Teach A Writer to Publish

There's a very old Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

I truly believe that philosophy applies to writers by teaching them how to publish. This time last year, I heard a great deal of the sentiment, "Don't hand me the fucking pole! Just gimme the goddamn fish!"

This year, not so much. Learning the process of what goes into making a story suitable for public consumption has been freeing for so many writers. By understanding the process, they realize the worms aren't so squishy, the hooks not so dangerous. It's a dirty job, but it's fun at the same time. And at the end of the day, there's a certain sense of satisfaction when you share your grilled work with the folks gathered around the campfire.

So grab a pole, my writer friends, and go fish!