Why I Write
This may not sound very "artistic", but I write to make money.
There. I said it.
I want to make money. I don't necessarily want to get rich, I just want to be able to earn my living as a writer. Make enough money to pay the bills (including paying for my own insurance), have enough to buy steak instead of hamburger, and enough to pay for a couple of conferences and some travel throughout the year.
It's not going to happen overnight. This, I know. Which is why I'm writing as much as I can, as fast as I can. (I think I've finished my novella. I don't know... it ended rather abruptly, so I am going to have to add a scene (or two) to smooth it out.) I'm back on my rewrite of the werewolf story (the one for submission to Ellora's Cave). And in another week or so, I'm going to write a story (5-12k) for submission to Amber Quill's contest. This is the only way to break into Amber Quill, as they don't take submissions through a normal route. Wow. That means they only accept one new author a year. Talk about tough.
At one of my local RWA chapter meetings, Inspirational author Pamela Osback talked about the writing life. She said, several times, that she writes to make money. So she does what her editor asks her to do. If the editor wants something changed, she changes it. Delete this? Done. Add that? Okay.
Only the very successful (read here: Nora Roberts, Stephen King) or the truly self-published can keep their books as is. But the very successful at one time early in their careers weren't well-known and very successful, and they did what their editors asked. And I would guess that most self-published aren't in it for the money. They have something to say, and by publishing their book themselves, they can say it the way they want to.
Me... I want to make money. That's why I write. And that's why I'll do what my editors ask me to.
6 comments:
You are an editor's dream. You've got the perfect mind-set and will definitely go far.
Well, Sloane, I certainly hope so. From your lips to God's ears. :)
I'm glad you know WHY. It makes all the rest easy. It's just a job, and you can do the nasty stuff with the same mind-set that you do the good stuff: it's my job.
Sloane's right - you're an editor's dream. No prima donna arguments over changing a scene or rewriting something. That's admirable.
It's taken me quite a while to come to the realization that I write for myself. So there you are, writing for a living, and here I am, writing because the words wanna come out.
And you've got Sloane's 2x4 if you falter. I can't imagine better support.
You're right, Forrest. This is a job. I try to treat it as such, getting to work no later than 9 a.m. every weekday. Weekends are a bit more lax, but I still try to write on the weekends, too.
Yasmine, if you find a hot Italian, see if he's got a brother or friend. I want one, too!
I'm glad I don't write for the money. I'm up at 2:12 a.m. and getting into the mood - I'll be writing in less than 15 minutes.
If this was my job, I'd KNOW I was crazy!!
And it's Saturday night!! Egad, cats that wake people up in the middle of the night, in search of tuna.
I write for two reasons: because if I don't I'd go more mental than I already am what with all the voices and people carrying weaponry in my head. Best to give them a creative outlet in a story. It seems safer for the world.
And two: this is my dream job. Yes...pay me. I'm like you, Sherrill. Want this changed? You got it. You want me to fix what? No problem. I figure it's because the editor is an editor for a reason: s/he knows what the hell they're doing and what sells? Me? I pen the shit but I'll pay attention to what they tell me too. Why would I make a big stink about forgetting a plot point that was in version 1 but never made it into the final version?
I may be a Diva but not when it comes to the business end of writing. I'm a rank amature. They lead I follow.
Now I'm going to bed because it's 3:45 a.m. I spent the last 2 3/4 hours preparing blogs for 3 days all because of a message on my machine from my parents after coming.
The trials and tribulations of me.
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