With this post, I’m trying something new. Stuff I’m reading will be at the bottom.
Give me money if you like my work, including the below post.
With the rise of corporations plagiarizing artists to make money off of their plagiarism and calling it, ahem, AI, it’s epic to see so many artists across industries finally starting to band together. Even though some are banding together, though, there are those artists that still see other artists as competition.
Writers still insist that other writers are a source of competition. There are many writers out there that will actively try to sabotage others in the rush to prove that just because they can write better dialog, they are a better writer.
I don’t necessarily blame writers for getting stuck in this mindset. After all, hustling and hustle culture affects the publishing industry just as it affects other industries. Writers are trained to think competitively, not cooperatively. Writers, especially emerging writers, are conditioned to think that if you don’t work hard, at all costs, then other writers will make it and will leave you in the dust. While this might be true sometimes, it breeds a sense of lonely competition. Networking events are not mutuals getting together, they are a covert way to see how one can cut a writer off from their support network, for example.
Recently, I’ve been really examining the value of marketing other writers you admire. Even though you may want others to read your new book, there are other writers begging for the same thing. Other writers, I feel, could actually be your biggest support network if you give them a genuine boost.
I’ve started marketing others work a bit more than my own, and, as a result, I’m slowly building a firm and loyal support network of my own. Whenever I champion a book I really enjoyed or fund a writers Kickstarter, I always leave my name so that they will recognize me and so they can connect if they want to return the favor.
Writers might have connections you don’t have. It’s important to pass the mic when someone can speak to a particular subject better than you can because, someday, they could return the favor and it will give you a boost.
I’ve stopped thinking about writers as competition and I’ve started genuinely promoting others work I enjoy more than my own. It might not have immediate benefits, but I’m not in this race for getting ahead at all costs. I’d rather have a community passionately carrying us all to victory rather than stand, alone, at the finish line.
Current reads
I’m currently reading books by Louise Lennox. The first book I tried was Craving a King. The series hooked me, and then I went on to reading other works.
I love it when a romance series educates, and this series educated me a lot about Africa and even the alpha male character trait. I couldn’t put this series down.