To write for gold or for love

SageFury · Feb 1, 2008

To write for Fame or for Love

Inspired be a recent topic to remain nameless, why do you write your novels/short stories?

A. Fame and Money, you are writing to make yourself well known and popular and in terms get lots of cash in the process... Groupies, stalkers and etc.

B. Love of it, Your doing it for your own interest because you like stories and would like to write your own whether you choose to share it with a couple people or the world but you don't want to be famous and you are not trying to make it about the money.

(This one is a choice, you cannot have both.)

This has been Revised
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My Answer:

B. I write my novels because I love stories and adventure. The worlds that are brought to life and the characters inhabiting them. My pride is my creation and whether it is liked or disliked when I decide it is complete that is all that matters.

If I get it published that is just a plus to me =) I can share my creation with others and hope it inspires them as it does me...

KTC · Feb 1, 2008

B. I love to create characters and have them go through an arc of change.

Publication would just add to the experience, but is completely not needed.

joyce · Feb 1, 2008

I'm all over B. I write because I have a need to write. If I ever get published that would just be a bonus.

OverTheHills&FarAway · Feb 1, 2008

I have a feeling that people who write solely for fame and money, without love of story and whatnot, aren't going to write well enough to ever achieve that fame and money. This is an art, some amount of passion much be applied to get anywhere with it.

I write for the love of it, but with an audience in mind. Getting my stories out to my intended audience requires a certain amount of fame, and of course with that comes money...money's always nice, isn't it?

S.H.P. · Feb 1, 2008

I'll take A. I wants to burn brightly and quickly, like all the great stars do. Do we know where Urkel is now? No, but for a few short years ... we all did.

ORION · Feb 1, 2008

Definitely the fame and money...and the palm fronds laid at my feet...

Sage · Feb 1, 2008

Interesting that I'd say B here, but considered the best-seller/death question longer. But even if I don't get famous or even published, the fact that some people (betas and friends), including myself, have enjoyed the stories still makes me happy enough.

Lccorp2 · Feb 1, 2008

B. Because I must.

Andrhia · Feb 1, 2008

Why does it have to be an OR? I really consider it an AND, personally.

SageFury · Feb 1, 2008

Andrhia said:
Why does it have to be an OR? I really consider it an AND, personally.

Because thats not the option, lol

Why must people try and break the choice =P

Bah.......

icerose · Feb 1, 2008

Andrhia said:
Why does it have to be an OR? I really consider it an AND, personally.

I agree here. I write for the love of it but I also write with the goal to become financially indepentant through my writing and to be widely read and my writing to be good enough that it's loved.

Mel · Feb 1, 2008

I write for myself. Wouldn't mind some extra money, but I couldn't handle fame.

I can see three answers there instead of two. Some do want to make a bit of money, although they write the kind of stories they want to read, but I think there are some who wouldn't want to deal with fame.

Zelenka · Feb 1, 2008

B. And because I don't really know how not to write. If I don't have a WIP on the go, I just stare at things on the walls...

I can't answer A as I don't really want fame. I mean, if they filmed a 'year in the life' documentary about me (as they did recently with JKR), I would have to tidy up my flat for a start. I wouldn't mind the money part though. And I'll go to awards ceremonies so long as a. I'm getting one and b. Jason Isaacs presents it to me.

Zelenka · Feb 1, 2008

Mel said:
I write for myself. Wouldn't mind some extra money, but I couldn't handle fame.

I can see three answers there instead of two. Some do want to make a bit of money, although they write the kind of stories they want to read, but I think there are some who wouldn't want to deal with fame.

I was typing when your post appeared, but that is spot on. I am option C.

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 1, 2008

I love to write. I'd also like to be able to make my living from doing it. Then I could do more of it, instead of having other work taking time away from my writing.

And who's paying in gold? I WANT NICE SHINY GOLD INSTEAD OF BORING OLD CHECKS.

S.H.P. · Feb 1, 2008

I stick by choice A. I want to do it for the fame and the ability to have groupies and to sleep around. Now when I get my whore on I can say people are sleeping with me because I am famous and not because I'm a slut.

SageFury · Feb 1, 2008

JessRamage said:
I was typing when your post appeared, but that is spot on. I am option C.

BAH!!!

there is no C, =P

Thats the point you either doing it for fame and money or for love.

Fame and money go hand and hand which is why they make option A =P

*Not mad or anything I'm actually laughing at these devious attempts at making new options =P

Zelenka · Feb 1, 2008

SageFury said:
Fame and money go hand and hand which is why they make option A =P

Not necessarily. I make a lot of money working in TV. I'm not famous though.

I write for love and if someone wants to give me money for it, cool. Don't want fame.

DWSTXS · Feb 1, 2008

I'm writing because it's all I've ever wanted to do........the money would be nice too....., and also........I do it to entertain myself, and playing 'God' is so much fun........

Chasing the Horizon · Feb 1, 2008

For love. Purely and completely. My hope is that my new business will be successful enough that I'll never have to submit another piece of my writing for adulteration -- er, I mean publication -- as long as I live.

JeanneTGC · Feb 1, 2008

IceCreamEmpress said:
I love to write. I'd also like to be able to make my living from doing it. Then I could do more of it, instead of having other work taking time away from my writing.

And who's paying in gold? I WANT NICE SHINY GOLD INSTEAD OF BORING OLD CHECKS.

I'm with ICE -- gimme the money, honey. And make it shiny!

Claudia Gray · Feb 1, 2008

It's a false dichotomy. You can have both. You can also have neither.

I'd never invest years of work in a novel I didn't love. I'd also never invest years of work in a novel I thought had no chance in hell of selling.

triceretops · Feb 1, 2008

No mistake--it's fame, friends and eight-by-tens.

Tri

Novelhistorian · Feb 1, 2008

Passion wins. It always does, even if readers I don't know never see it. Other writers may be able to distance themselves from their work in ways I can't, and that may be a handicap for me. But if I ever wrote something I didn't love, I doubt anyone else would like it, either.

DWSTXS · Feb 1, 2008

You can have both

ClaudiaGray said:
It's a false dichotomy. You can have both. You can also have neither.

I'd never invest years of work in a novel I didn't love. I'd also never invest years of work in a novel I thought had no chance in hell of selling.

my question then, Claudia....is.....would you invest 5 years of your writing life in a novel that would never be published as long as you were alive......but would be revered, be a best-seller, and lauded mightily after your death?
Just wondering...........

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