacDonald, advice

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1. check out the stats on Smaller Publishers & Self Publishing, don’t know if we should feel better or worse[back]