On the Future of Writing, Letter Four

This is part 2 of a series between myself and

Zachary Roush

. I am sharing my letters here and Zach will share his on his substack,Realms. Zach writes monthly sci-fi and fantasy stories for your ears and eyes to enjoy! Escape to new worlds every month onRealms.

We’re talking about the “future of writing”, which also touches on other things like the future of creativity, how creatives stay creative, and how we do or not stay competitive with the rise of AI.

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Letter 1

Letter 2

Letter 3

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Zach,

You need to be authentic with your audience. Keep your nose to the grindstone, produce good work, and you can overcome all of the enshitification! (Please read that with sarcasm 😉)

Don’t you just love that generic advice. It’s up there with “write what you know.” While there may be some truth, it’s not really all that valuable when putting the words into actions. (Okay, I’ll stop with the cliches. I have a writer friend that would be red in the face with those last few sentences).

I had never heard the term enshitification before. It fits the pit a person can fall in when consuming social media. I teach my middle schoolers about the internet and social media. We discuss algorithms and how websites like Instagram and Tik Tok are designed to keep viewers on their app. These websites are addictive. These are lessons that I never received in school because the internet we have today didn’t exist then. There is still so much that we don’t understand. I’m teaching young teenagers about apps that I don’t feel I have complete control over. I get sucked into the worm hole of Instagram reels and short videos on youtube too often. It’s so easy. I can be exhausted and still get that quick dopamine hit. And I LOVE to read. Of course I’d rather be reading, but those evenings where work was nonstop, my daughter was especially clingy all day, she didn’t eat her dinner, the kitchen is still a mess, the cats vomited on the carpet, and the laundry has piled up, my body and mind are so exhausted, I only have the energy to scroll. Is it the wrong choice? Yes. Do I need the timer I set on my apps to kick me off after ten minutes because I have no self-control? Also yes. It’s all shit.

So how do we craft (pun intended?) a better world for creators? That’s a hard question. I think education is important. Consumers need to understand the work that is put into creating so they understand the value. Creators need to remember their own value too. So much content is provided to an audience for free. My dad’s voice often rings through my head, though: “Nothing is ever free.” While a reader may not pay for an author’s story, they may have provided their email for the email list. Betareaders pay for early drafts of novels through the time they spend giving feedback. There is nothing wrong with this exchange, but do the consumers understand this? 

I’ll take the beta readers as an example. Do readers know to seek out betareads from their favorite indie authors for a “free” book? If a reader is interested in an author’s early draft, that is a reader an author wants to hear from, a reader that is a fan. The exchange has a mutual benefit for both reader and writer, but how many readers have no idea that this kind of exchange is a step in the publishing process and is very common?

I wonder if the readers need to be brought into Murakami’s metaphorical wrestling ring (I’ve started listening to Novelist as a Vocation by the way. Thanks for the rec!) They are a part of the process after all.

Dan Blank

discusses the reader’s role in a story in an interview with Joanna Penn. After the long process of getting the words on paper just right, the reader interprets those words. No two readers would have the same experience reading a work because each person brings their own individual self to the piece. It’s what makes book clubs and English degrees, the interpretation of the written word. So what if readers are brought into the wrestling ring? What would that look like?

If readers were in the ring, they would be closer to the writing process. They understand not only the steps it took to get a story published, but also the publishing process itself. They become informed consumers. Do they want to purchase from a Big 5 publisher or a small indie press? It’s similar to the debate of buying from Amazon or a local bookstore. Consumers have their own values and opinions with these choices. Some may not care how the story was written or published, but some do, just like some people adore the convenience of Amazon while others don’t mind the extra effort it takes to buy more locally. There is no right answer, just informed decisions.

I think withholding judgment is key here as well. I challenge myself to shop local over the holiday season. There are a few towns around me that have the cutest independently owned businesses. However, shopping this way takes time, full weekends, entire days driving around and shopping. When I was pregnant and then taking care of my infant daughter, I didn’t have the energy or the time to shop how I wanted for the holidays. I fell back on the convenient Amazon, not because my values changed, but my season of life. 

The internet is just a peek into the lives of users. What pieces are missing that explain the words and actions people share? 

Another reason I believe writers should withhold judgment takes me back to Murakami’s wrestling ring. These fellow authors we are reading are our colleagues. I think about my colleagues at my day job. I would never give them a one star review and write out everything they are doing wrong with their work, even if I believe it (I work with no such colleague, but if I did that would be for the voices in my head and maybe my husband, no one else!) There is a level of respect that should be followed among fellow authors. Leave the judgment offline and instead lift fellow authors up!

You asked how we can better help consumers be more mindful about their consumption. One way is through word of mouth. We need to talk about the writers that we admire, share them with our readers. There are so many great writers out there that readers may never hear about because of the expansive nature of the internet. Readers talking about the stories they love is such a powerful way to support authors.

I like to share short story reviews to highlight authors that I admire (I wish to be doing more, but time is an uncaring beast… some day!) I would never share a bad word about these authors. Are all authors for me? Of course not. But my author platform is not the place to air out those opinions.There is enough negativity in the world. I like our writerly wrestling ring as it is, the accepting and kind community.

I’m curious what you think. I’m going to throw your questions back at you. What do you think needs to be done to inform consumers and support the current culture of publishing in a positive way? Do you think we can overcome enshitification?

I have been dragging this week. I had to practice self-discipline to get this letter done instead of getting stuck in all the enshitification. And now I’m going to pick up a book to rest (I’m not perfect with social media, at all! But skipping it makes me happier and that’s what I need right now). I’m currently rereading Shirley Jackson’s Haunting on Hill House and reading for the first time Our Share of the Night by Maria Enriquez. I think I’m feeling like visiting Hill House more this morning. Neither are indie published, but they are the ones that are matching the spooky vibe I’m looking for this October. I’ll have to make an indie selection when I’m done with these two books. Any recommendations?

Best,

Reina

Stay tuned for Zach’s response in letter 5. I can’t believe we are at five already!

Are you enjoying the discussion? Share it with a friend. Your voice is strong and we need word of mouth to share writers’ works.