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• Wednesday, March 4, 2009 12:09 PM

  But they need to write something worth reading.

  Ms. McCain, like Ms. Sarah, are writers. They write and attempt to publish and earn a living doing so. As readers, we have the choice to read or not to read, but attacking these women for doing their job is beyond cowardly.

  Wait...you seem to be advocating something a little like the practice of giving students an A for effort. Neither writer is particularly good; both are incredibly self-absorbed. (This may be a function of immaturity and could disappear with time, but still.) We don't want to waste our time on them as long as they write crap, and they're just as guilty as the sites that publish them without caring or knowing that they're writing crap.

  When Rachel Sarah stops thinking that her self-esteem as a nursing mother is actually an important issue, or when Megan McCain stops thinking that she's really writing (as opposed to cashing in on her status as the daughter of a failed, high-profile candidate) and starts taking it seriously, then, as writers, they might have a chance. The important point is that they need to write about something or someone other than themselves. No one cares what they think right now, because they aren't thinking about anything particularly interesting.

  And I say that as someone who, in my other life, has a long list of publications to my name.

  —Marianna Trench Read Marianna Trench's other letters
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