David vs. Goliath
An image popped into my head: David and Goliath—the iconic Biblical story of a young boy defeating the giant with just a sling and a rock. I feel that way about the publishing industry sometimes. The behemoth that makes or breaks an author, that slays small-time writers before they can rally. And who are we writers, but David? Small and insignificant among the giants.
Here’s where my imagery breaks down: David had the slingshot and stones. Doesn’t it feel like we don’t even have that? I don’t mean to say that individuals in the publishing world are the enemies; just the system itself.
What should our response be to such a beast? We want in, but we know, simultaneously, that it won’t be paradise. How, then, do we reconcile our desire to “beat” Goliath and want to befriend him at the same time?
Ah, well, if I had the answer to that, I’d have already remade Goliath in my image. 🙂 My point, though, is less about the answer, than how we live with the contradiction.
We do what David did (before he flung the stone): we recognize our own value. David faced the giant on his own terms.
That’s what I love about the imagery. It’s not about who wins or how—it’s about David acknowledging his own worth as he steps up when the king himself would not.
So no matter our experience level, we can remember that we have value. Then let the stones and arrows fall where they may.