Circular Exclusion

What's the deal with...

Elitism in the writing world? Perhaps it is throughout the entire creative sphere, but as I am currently attempting to break through the concrete barriers of professional writers, I am focused on the exclusion of writing professionally, in particular.

If you've read my musings on here, you no doubt know of my frustrations of the "working world," the nine-to-five desk job, life-rotting, soul-crushing, creativity-killing redundancy. You know of my hatred for it.

I was born with this thing inside of me. This thing to create. My words were more than just a means of requesting extra mac and cheese or arguing over my electric bill with some outsourced and underpaid peon. My words were, and are, the outlet for all of this urgent, gaseous pressure of emotion spilling forth from within me like a geyser. My words mitigate what would otherwise ruin that life I so loathe sometimes. They are my therapy, my savior, and the only tangible thing that makes me any different from anyone else. I just want to USE them, but still be able to pay that electricity bill that comes, without fail, every month.

So why is it so difficult? Who are these people that control this whole thing from behind the curtain, like I'm some cowardly lion and them so great wizard with all of the power? Why can't I just be given a chance? Instead, there are point systems and snooty nose turnings at the idea of self-publishing or lifestyle magazines or journalistic articles. No, no, if it isn't from a literary journal or anthology, it's nothing. Why don't you try taking a read first, then judging? Well, because I don't have the proper citations from the proper magazines, which I can't "break into" without the proper citations from the proper magazines.

I'm still here, though. I'm still posting these blogs, reaching out to the world. I don't need their paychecks or prize money - I just need to write.