Writing for Fun, Not Profit

A friend loaned me a copy of a magazine for writers marked with a couple articles detailing ways to monetize my efforts in that sphere. Flattering, but I need to get it back to him. I write because I like it, because it keeps my brain working, because I think I may offer a more or less unique perspective. I like money, too, enjoy spending it, but don’t want to be obligated to write for it, in the same way I didn’t want to be obligated to teach for it.

I mention that because I haven’t written (well, published) anything for over two weeks. True bloggers, both news and opinion, tend to publish something almost daily, even if they have nothing to say. Even worse are those who refuse to let the fact they don’t know what they’re talking about slow them down in their quest to take full and frequent advantage of the First Amendment, but, hey, this is America, where loud ignorance often masquerades as authority.

According to Kathleen Parker, whom I enjoy reading even when I don’t agree with her, columnists have the luxury of taking more time to ensure a quality product, but they still have deadlines. Deadlines force you to write artificially, at least sometimes, because, well, it’s your job. Back in the day I did write under deadline for TGIF, the HPCTA union newsletter. However, I was also, at the same time, a true-believer congregant worshipping at Our Lady of Righteous Indignation. Nothing like believing you have all the answers for changing the world to create a cornucopia of available topics. Not that anyone has offered me a paying columnist gig in any case, not even HuffPost. 

Because I now mostly write for me, I can, and clearly do, take my time, constantly revising, but without any real deadline pressure. Right now I have eight drafts (this makes nine until I publish) of pieces, but drafts they remain because whatever hook existed has faded into the background, I’ve lost interest, or I just don’t think they’re good enough yet.

I admit that having “followers” feeds my ego (closing in on 10,000 page views since moving to blogger.com, well over that if you count my WGHS softball blog), especially when they mention reading my stuff in a conversation with me, as happened a couple times last night, but, at a minimum, I owe whatever readers I have, and myself, the belief, even if it’s delusional, that what I put out there has some value and quality. I’m not sure this piece can claim either, but because recently nothing visible has come out of the word factory that is my brain, I decided to make sure the machinery is oiled and continues to function.

A piece I started earlier, but condensed to a single topic, has me thinking about a series of Hancock memoirs based on my career at The Place. Lots of stories from that unique little universe. I have to decide whether to start a separate blog for that or just make it a part of this one. No hurry though, because I have started writing those pieces only in my mind. An article’s road to a life (albeit a virtual life) on my blog is not a speedy one. Later....