I learned a new word the other day: “logorrhea” – which means “excessive talkativeness, especially when the words are uncontrolled or incoherent, as is seen in certain psychiatric illnesses.” It was used to describe blogging on the web. These days, almost everyone I know (and I know a lot of writers) has a personal blog in addition to contributing to a group blog or two. I tried to research the number of bloggers and I found that the latest answer to this question comes from BlogPulse, which currently tracks almost 150 million Web sites identified as blogs. But they admit that this is only an estimate that increases daily. The level playing field has now descended to the grass roots. Anyone can be published. It seems that just about everyone is.
In the old days, in order to get published, you had to meet the standards of the gatekeepers, namely editors who were highly educated, well-read people, who had seen enough writing to be able to discriminate the good from the not-so-hot. They knew how to spot the coming stars; the fresh voice, the vivid portrayer that made the page come alive, the insightful commentator. Often, these new writers needed help to hone their expressive skills, and the best editors knew just how to do this. It was only when a writer passed the first gatekeeper and got published that they were exposed to the next level, the critics, who gave out grades in public that the writer (and editor) could take to heart. After this group came the award committees who gave prizes to the best work, which served as yet another guide for the consumer and increased the revenues of the publisher. As painful as this system was (some editors were truly brutally frank), it tended to make the good writers even better. It was enough to make some of us “turn pro.”
The process was not unlike the experience of a baseball player in the farm system. Only the most talented young players are selected at entry level. Coaches mentor them, and the better players move up to more competitive farm teams in the organization. Ultimately, if a player is diligent and works hard and, most importantly, performs well on the field, he is moved up to the major league club. At this point, it’s a whole new ballgame. The rookie has the potential to grow into the job, but he still has a lot to learn. If he’s up to it, the major leagues will raise the level of his game.
So now that there’s a level playing field for writers, how can one find a voice and a readership?
How do I know if I’ve got any talent for the game?
One indication for amateurs comes from their number of followers on social media. But you shouldn’t confuse “popularity” with critical acclaim. In the children’s book world, a kiss of death for any aspiring author is to tell an editor, “I read it to my daughter and she LOVED it.” Peer review from other aspiring writers is a place to start but you’ll never get any better unless you seek mentoring from a professional editor. You’re doomed to always be a club player.
How do you get a game?
A professional writer knows that one’s feelings about one’s own work is always suspect. Love it or hate it, it takes a lot of experience before you can coolly evaluate yourself. You must get coaching — a professional editor — to give you feedback. It’s only after you’ve reached a higher level that you can realize what you’ve learned. The lesser can’t perceive the higher. That’s why so many wanna-be writers rail against criticism and stay stuck. I’m not sure that writing just for the blogosphere and collecting comments is enough to sharpen one’s skills. But perhaps I’m wrong. The Internet is certainly a game-changer. Maybe a new set of standards are now being set by digital natives (both readers and writers) that will create a whole new genre of written communication.
And if you’ve been in the game for a while, how do you raise your level of play?
Start writing for the people who need to hear you but aren’t listening. Be prepared for pain.
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