The Los Angeles Times recently surveyed writers participating in the L.A. Times Festival of Books about their path to literary success. The result can be seen the creation of a unique board game that lets you play along.
The board game cites interesting results along the way, including:
- the age respondents decided to be a writer
- 51 percent kept a diary
- 25 percent who got an MFA in creative writing
- most influential books in youth (Grapes of Wrath and Portrait of a Lady)
- 58 percent of writers make a living from writing
- how respondents published, whether with a major, traditional publisher; independent publisher; or self-publisher
- 64 percent had books rejected
- age in percent that they had their first best-seller
- percent who teach creative writing
The game itself awards points for writing or winning a contract or agent, but deducts points for falling into a social media hole that keeps you from writing to losing points in a computer crash. I played the game and scored 33 points, which translated equates to: “You’re Ernest Hemingway. You’re celebrated, but not by everyone.”
Hmm, I’ll take it.
Give the game a try. (But subtract 10 points for allowing it to keep you from writing.)
Story By G. ROBERT FRAZIER 