I'm going to make a comment here I would not on an open social media platform.
When WorldCon was in DV several years, I read the Hugo nominees. Seanan McGuire had a Wayward Children novella nominated. I felt it read like an early draft, precisely because of issues with intersection. The early part of the story deals heavily with the MC learning she's intersex -- and then that point completely drops out of the rest of the book.
When I brought up this criticism, her rabid fans screamed REPRESENTATION. My problem had nothing to with representation, which I'm all for. It was a technical issue about the way structure, not some regressive political nonsense.
When you're putting out that much material, corners get cut. I have no desire to try to support myself with my writing. Part of it is that my work is too odd and cerebral for mass appeal, and another part is, I make almost $130k at Metro, and the numbers, and that number (along with benefits) is well beyond what even most commercial writers make. But it's also a matter of something that Gene Wolfe once said, which is that having a stable, sufficient income allows you to make your art to your standards.
At my day job as a technical writer, I do professional work, but it's in service of an organization and their prerogatives. The compromise I've made between my ASD/OSD and the world is that I do that to survive, but my art is done to my standards.
I'm going to make a comment here I would not on an open social media platform.
When WorldCon was in DV several years, I read the Hugo nominees. Seanan McGuire had a Wayward Children novella nominated. I felt it read like an early draft, precisely because of issues with intersection. The early part of the story deals heavily with the MC learning she's intersex -- and then that point completely drops out of the rest of the book.
When I brought up this criticism, her rabid fans screamed REPRESENTATION. My problem had nothing to with representation, which I'm all for. It was a technical issue about the way structure, not some regressive political nonsense.
When you're putting out that much material, corners get cut. I have no desire to try to support myself with my writing. Part of it is that my work is too odd and cerebral for mass appeal, and another part is, I make almost $130k at Metro, and the numbers, and that number (along with benefits) is well beyond what even most commercial writers make. But it's also a matter of something that Gene Wolfe once said, which is that having a stable, sufficient income allows you to make your art to your standards.
At my day job as a technical writer, I do professional work, but it's in service of an organization and their prerogatives. The compromise I've made between my ASD/OSD and the world is that I do that to survive, but my art is done to my standards.
Oh, intriguing words…
This was excellent.