fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2618 ]

[ SECRET POST #2618 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2618 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 039 secrets from Secret Submission Post #374.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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If the only way you can motivate yourself to write is if you were able to get paid for it, then it's not writing you wanna do. You just wanna make money.

That's bullshit. I enjoy my job. I still wouldn't show up at work every day and do it if I didn't get paid for it. It's a mixture of doing something you enjoy AND getting rewarded for it.

A job is a job, and a hobby is a hobby. There's a pretty obvious difference there.

Writing is a job if you're getting paid for it.

Oh, for God's sake... The secret is about writing fanfiction. Hence my comments are about the secret; not published authors.

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 00:52 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 02:51 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 06:35 (UTC) - Expand

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caecilia - 2014-03-05 16:34 (UTC) - Expand

You think that writing as a job and writing as a hobby is the same thing?

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chardmonster - 2014-03-05 01:05 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 01:21 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 01:33 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 13:38 (UTC) - Expand

ayrt

Jobs and hobbies are not completely different things. I do some things for my job that I would also consider my hobby. That's because I tried to make something I enjoy, a hobby, into my job. It worked for me. I don't see why someone wishing they could turn their hobby into a job - or at least into something they can get a bit of extra money for, which is perfectly acceptable for fanartists - is such a bizarre thing. I know a lot of artists who are way more motivated to work on their art when they get commissions, nobody is accusing them of "not liking to draw".

The thing is, when you make your hobby a job it still has similar disadvantages than a job.

You don't get to do the stuff you enjoy all the time (unless you don't want to earn money), you have to deal with deadlines, etc.

*GASP* Make money? Perish the thought!

Did I say that wanting to make money was bad...? All I meant was that if payment was her only reason/motivation for writing, then there are a lot better ways to earn said cash.

DA Maybe some people are motivated to do what they want by financial reward, more than others. Maybe they're poor. Maybe they're often tired. Maybe they hate having to choose. Maaaan, I hate the "noble artist willing for work for nothing for the glory of ~creativity" shit that you're perpetuating. It's so ~middle class~.

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 12:22 (UTC) - Expand

... and? I'm honestly not sure what your point is, except to imply that writers should be willing to work for free and that being motivated (at least in part) by money is somehow not as legit. There usually are better ways to earn cash than whatever it is a person chooses to do. It doesn't mean that they shouldn't want to get paid for their work.

I think the key here (given the rest of this job vs hobby thread) is whether money would be considered OP's only motivation to write, or just an additional motivation. Extra motivation is never a bad thing. Money as the only motivation is shitty for writing.

Yes, thank you! That's exactly what I meant.

Yes, exactly this.

Why? Walk into any bookstore and you'll find it's full of people who wrote books in exchange for money. Many of them might write anyway, but they wouldn't necessarily have written those exact same books, and it wouldn't have been possible to write so many if they hadn't been compensated for their work-- because artists have rents to pay. They need money for food and clothing, and there's nothing wrong with writing for pay because you need money to meet your basic needs.

I see this attitude a lot... that somehow Art is tainted by association with money. I can understand why people might think so, but it's not terribly rational, nor is it terribly practical. Think about all your favorite authors and if you can, ask them if they'd still be able to do what they do if they had to write for free.

Like OP said, nobody tells medical professionals, managers or other professions that doing their jobs solely for money is shitty. People just expect them to do their jobs in a competent fashion, with the requisite compensation. Why are writers singled out?

Well, first of all, if you believe me to be singling out writers, it's because I'm responding to a thread about writers, and because I am one of them. I write fiction and I'm working toward getting published, and I very much hope to earn money for my writing. Nowhere did I say that writers should work for free.

What I said is that pay should not be the sole motivation for a writer to write. And I don't believe that most of the fiction in a bookstore was written solely for pay. That doesn't mean the money wasn't a factor. That doesn't mean money isn't important. But think about all your favorite authors and if you can, ask them which of their works they're most proud of.

This was a thread about seeking motivation to write. I believe the most essential reason any person should write fiction is because they have a story they want to tell. It doesn't have to be the only factor, and I'm sure it isn't. If a writer is lucky enough to be paid for their writing, all the more reason to do it. Money determines a lot of things. But if you're a writer, the fundamental question of whether you write or not should not be one of them.

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(Anonymous) - 2014-03-05 23:34 (UTC) - Expand

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inkdust - 2014-03-05 23:48 (UTC) - Expand

If I thought any professional did their job *solely* for money, yes, I would criticise them. A professional has, or should have other motivations as well. Standards. Competence. Public service.

yrs, a social worker who regularly works an extra day a week over my pay, because I'm a professional and my clients matter.

Doesn't it seem pretty clear from the secret that OP is already interested in creative writing for its own sake but has problems with writer's block and is now wondering if money would be the extra push they need to get going?

I was commenting more on the direction the thread had taken than on the actual secret.

Oh spare us. The whole idea that the only valid creative work is that which is done without thought of reward--that's complete, unmitigated guff.

But that's not what the person was saying at all.

galerian_ash was very definitely saying that if you need the prospect of reward to motivate you to do creative work, you're not really a creator, just a moneygrubber.

Not so. I used to dabble in scanlation, now I'm a professional translator. When I scanlated, I just did what I wanted when I wanted - which meant like 30 pages a week max (granted, I did my own scanning and cleaning). Now I do about 150 pages a week, and I'm way more motivated to do it. I still enjoy it, but some things are hard to focus on when they're not bringing you home the bacon. Money gives you the focus to work hard instead of just dabble here and there.

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