Yesterday afternoon, a colleague of mine lamented that anytime someone has a question now-a-days, they just look it up on Google. And I was like, "Well....yeah!"
When I started the process of writing my fantasy novella, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had some vague understanding of the Freytag pyramid and what not, but no apprehension about what it took make a book.
I learned all that by looking it up, reading articles, listening to podcasts, and watching videos. How else was I (or anyone for that matter) supposed to learn? It's not like I could sit at the feet of Stephen King or something and learn apprentice style!
So it somewhat baffled me why my co-worker thought "looking it up on Google" was a terrible thing. If an individual wants to learn something, it is possible to do so now in an independent and self-directed way. There are limitations, of course. You aren't going to learn to perform surgery on YouTube, but you can learn ABOUT surgery on YouTube. That's never been possible before.
As far as writers go, now is a great time to become one. There are so many terrific people out there sharing their knowledge and experience FOR FREE with anyone who cares to catch their podcast or watch their video channel. Becoming a published author has never been more achievable, and I for one am incredibly thankful to all those who have helped enable me.
Peace,
-Troy
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