14 Valentines: Arts and Entertainment
14valentines today talks about the arts and entertainment, so I've decided to talk about that too. The essay for the day can be foundToday's essay can be found here.
I am a woman. I am also a writer - or at least I'm trying to be. Getting into the industry is hard - there are a lot of aspiring writers out there, and a lot of tough competition. I've written to several agents this year and had rejection letters, albeit very nicely written rejection letters, from all of them. But there are a lot of female writers around, and very successful ones too. JK Rowling has become a household name, as have Sylvia Plath, Patricia Cornwell and Germaine Greer. Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters are taught in schools, and Emily Dickinson is one of the most well known American poets.
Being a woman trying to break into the writing industry doesn't bother me. In some respects it's the one area where I'm likely to be treated on an equal footing to a man, in the West at least. There's no hierarchy like there is in the Civil Service, for example; I'll be paid on the merit of my writing, and how many books I can sell. Of course, winning a prize like the Whitbread or the Booker as a woman, the odds are stacked against me. But we've come a long way from the days when female writers had to adopt a male pen name to get their stories published. J K Rowling, a female writer, topped the 'highest paid celebrity' chart. The World’s Top Ten Most Powerful Celebrities 2008 according to Forbes are:
1 Oprah Winfrey
2 Tiger Woods (golfer)
3 Angelina Jolie (actress)
4 Beyonce Knowles (singer)
5 David Beckham
6 Johnny Depp (actor)
7 Jay-Z (rapper)
8 The Police (rock group)
9 JK Rowling
10 Brad Pitt (actor) (ANI)
Ok, so not quite a 50/50 split, but 60/40 isn't bad, and there's a woman at number one.
I am a woman. I am also a writer - or at least I'm trying to be. Getting into the industry is hard - there are a lot of aspiring writers out there, and a lot of tough competition. I've written to several agents this year and had rejection letters, albeit very nicely written rejection letters, from all of them. But there are a lot of female writers around, and very successful ones too. JK Rowling has become a household name, as have Sylvia Plath, Patricia Cornwell and Germaine Greer. Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters are taught in schools, and Emily Dickinson is one of the most well known American poets.
Being a woman trying to break into the writing industry doesn't bother me. In some respects it's the one area where I'm likely to be treated on an equal footing to a man, in the West at least. There's no hierarchy like there is in the Civil Service, for example; I'll be paid on the merit of my writing, and how many books I can sell. Of course, winning a prize like the Whitbread or the Booker as a woman, the odds are stacked against me. But we've come a long way from the days when female writers had to adopt a male pen name to get their stories published. J K Rowling, a female writer, topped the 'highest paid celebrity' chart. The World’s Top Ten Most Powerful Celebrities 2008 according to Forbes are:
1 Oprah Winfrey
2 Tiger Woods (golfer)
3 Angelina Jolie (actress)
4 Beyonce Knowles (singer)
5 David Beckham
6 Johnny Depp (actor)
7 Jay-Z (rapper)
8 The Police (rock group)
9 JK Rowling
10 Brad Pitt (actor) (ANI)
Ok, so not quite a 50/50 split, but 60/40 isn't bad, and there's a woman at number one.