RARA-AVIS: Declan Burke's sorrows

From: Juri Nummelin (juri.nummelin@pp.inet.fi)
Date: 12 Nov 2009

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    Man, that blog article by Declan Burke sure is depressing!

    I know what he's talking about. Or actually my wife knows. She's a freelance journalist making a decent living. (Hey, more power to her, since she's actually the one bringing money to this family.) We have written a YA novel that has received moderate comments from the publishers but has ended up rejected, what, ten times? I'm actually going through revisions as I write, but my wife said at least two years ago that she doesn't want to think about it anymore. What's done is done and she makes more money writing articles for journals and magazines. Yet, I keep pounding at it. What's the point? Getting 2,000 euros and that's it? For years' work? That's insane.

    Nevertheless, I've cut severely down my own freelance writing and have been concentrating on books - I write non-fiction and edit anthologies and stuff and edit a crime paperback series for a Finnish publisher - and couldn't think of doing anything else. So far I haven't gone through any real crisis, like Declan Burke here, and I hope it never comes. I'll just have to see about that, and I send my warmest greetings to every author struggling the same feelings as Burke!

    Juri



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