If you really want to feel bad, check out these poorly written or low quality posts compared to their payouts:

https://steemit.com/adsactly/@adsactly/adsactly-short-stories-hello-mom-i-need-help

https://steemit.com/cape/@mandela/breakfast-in-the-bay-table-bay

https://steemit.com/planes/@ngos/an-old-veteran-the-harvard-from-world-war-ii

https://steemit.com/science/@gavvet/rusinga-island-proconsul-africanus-and-a-turn-of-luck-for-the-leakey-s

Steemit's problem is that it's capitalism. The whitepaper states it wants to be a 'free market'. This is what you get when all social interactions are mediated through tokenization. Actual content doesn't matter, only the illusion.

Capital accumulation is unavoidable on Steemit, and we currently see its results. Derivative, hollow bullshit is consumed by sycophants hoping for an upvote.

Don't expect fiction to be valued high on the scale here, when even in the material world, less people read books each year. We're a niche, and as such, we should stick together. If not Steemit, than another. EOS will come out in June.

Either way, let's form a blockchain writers union.