Ray-Anne Carr

• Is commercial success your goal?
• Would you ever write a movie or TV novelization?

What’s more important: Integrity or making a living as a writer?

• Do you rewrite based on editor or agent suggestions even if you don’t entirely agree with those suggestions?
• Would you ever write an adaptation of a comic book or videogame?
• Would you ever change the ending of your book in order to make a sale?
• Would you write about something you didn’t care about if you got a fat paycheck?
• If forced to choose, would you rather have artistic integrity or fame and riches?
• Would you rather be Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code, or Marilynne Robinson, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Literature?
• Would you rather be known as a genius by hundreds of people, or mediocre by millions of people?
• Would you ever write for a character you didn’t create?
• What’s more important: Getting the words right, or getting the words sold?
• Would you write in a genre you don’t enjoy for a lot of money?
• Have you ever submitted something that you know isn’t your best work in order to make a deadline?
• What is more important: Fans or awards?
• Would you rather have a bestseller that is critically panned, or a poor seller that is critically praised?
• Would you ever ghost-write another author’s series?
• Did this quiz amuse you, or annoy you?

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ANSWERS
Webster defines a hack as: a writer who works on order; also : a writer who aims solely for commercial success.
To grade this test, check your answers with the key below, and keep track of how many times you scored as a “HACK” and how many times you scored as an “ARTIST.”
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Making a living - HACK. Integrity - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Fame & riches - HACK. Integrity - ARTIST
Dan Brown - HACK. Marylinne Robineson - ARTIST
Medicore - HACK. Genius - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Words sold - HACK. Words right - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Fans - HACK. Awards - ARTIST
Critically panned bestseller - HACK. Critically acclaimed poor seller - ARTIST
Yes - HACK. No - ARTIST
Doesn’t count.
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SCORING
0-1 HACK answers: you are an ARTIST whose integrity is solid.
2-3 HACK answers: you are an ARTIST who realizes that publishing is a business
4-5 HACK answers: you have some artistic integrity, but you’d rather make a living
6-14 HACK answers: you are a hack, but may have some integrity left 15-17 HACK answers: welcome to hacksville, population: you ______________________________________________________________ What’s playing on my YouTube right now? Soundtrack to ‘A Beautiful Mind’ http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LHhxgRvgCxs&feature=PlayList&p=C3806BD6CA509E43&index=16