I have to admit that though like most professional writers, I enjoy being paid for my efforts, the better part of me writes because I love writing...
Ever since grade school, I have been fascinated by the written word and the power within storytelling. I started out writing poetry and short stories. By college, this had evolved into novel length writing, to go with short material.
I love the creative juices that seems to bring me to life when delving into a writing project. I embrace the challenge of developing plots, characters, conflict, and resolutions in my tales. It is like connecting the dots so every word counts in the scheme of things and you watch your own creation come to fruition, whether in weeks, months, or even years. The end nearly always justify the means if one is serious about the craft of writing and a finished product to be proud of.
The love of writing, of course, extends beyond sitting at my desk typing words on a computer, per se. It is pouring my heart and soul into each and every project with the goal of sharing the fruits of my labor with readers who can wholly appreciate and wish for more.
I have often wondered if I would feel the same had I lived in another time without the safety net of remuneration for my writing efforts that life affords me in the 21st century. Without being able to put it to the test, I feel confident that in whatever time I happened to live, I would happily write for the pure joy it brings me in putting my vivid imagination to work and lending that inner voice to others for their reading pleasure.
How about you--do you write primarily for the love of writing? Or are you motivated more by making money as a writer?
Would you be content if no one wanted to pay you to write, but many wanted to enjoy your writings nonetheless?
4 comments:
I generally write nonfiction for money and fiction for the love of it. Even for nonfiction, though, my sole motive isn't money. It's just that it's easier to make money from nonfiction and I get opportunities. For fiction, however, I've actually turned down opportunities if it wasn't something I really wanted to do. I have a day job so I feel like I can keep the focus of my fiction writing on the sheer joy I get out of it.
I write for the love of it. It would be nice to make money doing what I love, but if I had to treat writing like a day job, the joy would be lost.
I write for the love of it. Even if I never make any money at it, I would still do it because I enjoy sharing that part of me with eveyone else.
For the time being, I share most of my non-fiction/real world writings on my blog. As for my fiction, I shared a great deal of it on a story blog last year, but now I'm content share bits, pieces and parts to solicit tips and comments on how I can improve it.
And on the rare occasion, I'll throw out a short piece of silly flash just for fun of it all.
I write for a number of reasons that are so complex I haven't figured them all out yet:
To tell stories that have special meaning for me;
To try to capture moments I want to hold on to forever;
For catharsis;
To keep me sane and provide the illusion of control in an otherwise uncontrollable world.
It would be nice to make money at it too.
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