The Business and Joy of Writing

It seems like the last few Worldcons have been problematic. This year, the programming committee refused to put Hugo nominees on panels because they would be "completely unfamiliar to attendees." (Keep in mind that Worldcon supporters and attendees vote on the Hugos.) They also misgendered one of the Hugo finalists by rewriting eir's bio, used a photo that was only available on a personal Facebook page, and assigned panels away from the people who suggested them. You can read about the snafu here. Worldcon is going to redo programming, but I've heard bad reactions to this situation from some of my Facebook writer friends. (I personally learned about this situation when a midlist writer I know posted that she hadn't been assigned to any panels.)

I haven't been to Worldcon since it was in Chicago, and I wasn't planning to attend this year either. The reason I'm blogging about it is because a second writer friend posted that after hearing about the programming mess, he didn't want to write. (It wasn't clear if this was a temporary or permanent feeling.) I wish now I'd commented on his post when I first saw it, as I've been thinking about it. For traditional writers especially, conventions are a place to do business, and writers at all levels have to evaluate whether attending a con makes financial sense for them with travel, lodging, and other expenses. Being on panels at conventions helps justify the expenses, since panels allow writers to connect with readers. If your business is directly affected by problems like those at Worldcon, it's understandable that you might be distracted by the issues. But if you're not attending Worldcon (I don't know for certain, but I don't think this person planned to go), then you need to mentally set it aside to focus on your own work. Writing full-time is a job like any other, and it's going to have its ups and downs. But writing each project is also a journey, one that you should pursue for the joy of it. If you let the business ruin the joy, then is writing still worth doing? I think that's a question all writers have to ask themselves no matter where they are in their careers or how they publish.

How do you handle the roller coaster emotions of writing? Are you able to keep writing business from interfering with your writing progress? Feel free to share your advice in the comments.