Look, things are hard out there for many, many people. And I suspect heavily they are going to get much worse for almost everyone before it shows any signs whatsoever of it becoming better for anyone.
There are still bright points. Good books, good movies, great music… there is a lot that we, as a society and as a people, produce that we can be proud of. A lot of awful stuff, and AI is making sure that there is more and more awful stuff constantly, but a fair amount of really good stuff too.
I was speaking with an editor friend of mine, who was lamenting how the big publishing house she works for has this monumental decline in quality because everyone is overworked and underpaid (despite how massive the industry is). And I get it. There’s more and more crap out there, and everyone thinks they can write.
But it’s exhausting to try… to really try and make fun stories that people will enjoy, and to put the time and effort into polishing and refining them, and knowing that I’m getting a fraction of a fraction of what I need to live on.
Ah well. Whine whine whine. Stuff is hard, and all we can do is our best.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!