Writers In Canada

Is Canada good to its writers?

Man. How to determine that?

If you go by the list put togethere here, apparently Canada is good to its writers because:

1) We're free. (Like any country in the fricken West)
2) Subsidized
3) We're not American (standard stuff).

I don't feel I got concrete answers here. Stating the obvious that Canada is a great place is not enough. It doesn't mean we produce great (whatever constitutes 'great') writers. Just like there are American writers enjoying their time up here, I know a few Canadians who live in the States whom you couldn't pay to come back. It's all relative and specific to each person.

Nor do I pretend to think to know what's going on (I only contribute to a magazine, write a shitty blog, and currently exploring TV/film) but a lot of the comments in here left me rolling my eyes. All I know is it cost more to buy CD's and books by Canadians here in Canada. Weird pricing.

Anyway, the comments felt too much like, "Canada is cool because there are a lotta different people with different names from different places who eat different food and none of them are Republicans who would cut my subsidy cheque to pay the bills. And with it Canadian culture..."

That being said, Stephen Brown made some interesting observations about non-fiction. I remember having this discussion in University which made unfortuante sense to me. It's a tight spot to be in if you're Canadian. We're proud of Vimy Ridge but would that translate into sales in Britain or the U.S.?

Is our plight similar or different from Australia's? Just asking.

Other than that, who cares where you write these days? Just write. Don't get into writing (and this is the pragmatist in me talking) thinking you're going to contribute to art and depend on a government cheque. Don't quit your day job until you succeed - or at least do it as a complement. It's tough to eke out a living begging for government grants and then pulling a tantrum when you don't get it.

Take me. I'm writing scripts. I'm Canadian living in Canada. Do I deserve a grant or subsidy for merely writing it?

I suppose I get their angle. It's not about selling books but keeping Canadian writing alive. It's a kind of a trade off between citizens and artists. But here's one way to really find out if Canadians really do care about writers and reading our literature. Rather than claim we care because we give subsidies, just ask Canadians directly for money. See how we respond.

Like a PBS drive.

If we give, I'm impressed. If not...write and sell better.

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The economics of the arts is such that there is no way to earn a 40k job out of it like you do, say, in a bank. There is no Royal Bank of Writing. It's an all or nothing sort of thing. Either you're starving or asking for grants to survive or you make Oprah's list and live lavishly.

By the way, I just got paid $100 by Google for my adsense. Took three years though.