Creative Writing – Then and Now – The Ascendancy of “Digital Space”

CREATIVE WRITING – THEN AND NOW

MUSINGS OF A WRITER (AND BLOGGER) BY VIKRAM KARVE

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PART 1

THE ASCENDANCY OF “DIGITAL SPACE”

(Pune – 7 years ago – circa September 2013)

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More than seven years ago, I had the good fortune to participate in a few interesting sessions of the Pune International Literary Festival  (PILF 2013)  held at MIT Kothrud Pune from 20 to 22 September 2013.

For me, one important “takeaway” from PILF 2013 was that: “More people Read on Digital Screens than Paper”. 

(Dear Reader – this was 7 years ago in the year 2013 – when people still read books and magazines printed on paper. Now – everyone reads on Digital Screens and hardly anyone reads Paper Books/Magazines)

With the proliferation of technology – and easy availability of gadgets to read on like Laptops, Notebooks, Notepads, Tablets, Smartphones, Kindle, Digital Readers etc – this trend has increased exponentially – and we have reached a stage where “Digital Space” has totally overshadowed the traditional print medium – as far as all forms of writing and reading is concerned – including creative writing and literary reading.

This predominance of the digital space has caused a total paradigm shift in the publishing industry.

Seven years ago – at various sessions during the Pune International Literary Festival 2013 – most publishers and editors were talking about the decreasing financial viability of publishing on paper as compared to the electronic medium.

Many publishers were saying that the future of publishing creative writing, especially literary fiction, lies in the “Digital Space”.

Today – this has become a reality. 

Why has this happened...?

The main reason is “Technology”.

Technology has provided the hardware gadgets and software applications to optimally exploit those gadgets.

But most importantly: 

Technology has liberated writers from the clutches of editors and publishers.

Yes – writers are no longer at the mercy of editors and publishers – as was the case before the proliferation of Internet (and Digital Screen Gadgets) – when “Digital Space” did not exist – and the only way a writer could make his writing reach the reader was via the print medium – books, magazines etc. And – between the writer and the reader – there was the barrier of the editor. 

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PART 2

CREATIVE WRITING – Why Does a Writer Write...?

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Why do you write...?

If you are a writer – you will realize that writers write for two reasons:

1. Some write because they want to earn money (commercial writing)

2. Others write because they want to say something (creative writing)

In your case – which is the primary reason why you write...?

There was a time when writers could earn enough money to make a living.

That is why writers could afford the luxury of full-time writing (and not doing a job).

But – it was difficult to establish yourself as a “published author” – since you were at the mercy of editors and publishers.

And – it was only after you established yourself as a published author – that you could earn enough money from your writing – to make writing a full-time vocation.

It was a Catch-22 situation.

If an editor did not print your writing in a magazine – or a publisher did not publish your book – you were doomed to failure as a writer – as these were the only ways you could make your writing reach the reader.

In order to get your book published by a reputed publisher – either you had to be a celebrity – or have the right “contacts” in the publishing industry – or get that “lucky break” – or keep peddling your writing doggedly despite getting rejection slip after rejection slip.

Publishers evaluated writing purely from the business point of view.

Your writing had to be “sellable”.

That is why “commercial fiction” was most sought after by editors and publishers.

The combination all these factors is the reason why many “wannabe” budding writers who tried their hand at writing – they faced rejection, got frustrated, fell by the wayside – and since they could not financially sustain themselves – they had to take up other professions. Writing as a full-time profession was not financially feasible for a budding writer – and – you have to wait to be “successful” – which was at the whims and fancies of publishers and editors.

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PART 3

THE ADVENT OF BLOGGING

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Everything changed with the advent of the internet, proliferation of information technology and innovations like blogging in the “digital space”.

Now – “publishing” is no longer the monopoly of a handful of publishers – and  – the “stranglehold” of editors is over.

Anyone who wishes to write can instantly “publish” their writing on Blogs and showcase their literary work to the world.

I feel that blogging is the biggest “blessing” for those who wish to write, especially creative writers.

Yes – apart from social media – blogging is the most significant innovation of information technology.

Now – with widespread proliferation of the internet – every person has the opportunity to write.

In addition to PCs, Laptops, Notebooks etc – you can even blog from your smartphone via Blogging Apps.

All you have to do is to set up your blog (which is simple and free of cost on a number of popular blogging and micro-blogging platforms and Apps like Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, Tumblr, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter etc).

Then – once you have created your blog – you can upload and publish your writings on your blog.

And – instantly – your writing is available throughout the world for people to read.

You feel a sense of “instant gratification”.

And – you experience a sense of “creative freedom” – since – you have full control on what you want to write on your blog – without any external “editorial intervention”.

By removing the opaque barrier of editor/publisher between the writer and reader – blogging has enabled the writer to connect directly with the reader – and facilitated mutual interaction between the two.

Blogging has proved to be a big boon to writers – especially those creative writers who write because they want to “say something”.

If you are a writer – blogging is the best medium to satisfy your creative urge and demonstrate your literary skills to the world

Blogging is also of great benefit to readers – as it has made so much material available for them to read – free of cost.

