by Jaclyn Legge, BA English at Carleton University
Abstract
This paper addresses the rarity of the fiction author who has the freedom to be an autonomous artiste. For an author to achieve creative autonomy, they require free time and a disinterest in market concerns, both of which are tightly bound to financial security. The literary market throughout history has never been equipped to provide a thriving wage to all or even most of its published authors. Nonetheless, the allure of creative fulfillment has always drawn aspiring writers towards the craft of professional fiction writing. Unfortunately, most working writers are forced to contend with the daily concerns of survival (income, time management, marketing, sales) as opposed to creative concerns (authenticity, integrity, potential). This paper uses Neil Gaiman as a case study of a mega-author whose career embodies the creative autonomy which all writers desire. Gaiman’s penchant for isolation during the creative process, control over his creative visions, and open rejection of formulaic writing are all rare privileges in the world of creative writing. This paper argues that achieving this level of creative autonomy, which all writers hope they are working towards, is only possible for a select few, by design. Nonetheless, the public presence of successful authors like Neil Gaiman inadvertently encourages masses of aspiring writers to pursue this dream-like creative freedom.