Writing Question of the Week
It's only Tuesday, and already I feel exhausted. I can't imagine what the rest of the week will be like!However, I digress.
This weeks writing question: Do you consider your writing a profession or a hobby? What differentiates a career-minded writer from a hobbyist? I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope the rest of your week proves productive and enjoyable.
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
posted by Denise @ 8:52 AM
12 Comments:
I consider my writings to fall under both categories. I definitely lean heavily on writing for work including: press releases, web content, articles, and the like, but I almost always look at my blogging as being more of a hobby. With blogging, I write much more informally and I usually find blogging to be tremendously enjoyable.
My writing is mostly a profession, but I also play too, with the creative side. Blogging is both a hobby and a profession as I ghost blog for a couple of companies.
Matt and Bloggingwriter,
Thank you both for the comments. I anticipated that whoever answered this question would have a mix between professional writing and hobby work.
I'm pretty much the same way in that I tend to view blogging as more of a creative, fun pursuit rather than something I make the majority of my income from.
That's not to say that professional bloggers aren't out there (they obviously are) but for me personally, I have yet to see any healthy payoffs with my blogging.
I fall into the same category as the others: writing is my profession, and blogging is both.
I think the difference between career-minded writer and hobbyist lies in the degree of discipline you bring to it, much more than the goal or intention. A hobbyist is one who writes only when "the muse" visits, and a professional writes on a schedule, as one would if going out to work in someone else's cubicle. My 2 cents, anyway...
Thank you for your comment domestika.
I agree that professionals tend to structure their time when it comes to writing. I know that I have a schedule as far as client work goes, and I try not to deviate too much from that schedule (just as I would do if I were working in an office somewhere.)
I'm right smack in the middle. Or transitioning. Or in both categories at once. I guess it depends which angle I take.
I write because I love to. Especially on my blogs and for my non-profit gigs. But I'm also getting paid for some of my writing. And I certainly feel as if my experience is taking me closer and closer to being a "professional".
Others have commented on structuring time vs. not. And I have to agree. I no longer have the luxury to write when the muse hits, because I have deadlines, and many projects going on at once. Without some kind of time organization, I end up doing everything last minute. And, if I don't schedule time to allow myself to do the "fun" writing, it never gets done.
If I get to the point where I *only* see myself as a professional, and not doing it for "fun" anymore, then I know I'm done, and it's time to move on to another thing.
Thanks for the question!
P.S. Got your link from Anne Wayman's Golden Pencil blog.
Thank you Tammy!
I'm glad to see a new "face" happen upon my blog. It's always nice when that happens :)
Like you, I write because I love to. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. To me, being anything else would be unthinkable.
Luckily, I have yet to run into the problem of no longer enjoying what I do. That's not to say I don't have bad days (who doesn't?!) but at the end of the day, I am happy that I'm able to do what I love and get paid for it.
this is a totally off topic comment:-)
I just saw your amazing article on my shop (shana logic) and wanted to thank you for the support--it was a great surprise and I totally appreciate it!!
xoxo!
Shanalyn
Shanalyn,
How funny! I just noticed that you posted about the article on your blog.
I've loved your website even before the name change. I'm subscribed to your store updates, so when I noticed that you'd recently changed your name I thought it would be the perfect time to blog about you.
Keep up the great work :)
Add me to the club. I make a good living writing but I also dabble in a lot of writing that doesn't earn me money for the sheer pleasure of it.
I'm somewhere in between. I don't depend on writing as a primary source of income, so I can't quite call it a career. On the other hand, I'm a lot more serious about writing than any of my other hobbies.
I think it can be both, depending on the desires and intentions of the writer. I myself want to make it a profession, and admire those who have. But I know other good writers who intentionally avoid making writing a profession for fear that doing so will take the joy out of a hobby that they love.
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