I was not in attendance at Disrupted Festival, but a particular tweet caught my eye:
Juliet Rogers #disruptedfestival says everyone does NOT have a book in them. This thought devalues what our true writers are doing. @statelibrarywa pic.twitter.com/ss8ubjjSGz
— Kylie Howarth (@kylie_howarth) July 27, 2019
I’m not sure I see it as devaluing, because even if everyone has a book in them, not everyone can or will or wants to write it. So can it really devalue if there’s no output?
Creation, Value and Output
Does this sentiment reflect gate-keeping values; that you should only be able to publish if an Other permits you to? There are immense issues with gate-keeping that are outside the scope of what I want to write about today.
What is the value in our action? Which action do we value the most?
Creation costs us time. I spent a lot of hours writing during NaNoWriMo 2019. Is that where we tick box approve people for their dedication?
Value – what is a valuable work? Is it a serious book? Academic publishing? A happy and light distraction from the gloomy world?
Output – is our writing only valuable if we have an output? A publication, something to buy? Twist the value of art into having a monetary figure before it has a value?
