tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967806610957360397.post4938224642756637004..comments2023-09-29T00:18:58.055-07:00Comments on Marshall Ryan Maresca: The Very Different World of Literary FictionMarshall Ryan Marescahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06259367667777920728noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967806610957360397.post-69501165117673151322014-09-23T06:28:32.186-07:002014-09-23T06:28:32.186-07:00Donna Tarrt's wikipedia page doesn't say a...Donna Tarrt's wikipedia page doesn't say anything one way or the other, but yeah, I imagine she's also a professor somewhere, or something like that. <br /><br />Though genre writers aren't typically "full-time", either. The only ones that I know who are usually have working spouses to supplement their income.Marshall Ryan Marescahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06259367667777920728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967806610957360397.post-58105617683922295012014-09-22T10:58:47.831-07:002014-09-22T10:58:47.831-07:00I think finances is the difference. Literary ficti...I think finances is the difference. Literary fiction is not expected to generate enough income for an author to live by writing. I don't know anything about Donna Tartt specifically, but authors of literary fiction in general are expected to make their bread-and-butter money with various forms of teaching (in the best case) or other day jobs. Focused writing has to be squeezed into sabbaticals or in lulls between other responsibilities. They're considered successful by how many awards and accolades they achieve.<br /><br />Genre writers are generally considered successful based on commercial results, and it's expected that successful genre writers will also be full-time writers. So it's a different set of expectations and responsibilities.<br /><br />George R.R. Martin also wouldn't face such scrutiny if the gap were between the end of one series and the start of the next. It's the fact that he's writing relatively slowly on the middle of the story that's maddening, especially given the precedent for fantasy series of longer than three novels to fall apart.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04841377349875941847noreply@blogger.com