I see some very good points made by everyone here, and while I do think that this is like the many discussions where writers in two camps agree to never agree, I think we can all learn from each other's way of thinking. So here goes...
mommie4a said:
Do I write to make money? No. Do I therefore write as a hobby? No. I know others may say that I'm in denial and indeed it is a hobby if I don't write to make money. But I think that that is a very defeating position to all writers and it simply doesn't apply to me (and I'm sure some others) because no career choice I've ever made prioritized money.
Jill, you're saying this because you're taking it to mean that I'm viewing a hobby as something demeaning or not good. I'm not. As an example, I love teaching. Sometimes, I'll take my young cousins and teach them English or Math and I don't get compensated for it. It's fun. I could do it every day. But is it my profession? Nope. For the simple reason that (1) I'm not making any money doing it and (2) I'm not pursuing it with any kind of goal in mind. I do it when I feel like doing it and when I don't feel like teaching, I don't. If I take up teaching in a school, then it's a career choice.
Writing on the other hand, is my profession. I love writing. That's why I've made it my profession. But since it is my profession, it needs to bring in the income. That's why I'll negotiate for higher fees, take up projects I have absolutely no interest in, and write even when I don't feel like writing. That's why I have to meet a deadline. And it's also why I query first. If I were doing it for the passion, I'd write something and then, if I felt like it, try to sell it. But me and a lot of other writers don't do that. We first sell and then write. And if an editor offered to pay me $2 a word for an article on monkey reproduction, I'd chuck my non-interest in the subject and get to know everything about the damn monkeys. A person who isn't writing for the money would say, "Thanks, but no thanks."
mommie4a said:
I recognize the place to which my perspective often gets relegated by fulltime, career writers (unintentionally or intentionally, and with or without malice) and so I do struggle - when I'm mingling in the writing community - with feeling like a lower caste of a writer. Knowing you're in India, I don't say that lightly.
As I said, I don't think either of the choices is a good thing or a bad thing. I'm just saying it's a choice. Either you write for the money or you write for the love of the writing. If you get to do both, good for you.
It's funny you say that, actually, because I feel the same way around most writers. Many writers don't write for the money actually, so when I say money is my primary motivation, they look at me strange.
It's like the whole to-write-or-not-to-write-for-free debate. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.
mommie4a said:
I'm dedicated, I'm hardworking, I'm published - so there are editors who want to publish and pay for what I have to say the way I say it. To label my efforts as a hobby, because the income isn't the top priority for me in my endeavors, feels - with all due respect - a little insulting.
That's because you have a different view of "hobby" than I do. Maybe hobby isn't the right word. I'm just viewing hobby as something that's not bringing in income but is something I like to do. Or something that does bring in a nice check from time to time, but it's something that I'm not doing for a profit motive. That's the important thing here. When you're operating for a "profit motive," you're in it for the money. But if you'd do it regardless, it's not.
Luckily, we have the option of striking a balance. Most of my work is for money, but there are some essays that I would have written whether or not they ever got printed.
In my opinion, the issue is not how serious you are about your writing, but what your motivation is. My motivation is money. If I don't make enough, I'll continue writing in my spare time, but I'll get another job. If I do make a decent income, I'm one of the lucky few who can use their passion to further their career.
mommie4a said:
I think for me, I've worked so hard to feel like and be a legitimate writer.
But Jill, that's exactly what I mean-- just because you're doing something for a hobby (someone please find a better word), doesn't mean you're not a legitimate writer.
Every writer is a legitimate writer, regardless of how much they earn.
JAlpha said:
but DON'T forget . . . SOME of us write because we can't imagine what our lives would be like if we didn't.
Anyone else feel PASSIONATE about writing?
Hey, I'm passionate about writing, too! That's exactly why I'm not in some corporate job programming my butt off. I have a degree in Information Technology, but I'm a full-time writer. You don't give up a high-paying job and take a risk with full-time freelancing unless you have passion! We just take it to the next level and call it our career.
mommie4a said:
It frustrates the heck out of my husband, who, thank God, and by no strange twist of fate, does everything for $$. Lucky me, he's pretty good at that.
I'm quite like your husband, Jill!
RoseReifsnyder said:
I lean towards Mridu's camp, but I see the merit in saying that writing seriously shouldn't be classified as a hobby (even if doesn't generate a dime)...how's that for taking a stand!
Okay, I'll agree to that. But what do you call them then? Not everyone is (or wants to be) a professional writer.
RoseReifsnyder said:
The point is, I love to write and I've always considered myself a writer. Since getting laid off eight months ago, however, I've come to see myself as a Freelance Writer. That's a career. It's a career I love, but if I don't make cash at it and have to get another 9-5 job that often sucks the creative juice out me, I'll go back to being a happy and fulfilled writer.
Yes, yes, yes! Maybe I should erase everything else I've said so far and just leave this up.