Dear aspiring writer

… what you do — that is, write — is your irrepressible need; it comes naturally to you, because you have been reading fiercely ever since you learned to spell.

By now you have refined the style and learned all the techniques. Maybe you are even good. But you need to know one thing: like you there are millions, all at your level, all who consider writing a reason for living, all deserving. An army of jackals disguised as cultural promoters has formed around you. For some time now, the business has no longer been about the book that is sold, but about what is not yet there. And ahead with the…