Writers need to be able to look beyond the here and now, to see where the arts of literature, the poem, the story, the play, the novel, need to be artistically in order to survive in the culture and prevail in coming years.
This means seeing beyond plot-driven fantasy novels, on one hand, and lethargic literary works, on the other. To take the best from both forms and combine them to create the new will renew the art.