Hello,
I've been writing since I was 13/14 years old (35 now) and I love it! It is an obsession, but having two small children I don't do as much as I'd like to.
I have wrote novels - none are published because the industry is a minefield! I attended a writing conference back in 2017 and an agent said unless you're publicly known and a face such as a well known celebrity then there's no chance of being a published author. I was crushed.
Before social media existed it was simple - write a novel, work on editing then send it to agents and if you're lucky enough it'll get published and it the shops. But now, you need an author platform just to be considered being good enough.
Now writers are worrying about AI taking their places but that's happened long before now. If celebrities can get published just because of their fame then AI was inevitable.
What is the point of art if it's just going to fall on deaf ears?
I had an indie author tell me that I was best off entering writing competitions but I can't write short stories. I have entered some but not won any.
Sorry for the rant. I just feel sad that it takes so much unnecessary steps for writers to actually write.
