Good point.

Everybody needs some or of motivation to write, but if the pleasure of writing is the sole or main motivating factor then judging by the small number of people I’ve met who write,I would say those that talk about their love of writing, their desire to write the best book that they possibly can and how they’re never satisfied with what they’ve actually committed to paper or hard drive are those who will never be published. Perfection is always just out of reach. Being somewhat cynical rejection tends to burst a few bubbles and striving for perfection gives the excuse not to risk rejection.

Those who enjoy writing but see it primarily as a tool or means to supplement an income/pension are those who will actually finish a book to an acceptable standard, but who hasn’t written something then thought ‘I could have expressed myself better?’ Those who resist the temptation to endlessly ‘tweak’ are those who have the tenacity/patience to see a work published.

I think if you’re already a skilled and widely-published pro author, you probably can pull this off, but for the ordinary aspiring or young journeyman author, no.

IMO the point is that for a book to really score, it must be approached as art, and written because it’s a story the author wants to tell, and needs to write. If worries and considerations of returns are foremost during the writing, IMO that stress will bleed over and suck a lot of the joy and life out of the work, turning it into something more mechanical, even cynical.

This IMO will certainly apply to the first draft. During the rewrite, which we typically approach from a different, more analytical mindset, considerations of money may not be a bad thing, because at this point we’re looking at making the story we already have as good as it can be, polishing, buffing, and strengthening what’s already there.

There are even those who love doing it for money and find there’s much more pleasure in the writing with money at stake.

Then I had an expensive divorce and quit the day job to try to write my way out of the mess. Immediately after, offers on new books started going down instead of up and I started to slide into the first depression (of many) in my life in which I had a hard time getting any writing done. Ended up in a thorough mess that I’m still nowhere near out of.

Writing without a day job is a gamble. Gambling with other people’s lives is the height of irresponsible. Nonetheless, now and then a gamble pays off; that might be the most unfair thing in life.

I now return to seeking the turn of a friendly card …

As a former teacher and mother of nine, I understand the wildly waving hands. As a writer milling in the herd, I appreciate their pain. My post, “And the Answer is…” speaks about an issue that confronts disheartened writers: asking the correct questions and thereby discovering answers that encourage and challenge us to persist.

Thanks so much for taking time to blog!

Jackie

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