The death of fiction? probably not.

This article was a bit depressing to say the least, but there was definitely some good advice to go by and some humor. There was one thing that bothered me though, and that was the fact that the writer said that "writers need to venture out from under the protective wing of academia, to put themselves and their work on the line," when she said that she was an editor at the University of Virginia. I feel like she was standing on the right soap box. However, she still made some good points. There are so many literary magazines, and it seems it is so easy to be published these days that the value of literature has been inflated. With literature becoming less and less mainstream, and with so many literary journals out there, it seems like fiction is becoming diluted by itself. However, I don't think this is such a bad thing. In a society that is driven by competition and survival it will force universities and printing presses to become better and more noticeable, or be pushed out of existence. I don't know how they will do it, but they need to carve out their own niche. What makes them more credible, entertaining, and reliable? It definitely got me thinking on how I could be doing the same thing as a writer. They may reinvent the way they publish their submissions (online, e-books, etc.). I would like to say that it is also a good thing to start publishing with universities at first. They are a place for learning and will help people learn the publishing process. I do agree that people should venture away from this after the first few submissions, but not to avoid it together. For a beginning writer, published is published, and it's how you get started in being a more credible writer.
The death of fiction I feel is a bit of a stretch for this article. It may be the death of a literary magazine; at least a printed one. But fiction will live on. It will evolve, just like it always has. We may consume it differently, but it will always be there along with those who appreciate it.