Apart from blogs – there are many websites which contain a deluge of reading material in the digital space.

Most people have stopped reading printed paper and do all their reading from digital screens.

(The “Work From Home” and “Virtual Learning” which has come into vogue due to the COVID Pandemic has further increased the popularity – even indispensability – of digital screens and digital space)

Technology has also progressed fast by leaps and bounds.

First you had ebook readers – then you read on screens of PCs, Laptops, Tablets etc – now you have Smartphones.

Yes – nowadays – people spend more time reading on Smartphones – than they do on tablets, ebook readers, PCs and laptops.

New sophisticated “eReader” applications for reading books on electronic screens are being developed in a big way to offer a superior reading experience on handheld electronic devices, especially mobile smartphones and “phablets”.

Handheld digital screens have edged out paper books.

With increasing trend of reading on handheld digital screens (especially smartphones) – paper books will soon become a thing of the past and disappear  from the market.

The shutting down of many bookstores (including the iconic Manney’s and Popular Bookstores in Pune and famous Strand Bookstore in Mumbai) – and the downsizing of bookshop chains (which restrict their stock to recent commercial fiction) – all this bears testimony to the increasing ascendancy of the digital space vis-à-vis the traditional print medium.

Even seven years ago – during the discussion at PILF 2013 – someone said that even the popular “secondhand” bookstores were winding up – as more and more classic and old literary works were digitized and were freely available online on the internet.

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PART 4

THE WAY AHEAD FOR WRITERS

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What does this all mean for budding creative writers...?

If you are a new writer then it is better to forget about “publishing” your writing in the print medium.

You will be better off if you start blogging your writing in the digital space.

Seven years ago – at the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) 2013 – I met a columnist who used to write columns on topical issues for print newspapers.

He told me that owing to financial considerations – newspapers were becoming thinner – both smaller in size and with lesser number of pages.

Also – more pages had to given to commercial features which financially sustain the newspaper like advertisements and sponsored features (“paid news”).

The result was that there was less space for printing the content of columnists and writers.

So – the columnist was repeatedly told to keep reducing the length of his article and make it shorter and shorter – till the word count became so less that it was not possible for him to properly express what he had to say.

Finally – things reached a stage where the e-version of the newspaper (in digital space) would carry his full article – and the print version of the article would be abridged to fit into the minuscule space available.

So – the columnist has started blogging – where he can write in an unrestricted and unrestrained manner.

Let me tell you about another friend who is a voracious reader.

He travels extensively all over the world as a part of his work and he spends a lot of his time waiting at airports, in hotels or in commuting to and fro to airports.

Earlier – he used to carry a book to pass time during these long waits.

Now – he carries his Smartphone – he can multitask, he can network, and also read a wide variety of things via the web – since internet connectivity has become so easy and accessible.

He regularly reads my blog wherever he is in the world – and he can access literature and information from websites and also read a variety of blogs and writings of his interest.

The COVID Pandemic (Lockdown and Stay-at-Home) has made “digital space” indispensable and probably sounded the “death knell” of paper publishing. 

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PART 5

WHY YOU MUST BLOG

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Suppose you observe something which stirs emotion within you – and you experience an urge to express your inner feelings and say something and tell others about it – you write something – say – a short story.

In the “good old” pre-internet days – you would send your piece of creative writing – your story – to a magazine for publication.

And then – the agonizing wait would begin.

Some decent editors would acknowledge your contribution – and then let you know of acceptance or otherwise.

Others would not even have the courtesy of acknowledging receipt of your story.

Sometimes – there would be so much delay by the time your story was published – that you yourself would have lost interest – or the story would have lost its topicality.

It was similar with a manuscript of your book – if you were a new budding author.

Everything depended on the whims and fancies of the all-powerful editors and publishers – who had a total monopoly on the print medium – and could decide what to publish and what not to publish - irrespective of merit. 

Most unsolicited manuscripts were consigned to the slush-pile and forgotten.

Hapless authors who wanted their writings to see the light of day had no choice but to spend time and effort to make the rounds of editorial offices, swallow their self respect, and be ready to be pushed around.

Not anymore.

The advent of blogging has changed everything.

Now – the moment you finish writing your story – you can upload it on your blog – and – hey presto – your story will be instantaneously available worldwide for all to read.

Readers will connect with you instantaneously – just like my friend who reads my blog posts on his Smartphone – wherever he is in the world – the moment I post them on my blog – and – so many of my readers.

It looks like: BLOGS ARE IN and BOOKS ARE OUT

Or – to put it more aptly:

DIGITAL SCREENS ARE IN and PAPER BOOKS ARE OUT

Is the end of traditional publishing industry imminent...?

Maybe not the “end” – but the decline of print medium has certainly started – as more and more people start reading on convenient handheld digital screens – rather than lug around cumbersome paper books.

There is a revolution brewing in publishing.

The ascendancy of digital space is an undeniable reality.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this book review. 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Copyright © Vikram Karve all rights reserved

This is a revised version of my article THE ASCENDANCY OF DIGITAL SPACE published on September 28, 2013 in my blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2013/09/revolution-in-publishing-ascendancy-of.html

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.