forms of respect

Every so often, Jason Howell will send out an interview question to an elite group of writers and publish their responses. Sometimes, he makes a slip of the keyboard and includes my name on the distribution list, and I get a shot at unspooling some half-formed thoughtlet to the wider Internet. I generally do all the requisite Twitter stuff around this, but it occurs to me that the links might benefit from a representation with a bit less churn.

This week’s question:

If we assume the following respect-vectors are what all writers want, and we pretend that they’re (somehow) mutually exclusive…

a) Peer acceptance: to be well thought of by other writers you admire; b) Critical acceptance: prestige by way of smarter-than-yous who assign artistic value to literature; c) Pop culture acceptance: relevance, hipness, hotness, a presence in established media outlets alongside “big names”; d) Audience acceptance: a large-enough, loyal readership that quietly pays the bills; e) Family acceptance: make parents / relatives proud.

… which two would you select at the expense of all others? And why?

My answer, along with many other writers’ answers, at Howlarium.