On fairness

ONE of the biggest challenges any professional faces is the question of fairness. A question, I think, that permeates the arts as much as any other, and sometimes even moreso.

There is a genuine question of whether fairness is even possible when a service has to be paid for, when access to better educational resources is ‘gated’ behind finances, and this is something I think about regularly.

After all, I have dedicated so much of my life to writing education that I have not worked a full-time 9-5. It has been spent developing educational resources, researching, improving myself and my own writing and yes, coaching. Seeing what works, and what doesn’t.

So whilst it might not be fair that someone has to pay money for good resources, I know more than anyone that educators have to eat. It is a flaw of capitalism, but in capitalism, we live.

As such, a mighty burden is placed on educators. It is one of responsibility - responsibility to do a good job, to care, and to always be trying to ensure the best results for our clients.

I know more than anyone that money is the biggest barrier to access for services like mine, but the responsibility extends beyond the fiscal because it is not just a financial investment being placed on me, but someone’s art. Someone’s passion.

For many of us, writing is a lifeline. It’s the way we process our pain and explore our joys, how we connect with others and deepen our relationship with ourselves.

In many ways, I am less concerned about the money invested in me and more concerned with the investment of soul, the passion and love that the client has for their writing, placed in my hands.

After so much time amongst other writers, I have seen what happens when this investment goes sour; I have seen people fall apart, quit the art, ruin relationships, and even ruin themselves, all at the altar of one bad educator.

Thankfully, I can say that I have not done this to anyone, but the possibility is there. The sad truth is, if you persevere as a writer, grow and mature, you will see many of your peers fall to the wayside. They stop growing, they give up, or they quit.

But I don’t think that it has to be that way. Honestly, I think this is a bug of the writing community, and not a feature. It is a fact that I learned with the same resources, had the same issues, and flamed out for the same reasons.

It is my belief that the irresponsibility of educators and people who posit their services as educationally valuable is, at least in part, responsible for this situation. But, scarier than that, it is the norm of creative writing culture, where deeply harmful attitudes and behaviours are normalised.

Part of the hard part is that we live in an age where the immediately harmful is highlighted, and the eventually damaging is ignored. If a piece of advice feels applicable but simplifies understanding, it is seen as positive and, to a learner, it can be very exciting.

But it could disrupt their long-term learning - A detail an early learner might never pick up on. This is where responsibility returns, and where educators must realise that the responsibility is not on the learner, but us.

If we promise to help a writer learn, then we cannot do things that harm that learning process, even if that harm comes after we’re done. Actually, I would go one step further. If a client is new and pays for our services, expecting it to hold educational value, then we have a responsibility to set reasonable expectations and ensure that they are getting the right service.

This is why I encourage consultations prior to a session. It is important to me that clients know what they will get out of my services, and any extra positives are simply an added bonus.

However, there is a wrench in the proverbial machine. A flaw of this philosiphy which seems somehow unavoidable. And that is when being nice clashes with being responsible.

For example, I once had someone coming to me thinking of querying to agents. They paid me to tell them whether or not it was ready. Now, the nice thing to do is to be encouraging. But, when the manuscript is far below par, you eventually have to be mean - To tell them that it isn’t good enough for that.

This can hurt. It can feel like a real gut punch. And really, whilst it is nice to leave out important information, to leave them be, it is not responsible or fair to do so.

Of course, being supportive and encouraging is really important, but so much of the culture around writing has become about those two things that it sometimes feel like we have turned niceness into an opium everyone has to take - And I don’t like that.

Because fairness is important to me. Responsibility is important to me.

But also, it is not kind. When the culture of writing shies away from challenge, when we encourage shying away from challenge. And, really, writing is a very challenging art form, especially if you give it your all. Improving requires constant challenge, constant self-reflection and self-criticism, and that is not a bad thing.

Through this process, it can be more kind to not be as nice. If it is our responsibility to be kind and fair, then we inevitably have to say things people don’t like.

And this can often feel incompatible with making money. Or, to return it to the first part of this blog, educating profesionally can encouraged unfair and irresponsible actions because they, in turn, can be more appealing to potential customers.

Of course, this is made harder by the fact that the people least equipped to recognise what is truly fair to them are the people most vulnerable to unfair treatment.

Don’t get me wrong - What is unfair or irresponsible can, in this context, be ultimately minor things that others might not see the problem with. However, the better an educator I become, and the more early learners I meet both inside and outside of my coaching, I see more and more, that even those minor things, let alone the major ones, can do a lot more harm than people think.

Though, that might be a conversation for another article.

Complicated as it may be, I think this topic is important. It is one I reflect on regularly, and drives much of the choices I make in how I educate my clients. So far, it has served me, and them, well.

However, don’t take this is a total condemnation of anyone. Surely, I have areas where I can do better work, be kinder, more fair and more responsible for my clients.

I just think this is a conversation we should be having more.