A Sign of Total Incompetence

Renowned literary critic Violet Buchanan reacting to my latest submission.

Another gem from Wonderlands by Charles Baxter on why this life is a tough road:

God tends to be silent in matters of art and literary criticism. Reviewers and editors who pretend to be God make fools of themselves. Besides, what’s the yardstick? It’s hard to make a lot of money from writing, and even if you did make a lot of money, what then? You might be labeled as a hack. No one asked you to do what you’re doing, so you can’t satisfy that person by doing it. You don’t find out until much later that you may have helped some people who have read your work. Reviews may eventually come, and they’re good (or bad), and there are prizes, and you get them (or don’t). When one of my novels was published, one reviewer said it was destined to be a classic, and another reviewer—Michael Upchurch (how could I forget?)—said the book was a clear sign of my total incompetence as a novelist. Someone is always doing better than you are, someone is always being loved a little more, someone is always telling you that the work is not up to snuff, or that it shows incompetence or a decline.

By contrast, bracing self-confidence among writers is a rare commodity and often a sign of psychic instability.