What happened to craft discussions?

When we first started this blog–in 2006, yo!–I’d guess that 70-80% of our posts were about the craft of writing. Maybe that’s an exaggeration. But between craft and how-to-get-published posts, I’d guess that’s about right.

Over time, we’ve switched focus somewhat. And I figured this was a reflection of where we (the bloggers) all were with our careers, and what each of us was thinking about from week to week.

It’s not like I don’t still think about craft every day that I’m writing or editing… but the new, exciting discoveries about craft (for me) are fewer and farther between, when they used to come weekly or daily. (I’m not saying that I’m not still working on improving… just that I feel as if I’ve read about almost every technique out there, even if I can’t or don’t apply all these things consistently or well.)

But beyond this blog, I’ve noticed a decided reduction in discussions about writing. Almost no one asks questions about craft anymore on the loops, and on forums. And fewer aspiring authors are asking for advice on landing an agent, writing synopses and queries, etc..

The thing is, now that aspiring writers are able to self-publish, they’re way more interested in tips on publishing, and promotion, and daily sales numbers, and advertising, and meta-data, and hiring editors and cover designers and how much all those services should cost…

And for writers who already spent years working on their craft, this is all good. It’s awesome that the trail-blazers in self-publishing are so willing to share what they’ve learned with other authors.

But it does make me fear for the newbies. I learned SO MUCH from blogs and loops and forums. I spent the better part of four years spending a huge chunk of each day soaking in everything I could find on writing and storytelling and figuring out things for myself by answering questions for people even newer to writing fiction than I was. I was humbled to have quite a few people over the years thank me for answers I’ve given on various subjects on the loops. And frankly, responding to those questions helped me, too. I’ve worked so many things out myself, by trying to articulate them to others…

Sadly, it’s clear that these days some newbies are skipping over the learning stage that used to be mandatory, if you wanted to get published. Skipping straight to publishing. And that’s kind of sad. Haven’t they heard of Gladwell’s theory about 10,000 hours? Or the rule of thumb that you have to write about a million words before you can call yourself a writer? I used to find it depressing that I’d gotten so close to my first million words before getting a publishing contract. (I should calculate. I might have gone over.) Now I’m glad that it took so long. I’m glad I had more time to learn.

I’m hoping this lack of discussion on writing (vs. publishing) is just a phase on the loops and blogs and forums, and that discussion will once again turn to craft.

Because some of us still give a shit — ya know? And most readers don’t want to read crap…