[_pius]

IIRC, if you read Women, you'll see a passage where Bukowski essentially clarifies this piece. He'd get so many wannabe writers asking him for advice that he'd tell them to just give it up. If they didn't, they were real writers. If they gave up just because some old prick told them to, well ...

[hugh3]

That's pretty much the same advice I give to anyone who asks me whether they should do a PhD. If you need to ask, the answer is no.