Quote:
Originally Posted by Tellsoftly
Thanks for the voice of interest.
Heh. Funny story: I used to job shadow as a journalist, but the more I looked into journalism the less regard I had for it.
If you want to look at my writing from a social and political perspective, consider this: my generation first became aware of politics during two events, the Witch Hunt for Bill Clinton and the takedown of the twin towers. We are the generation living under the auspices of our parents crack habits, the insane cycle of debt that's been catered especially to exploit young people our age. We were raised in the era where dissent is conflated with treason, and shadowy corporate lobbies skim millions from back room deals while kids get taken to prison for a small amount of a soft drug.
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The "witch hunt" of Bill Clinton resulted in the impeachment of a sitting president in 1998. Let's see if I can make my old brain do the math. 2011 take off 1998 equals 13. That make syou 8 at the time.
The twin towers came down on 9/11/01/ Let's see if I can do the math there. 2011 -2001 = 10 and you said you're 21 so that puts you 11 years old at the time.
So you became politically aware between 8 and 11 years old (as did your entire generation)?? That's some trick. I'll bet I can ask 100 of "your generation" who the vice president of the United States is and less than 1/2 will be able to tell me, that's how "politically aware" your generation is.
You complain about the debt and yet your generation lines up for their Pell Grants and government guaranteed student loans. If your generation had any backbone and meant what you say they'd scream en masse "We don't need your stinking handouts, we'll do it on our own!!" (while lining up to attend state supported universities).
Don't even pretend to lecture me on debt my young padawan.
These are just a couple of examples of why you're not being taken seriously.
You also said at one point you're writing a "novel". Novel = Fiction, in case you didn't know. (and you really don't have to have an MFA in writing to know that one) So what is it you're writing? A novel or something else?
Are you published? (I am) Do you know the industry? (I do, and Createspace doesn't count). Do a little research and tell me in the last two decades how many published book authors there are that are under 25.
Writing is hard work. When you've finished your writing and gone through a half dozen revisions and editing, the work is just beginning because now you have to sell the thing to an agent. You don't have an agent? Unless you're published, you're not going to get one unless lightening strikes and you get insanely lucky. Without an agent you're right back to the Createspace and Publish America venues and, unless you have an even bigger bolt of lightening strike and your book there is insanely successful, you've just signed your death warrant as far as representation or a major house is concerned.
Don't even begin to start in with me on how it doesn't matter anymore because of the digital age and Kindle and Amazon. It DOES matter and it WILL CONTINUE TO MATTER if you wish to take your craft seriously.
I'm in my mid-50's. I've been 21. You've never been 50. Stop acting like you have all the answers when you don't even know what the questions are yet. I don't mean to pile on but if you were my son (who, BTW, is older than you are) I'd sit you down and tell you the same thing.
Jack
