Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
Let's get back to the original post for a moment, because I'm actually not hearing many responses that address what I consider to be a major question (and because my original comment really wasn't just about getting paid):
Suppose you spent most of a year--maybe more than a year--creating a special piece of art, or a manuscript, etc, that you were convinced the world needed to see, and would be better off having.
Now, suppose that, once it was finished, you couldn't get anyone to look at it. No one at all. Therefore no appreciation, no accolades, no "job well done, sir." And it looked like no one was ever going to see it.
How would that knowledge impact you? Would you consider your time and effort wasted? If you knew that a future project would achieve the same results (ie, no one would ever see it), would you be as inclined to spend that time and effort to create it? Do you really create only for you, or do you in fact crave a pat on the back, even if it's from only one person, to make your effort worthwhile?
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It would not impact me at all. I know this because for the vast majority of my life... that WAS the case. It was only very recently anyone even knew said stories existed. Most of them over the years have been long lost, yet I continued. I have heard the same from many others.
Many of us create art because we love to create art. I think that is the difference between me and you. You feel you are good at writing and hope to make supplemental money doing something you are good at. That is great plan. So you write to do just that. I write because I enjoy writing, not because I am good at it. (Some people think I am, some think I suck).
In short: I
publish with the hope of getting money. I
write because I love to write.