A New Year’s Resolution for Writers: Don’t Be Snooty

writerspromotingwork Are you, or someone you know, suffering from Snooty Artist Syndrome?

The condition is sweeping the nation. I’ve met quite a few sufferers — and had some personal experience with the dreadful SAS myself.

Writers are suffering in record numbers.

Sure, it can start with the mild panning of ebooks as “not being real books” or the dismissal of crucial self-promotion tools like social media… but soon enough, you’ve developed a full-blown case of Snooty Artist Syndrome and can’t even be “bothered” to maintain a blog.

My resolution for 2013 is to stop suffering from SAS altogether.

If you want to join me, it’s important to first recognize the symptoms.

SAS sufferers often:

1. Accuse ebooks of not being “real”

2. Refuse to use social media, because everyone just “talks about themselves all of the time”

3. Scoff at Twitter as a way to connect with writers, but frequently stalk old high school friends/lovers on Facebook

4. Don’t have a blog, because having a blog “takes away” from your book

5. Comfort themselves with the notion that “books” will go back to the way they were, as long as they ride this technology thing out

6. Sneer at people who post their fiction online

7. Cry about rejections from magazines, but laugh at the idea of submitting their work for free to e-zines

8. Don’t support other writers who are trying their absolute hardest to adapt to the future of books

9. Post their fiction online, but refuse to read anyone else’s

10. Write inside of a bubble instead of paying attention to what other authors are doing

In the end, it’s important to remind yourself, and anyone else who is suffering from Snooty Artist Syndrome, that we’re all in this together.

Who are the most avid readers? Writers.

Who are the most avid fans of other writers? Writers.

Who understands, like no one else, what a monumental task it is to write a book? Writers.

If you’re going through a period of SAS, don’t feel guilty. SAS, and the self-preserving sense of importance and arrogance that goes with it, are crucial to having the willpower to write in the first place.

Just don’t SAS yourself out of the real world in the process. Remember to look at:

What other writers are doing with Facebook
What writers are blogging about
What they’re tweeting about
How they’re using GoodReaders
What’s happening to books and the world of reading in general

The biggest cure for SAS is having an active blog and connecting with other writers. Make your New Year’s resolution to not just combat SAS, but help others combat it, too.

The fewer writers that suffer from SAS, the stronger the writing community. The stronger the writing community, the better chance there is of an online community that encourages and self-curates great writing in a time of rapid, unpredictable change.