Craft Chat What writer turns down 175K in prize money?

[Pamela Jo]

When an author says she had to decline a $175,000 prize, what does it say about the publishing world? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Helen DeWitt turning down the Windham-Campbell literary award caused controversy. But her bold act highlights that such prizes aren’t always as meritocratic as they might seem, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

www.theguardian.com

One who cannot sign the contract saying she will commit to promotions because she has a disability.

 

[LJ Beck]

That's a really interesting article in so many ways. It's one thing that she had to turn down the package due to personal reasons. I can see that there's lots of reasons someone might need to turn down an opportunity due to personal reasons. And I respect that. Some things outweigh money. Imagine that! But then there's other places that work with people (that one that let the write be in silhouette and have a voice actor read their answers. ha. I mean, why bother? But whatever, that's cool. And then the university offering her a grant! Ah, that's some nice karma right there.

One thing I didn't quite get is...

Many writers are oddballs, and some are geniuses whose giftedness is arguably a form of neurodivergence. Artists such as that can be sensitive and difficult. They need uninterrupted time to create. They do not fit easily into the world of professionalised self-promotion that constitutes modern publishing.

Is this saying that only neurodivergent writers are like that? I feel like that describes many writers. No?? Since when did introverted mean neurodivergent? Is that controversial of me to ask?

 

[Sedayne]

Since when did introverted mean neurodivergent? Is that controversial of me to ask?

Difficulty being that neurodivergence is not a diagnosis or medical term. It simply means brain function which differs from that which is typical. Introversion falls under that umbrella if we regard extroversion as typical. Most writers think differently or atypically. That's a big reason we write. I would hesitate to use the term neurodivergent, though.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Since there have been all these ads saying that being highly intelligent is numerodivergent. I am done with this kind of nonsense. I hated having to label my sons as learning disabled when their learning is just fine-it only manifests differently, but to get them help we had to do it. I have NO idea what paragon of perfections is imagined now to be "Normal." FFS.

A friends daughter is labelled as autistic because she was reading at a higher than proscribed level at a young age. She also writes and draws. She has some anxieties as a teenager that makes it difficult for her to concentrate in school, Ie she is introverted. My conclusion is there is a growing industry around "treating" autism and therefore they need more consumers to fit the bill. But I am a cynical sometimes introverted, sometimes extroverted creative person. Lets face it ALL creative people are going to be neurodivergent if your measure is some kind of perfect clone designed by AI.

The very definition of creative is someone who can think outside the box, make 2 and 2 equal 5, bring something into being that no one else can see, feel or imagine. In other words not be a computer. So not being a computer is now neurodivergent? Einstein was nuerodivergent then or we'd Never have had quantum physics.