The article describes what it takes to getting published; ie, passing an ever increasing number of gatekeepers. Agents, "blurb writers", publishers, reviewers are
all professional gatekeepers, organized in a giant, very strict filter.
In a perfect world, gatekeepers should be neutral observers of an external reality, expert cherry pickers who would detect and promote the best; in the real world, they influence and shape reality.
"MFA" is much talked about in the article but never spelled out. It means "Master of Fine Arts" and is like an MBA for aspiring artists -- or, put it another way, a kind of training camp on how to pass the gatekeepers.
In another article [1], the same author discusses whether MFAs have "swallowed literature". Indeed, having all wannabee authors go through the same training can result in uniformization; and worse, it can produce "perfect candidates" who lack substance.
The best writers are inspired by the life they lived and the tragedies and successes they went through. When every novel sounds like a story from the New Yorker, with perfect language, perfect syntax, and perfect, respectable morals, we have a problem.
[1] https://erikhoel.substack.com/p/how-the-mfa-swallowed-litera...
In a perfect world, gatekeepers should be neutral observers of an external reality, expert cherry pickers who would detect and promote the best; in the real world, they influence and shape reality.
"MFA" is much talked about in the article but never spelled out. It means "Master of Fine Arts" and is like an MBA for aspiring artists -- or, put it another way, a kind of training camp on how to pass the gatekeepers.
In another article [1], the same author discusses whether MFAs have "swallowed literature". Indeed, having all wannabee authors go through the same training can result in uniformization; and worse, it can produce "perfect candidates" who lack substance.
The best writers are inspired by the life they lived and the tragedies and successes they went through. When every novel sounds like a story from the New Yorker, with perfect language, perfect syntax, and perfect, respectable morals, we have a problem.
[1] https://erikhoel.substack.com/p/how-the-mfa-swallowed-litera...