Wrote this years ago but thought I'd revisit. Was talking to my seatmate on the plane to Florida. She was interested in how much money I earned as a writer. I told her some and that some of my books published in 1998 were still earning money. Also told her it wasn't about the money but about doing what I thought was the right thing for me.
I'm going to paraphrase a quote found in On Becoming A Novelist. Comes from a basketball player not named but I thought it was a great inspiration.
"If being a writer were illegal, I'd be in prison for life." Kind of hit me between the eyes. But I think it's something to remember. In some ways writing, at least for me, is something I have to do. My day feels incomplete on the days I'm not writing. Taking a trip that lasts more than a few days making it impossible to write seems like a no fun time.
How about you? Has the desire to write clamped it's claws into you and suddenly you know you must put words on paper every day? I just finished participating in a writing challenge and that was to write 30,000 new words during the month of February. I really don't need the challenge but joined the group to help encourage other people who are bitten by the bug. Not everyone succeeded but some of them wrote more during that time than they usually do.
So I look at my paraphrased quote and know I don't write for money or fame. Those things are nice but I write because I must. How about you?
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