Writing for Money?

Much has been said on this topic, but I wanted to take a different turn on it.

I think it's important to write, I also think it's important to make money. But it's more important to me that I write without being absorbed in the end result--money.

Photo by: tnarik, courtesy of Flickr

If you're dreaming about becoming rich as a writer, quitting your current full-time job, raking in the dough after only a few short months of writing, think again. I don't want to burst any bubbles here, but the truth is, writers rarely get published that first year that they begin. And if they do, it's because they have their own blog or have published their own book. Writing for money rarely comes until the writer is seasoned, and even then, it comes slowly and intermittently, sort of like a dripping faucet.

Photo by: Jeff Golden, courtesy of Flickr

When I began to make some real money writing I wasn't focused on the money anyway. I was more focused on the project, the person I was mentoring, the opportunity to share what I had written. When the money came it was because of the timing of the project as well as the attention I'd given to the piece. When I worked with a writer, I focused on their strengths and opportunities for growth, and less on the money they'd be handing me.

The money came, of course. But it came only after I'd prepared myself to receive it. I had to focus in a different place; my concern had to be for others more than it was for myself.

If this sounds a little "far out" to you, try it anyway. Focus on ways to improve your writing. Take classes. Be open to ideas that come to you. Let go of fear when you write and find your voice. Be assured that your distinct voice will come, just as the money will come, in its time.