(I’m going to post this here, now, so that when I do make it big financially, I can prove I really did believe this while I was still poor.)
If you don’t love writing for the sake of writing, get out. For the sake of your own sanity, do something else.
I would like to make a career of my screenwriting and novel writing, but if I don’t, I will still do it and be glad that I do.
The truth is that the majority of us (like 99.9997%) will never make it big as writers…not Terry Rossio big, doubtfully Damon Lindelof big, nor Nora Ephron big. Hell, I’m not even sure the simple majority (50%+) will even make a livable wage as writers.
But as much as I want to hit it big and spread the gospel of my genius (he says only half-facetiously), I write because I love writing and I don’t know how to not write.
I can do other things to keep food in the house and a roof over my head, but I don’t want to if I don’t have to. It all interferes with my time for writing.
Perhaps this passive approach to accomplishing something with my writing will keep me from making it big. But I prefer to think that by focusing on the joy of writing, the excitement of expressing my thoughts and feelings, I will be happy throughout the entire process, from now to wherever and whenever I end up.
If nothing else, this attitude means that everything that comes down the road is a known positive rather than a potential disappointment.
Good luck, everyone.
Ha, greast aspiration, there.
Cheers
The joy of doing what you love is the reward. Joy. Not fame. Not money. Joy. You are so right. Write on.
Thanks for your note of support