Artistic Freedom -- the Upside of Doom and Gloom in Canada's Publishing Industry

[Donna Carrick]

According to today's Globe And Mail report by James Adams, if a writer dares to publish his work will almost cerainly "perish". That's the skinny on today's publishing market in Canada, and it's backed up by dire news on an almost daily basis, including the permanent closure of book fairs in Toronto and a fallout of similar cancelations across the country.

In light of the failing global economy and looming crises within almost every market, it isn't surprising that art in general and literature in particular is having to bite the jagged little bullet once again. It isn't as if Canadian writers were ever in a position to entertain delusions of monetary grandeur based on the successful expression of their craft. In fact, the one mantra almost any writer in this country can and will recite at the drop of a hat is: Write for the love of it, because there ain't no money flowin' down the tube.

With bad news peeking over every hiltop, I find myself looking for that silver lining that will make it all worthwhile -- one nugget of truth that will justify my stubborn determination to keep on writing no matter what. And Hallelujiah!! I think I found it! It came to me this morning, as my family and I were on our way to the skating rink, hoping to find the ice firm enough to support us in the midst of this February thaw.

Freedom! The one thing I love almost as much as my family, that great intangible that has long been the inspiration of so many.

After all, there is something undeniably liberating about being a writer in a market where failure is almost inevitable!

One need not worry about pleasing an agent or a publisher or a patron if one has next to no chance of obtaining such support anyway.

And isn't this what history has shown us in times gone by? When economies fail and artisitic support is non-existent, that is when the greatest art is usually created. It is out of such difficult artistic times that the great ones rise, like John Steinbeck with The Grapes of Wrath, songwriters such as the legendary Woody Guthrie, (for the benefit of all you Boomers out there, Woody is the father of the also legendary Arlo Guthrie), (and to all you generation X'ers, sorry, I can't help you), to name only a couple.

So to heck with worry! I, for one, plan to just keep on writing, keep on trying new twists on my craft, and do whatever I can to make the work better and more relevent to the world we are living in -- right here, right now.

These are, after all, very interesting times... and that is both a curse and a blessing.

Donna Carrick February 7, 2009

[I. J. Parker]

Well, I think I agree with you. Certainly it's important to detach and to stop agonizing on how to promote and how much money to spend and what kind of book will please the powers that be. I broke in once writing short stories without much hope that they'd be published. It could happen again.

[Vicki Delany]

Good for you, Donna, to stay so positive. Keep at it!