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blog by RICK WALTON listed in categories: Writer's Life

I’m frequently approached by writers who have an idea for a book, or more likely a series of books, and think it’s going to be a major moneymaker.

They are clearly more excited about getting rich than about the writing.

I try to give them a sense of the reality of the market, but what I really want to say is, “Figure out how much money you’ll spend on writing supplies and postage over the next few years, and take the money instead to Vegas. You have a better shot of getting rich.”

Here’s one of the ironies of the writing life. If you want to make a lot of money from writing, forget the money, at least at the beginning. Write from love. Write from passion. Write because you want to. Write because you have to.

Because if you do, you’ll stick at it. You’ll keep writing when it makes no financial sense. You’ll keep writing until you develop the skills you need to be a professional writer.

At that point you can get more involved in the mercenary part of the writing life. The business side.

And with the skills that you developed because of your love of the craft, with a minimum of business knowledge, and with a lot of luck, you, too can make a living as a writer.

That’s what happened to me. But it’s taken time. And the love of the writing has kept me going.

From time to time desperation, greed, illusions of opportunity tempt me toward shortcuts to writing wealth, but they always turn into nothing. And chastised, I return to the writing as the foundation of my career.

So if you want to be a writer, a published writer, a successful writer, take your writing more seriously than the money you might make from it. Ironically, that’s what we’ll give you the best chance of actually making money.

And if you don’t, well, you still have the love of writing.

And that’s a good thing too.

Posted in February, 2008