::hysterical laughter::

Just think, Col. We got past the Snookie Zombies!

It doesn't matter.

When I was growing up, talented in both writing and science, everyone (including writers) told me not to be a writer if I could possibly do anything else. They said what the guy in the link said, in slightly different words. And so I got a degree in science, and a job with a salary and health benefits.

And I kept writing. Because, as it turns out, I can't NOT write. I've published a book now, and a bunch of short stories. I'm glad I did it, even though publishing is an emotional roller coaster with highs and lows the size of Everest. It turns out that writing isn't a choice for me: I write, and I will keep writing. I suppose that pursuing publishing is a choice, but the drive to find readers is almost as strong as the drive to write. Talking to myself only goes so far before I feel compelled to talk to others.

For a celebrity, a book is just one of the ways in which they try to make money--along with an album, a reality show, a T-shirt or cooking grill or exercise machine or whatever else they want to put their names on. Celebrities get book deals because they have one thing that matters very much to consumers (and thus to publishers): name recognition.

Those of us who write and are not famous for anything else get our name recognition in only one way: by writing something that sounds so incredibly good, people will buy it in spite of the fact they've never heard of us. That is a huge hurdle. That's why it's so hard and we have to work so long and why high-concept is big.

Finally, the link was worth it just for the image of the orangutan with the monocle.

Thanks for a good laugh. Basically, I agree with what Jenn said, too--I can't NOT write (or create art); it's just what I do. There always has been and there's always going to be a huge gap between the people who create the art and the industry that surrounds it.

Strangely, though, I heard a lot less "don't be an artist" than I do "don't be a writer," though it's really not that different a story in terms of making a living. I think people just don't actually BELIEVE you when you say you want to be an artist. It's like, ha ha, aren't you hilarious; but really, though, what DO you plan to do?