Thread by @LarryDixonTGK

My commentary, friends, based upon the life & work of Mercedes Lackey & me, prompted by this very good advice.
A thread.

https://twitter.com/michaeldfuller/status/1394058908000415746

Misty & I know what we're about. We work w/a purpose, & we have intent.
We know what we do well, & what we don't. We own that.
The work we do is intended to be entertaining for a recreational reader, but lifesaving for someone desperate. 1/

We COULD write dazzling futurism & prophetic visions of humanity's fate. But like I said, we know what we're about, & the F&SF world has people FAR better suited to that than we are. They deserve the praise & awards they get. 2/

We write with this in mind: "We can not cure cancer, but we might help someone who will get through their hardest nights."
A lot of us have felt discovery + validation when we see someone that is like us represented in a story. We get the thrill of realizing "that's possible?" 3/

Misty & I write some heavy stuff in a kind way. We believe that characters can convey solutions to readers, so we're careful to write in ways that won't wound those who have similar pain in their lives--& show that they can work it out. 4/

What we write is pulp fantasy in a serialized way. We know it, we embrace it, we've dedicated our lives to it. We're aware of the haters & degraders who despise it. We know that it will *always* be perceived as fluff by many people.
But that's not the point. 5/

We have an aim, and our aim is true. Hard SF w/rivets won't reach the people who need to hear us. 300,00-word meganovels full of rapes, incest, horrific betrayals & war won't do what we want.
There's an audience for those, & there're pros who're good at it. 6/

Here's where it swings around to the post that started this thread.
We write for the broken-hearted, the wounded, the lost, the sad, the depressed, the neuro-atypical, the confused wanderers in a modern world they don't feel connected to.
We know that everyone can be that. 7/

The most majestic people in history, the most celebrated, the perceived-strongest all had bad days. Bad moods. Mental illness, ennui, hopelessness.
We write #Valdemar & our other series so that people in need can find some solace & advice. 8/

That gets dismissed--a lot. It isn't hardcore, metal-as-f*ck, bleeding-edge-transhumanity stuff. But it *is* punk as hell. Facing the world's cruelty & horror w/"Yeah. We know. We're gonna make it better" for 40 years is punk as hell. It is defiant. 9/

We work harder than most creatives can conceive. At the same time, we can't write about fragility w/o being fragile, ourselves. We're busted up, physically & mentally. We get snarked at, we get mocked, we get roasted.
The thing is--being a pro is more about 10/

weathering the bombardment of negativity, danger, & tastelessess of a field than it is about the quality of the work.
That a film gets made at ALL is miraculous. That a novel is in print is miraculous. It takes so many people, working towards a common end, & that generates 11/

a LOT of wideband, far-reaching, hostility & bulllllshit. Look down a credits list after a film & imagine every one of those people putting up with crap, every day, during that film's production.
It isn't quality of work that makes a pro. It's the durability of the person. 12/

There are a lot of VERY talented assholes. Take it from me--I've sat at some pretty big tables, & what the pros talk about isn't the ineffibility of the universe or cosmic implications of story elements.
We talk about who's pleasant to work with. 13/

I mean that *without fail* there are always 3 subjects at every big-table talk:
How tired we are & how much our bodies hurt (literally every time I was w/Stan Lee, it opened w/our knees 7 back).
Who's doing well & what connections we've got w/them,
and
the big one
14/

who's the best person we've worked w/lately, how happy we are for'em, & who's a pain.
Given the choice between someone who's easy to work with, is pleasant, responsible, cheerful, & delivers, vs. someone who's not, the more pleasant pro will get the nod.
15/

Because we've been through a massive amount of negativity & danger to get where we are, we value those who embrace kindness as coolness.
You might be a brilliant creator, but believe me, the quality of person you are, & the positive vibe that you bring, will make a career. 16/

You might never get awards, but you will get recommendations. You might not make magazine covers, but you'll give respites from anxiety to those you work with. You'll take some body blows & pain, but you'll know it was worth it.
Your peers will know. 17/

Every editor I know, that I've worked with, will take a good person's work more seriously, too.
So, be kind.
Don't throw shade or hate around. Besides being unpleasant, it shows your inexperience. If you've BEEN through the stresses of production, you respect, not mock. 18/

Lastly, know what you're about. You get respect in pro circles if you know yourself & can say, "I love it, but I'm not the right person for that. Try __." It gets you respect, & it gives you strength.
People respect certainty.
19/

Be good to others b/c you know that we all need help in bad times. We all get hurt. We all get knocked the hell down. What matters is how you get back up & how you step up.
Negativity is cheap & easy.
Kindness is a power.
Use your powers for Good.
/end