We'll always tend to cling to what worked before. Even when it's not working. But surely there's a lot of lousy writing getting published. Everyone is capable of using the written word to express themselves. Many writers lament the difficulties of making a living as a writer today.
Most writers seem content to hide behind that wall.
What I mean is, we live in a materialistic culture that doesn't value the gifts of soul, of spirit, that the writer possesses. So writers tend to write for other writers, and the people who desperately need the true writers' gifts are forced to content themselves with the schlock that the publishers think the people want because the publishers are American and materialistic and want to make a lot of money. I've been very influenced by the shamanic model. In tribal societies, the person who knew how to enter into the realm of spirit and bring back to the people what he or she found there was supported by the community because the community knew it needed the healer's gifts. I think America is waking up to the fact that she needs to find her collective soul if she is to grow and thrive in the 21st century.