MedleyMisty wrote:Isn't that sort of 20th century thinking? There's a lot of alternatives now and you don't have to go through corporate gatekeepers if you don't want. In my little internet subculture, quite a few people say they don't read paper books anymore and that they get their literature fix exclusively from Sims stories.
As far as publication with a major publisher goes, I don't think the rules have changed that much in the 21st century - at least, not yet. Of course, given the new alternatives, namely self-publication with an e-publisher, the question of what "good enough" writing really means in the 21st century can be discussed seperately. But let's be frank for a second, most e-publishers I am aware of don't have any quality standards at all, so being "good enough" is not really an issue anymore for getting (sort of) published at all - but it is still what will determine your sales. You still need to be "good enough" to compete with traditionally published writing. Meaning you will need to meet the same quality standards as before to have any success as a writer, 21st century or not.
Of course if you aren't after publication at all, being "good enough" has a whole different meaning. It could mean that you're good enough if your friends/family like your writing. Or it could be good enough as soon as it's written down, since to you the journey of writing is what matters to you, not the tiny hope of seeing your work in print.