Do you think famous writers lurk here?

Eh, I rejected a story by a Pulitzer Prize winner once. And he wrote to ask why.

Buffysquirrel said:

Eh, I rejected a story by a Pulitzer Prize winner once.

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That... makes me worried.

Dancre said:

I have friends who are prof writers and they say they stay off the boards b/c they don't have time for them anymore. ...
Also I've noticed that when a person who does know the ins and outs of writing tries to help others, there's always one or more people who've never published a book or just self-published a few books and think they know so much more than the prof writer. So why bother trying to help? Plus some folks just don't want to hear about how to make the book better, so the pros just don't bother anymore.

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The thing is, all writers procrastinate, even the busiest. And there are plenty of professional writers, published commercially, who hang out here, including yours truly--not famous, but professional. The blind-leading-the-blind attitude you describe is one I've encountered on other writers' forums, including a bunch on Linked-in. Giving or seeking advice on those boards is a true waste of time. But it's different here on AW and on the Compuserve forum, where I'm a co-leader with Diana Gabaldon--who is a famous writer, and who's very generous with writing and publishing advice. The general population is savvier on both those forums, and the sysops are active and monitor everything, which is important, I think. When I can help out with an answer, I'm happy to do it; and if people disagree, which they sometimes do, it's done politely and with good arguments. When I have a question, I pose it and get useful responses. AW is one of the few forums I know where published, self-published, and aspiring writers can all find value.

I don't think there is anyone who doesn't hang out online these days. Most of my favorite celebs are tweeting constantly despite having very busy work schedules. As someone else already mentioned, being successful in writing only means reducing work hours since they wouldn't also need a day job.

I'll be sure to continue posting here when I'm famous. *awkward, hopeful laugh*

Seriously, being successful and/or famous doesn't mean one doesn't have time to fuck around online.

On another board I'm on, a very famous writer (of the screen), who had been posting about other stuff came into a discussion of his work. It was fine at first, but didn't last all that long before he got banned for being a jerk to other posters.