writing for money or love
This week I’d like to engage in a writing-related discussion that was inspired by Christopher Plummer, one of my favourite actors.
I’ve just finished reading the Summer 2010 issue of Zoomer magazine (a wonderful publication for the over 40 crowd in Canada), and was blown away by the insightful profile on Christopher Plummer written by Kim Izzo.
In it, Plummer, who is 80, says with regard to the type of acting projects he will take on:
“First of all, it has to have some quality. Or if it doesn’t, it has to have money. So you’re either doing the money picture or you’re going to do the quality picture. And both are terrific because the money picture makes you able to afford to go back & do the theatre, and the quality picture keeps you in the minds of good filmmakers.”
I see that quote as relating to our writing (and other forms of creative expression) lives. Sometimes we take on projects just to pay the bills. Other times we do projects for their artistic or intrinsic value. This seems to be an age old dilemma and deliberation for anyone engaged in artistic or creative expression.
I started my freelance life back in 1993, after 18 years in the corporate world. During my first year or two as a communications consultant, I offered freelance services to corporate entities and small businesses, writing press releases, newsletters, and providing other editorial services. In all honesty, it seemed too much like corporate life! There were too many meetings and too many levels of authority providing input on any given project. It reminded me of corporate employment, where the vice president of our company actually insisted of approving copy in the employee newsletter! Didn’t he have more important things to do? Didn’t he trust the people he had hired to report to him (which were still several levels up the chain to me as a Communications Officer.)
So in 1995, I started writing for magazines and I did so for the better part of 13 years. What a pleasure it was to write an interesting article (generally on the topic of my choice), to be paid fairly for it, and to be able to resell the article or repurpose the material for subsequent pieces (and thereby earn myself additional income from that research.)
I built my travel writing career largely writing about Churchill, Manitoba, which back in the 1990’s, was still quite undiscovered by travellers.
Alas, the days of getting paid for reprints and being able to resell the same (or similar) articles are all but gone as most publications are now demanding “all rights” from writers and are posting our work online, which in turn makes it unattractive to other paying clients. Sure … there are plenty of very nice online publications and various sites that will take recycled material, but for the most part, they are either paying contributors nothing, or barely enough to buy a pack of chewing gum.
Which brings me back to the quote by Plummer and the fact that even very accomplished performers, authors and other creators all seem to be in the same position of having to decide between work of artistic and intrinsic value versus doing work that simply pays the bills.
How much of the work you do as a writer (or other creative contributor) makes your heart or soul sing? And how much of it is simply to pay the bills?
Sounds like you've found the perfect balance, Bonnie. Congrats on that, as it isn't often easy to do so.
I totally understand where that quote is very applicable to writing and other creative pursuits. Honestly, Doreen, most of my corporate work brings my heart to pitter patter. I am a rarity in that I enjoy writing annual reports. I enjoy piecing together newsletters. I also enjoy writing press releases and other communications pieces.
I think that each of those pieces offers me another learning opportunity and enables me to push my knowledge base further an deeper into a subject matter that I may or may not be familiar with.
For instance, I have a contract as a Communications and Knowledge Exchange Officer with a bi-university research unit (www.spheru.ca) that provides me with challenge and creative control. I write on behalf of the organization. However, it is still writing and it still pushes me, even though it is corporate in nature.
When it comes to "practicing my art," I blog, I knit, I express through creative pieces that I often sell. I publish in fibre related publications online and in print. This truly makes my "soul sing."
Ultimately, though, my freelancing includes a variety of activities that, when combined, provide me with a full balance of creative expression and functionality (pays the bills) that I now control, while performing work of artistic and intrinsic value and doing work that simply pays the bills.
I couldn't be happier.
I am so glad this post has drawn passionate responses from a number of you.
Thanks for sharing your passion, Mariellen. I'm sure it will take you far and that that passion will translate into $$ for you. Best of luck!
It's funny, but I really noticed that Christopher Plummer quite, too, when I read that article.
I loved what Bruce said. I am finally at a place in my life when I am ready emotionally and creatively to "go for it" — I am pursuing my dreams for the first time in my life. My financial situation is beyond scary, but I just really have to try. Keep leaping, like a carp, upstream.
I think there is magic in passion, and if you combine passion, talent and perseverance — and faith in yourself — you can't go wrong. Or, at least, that is what I am choosing to believe!
Mariellen
Thanks to Yvonne and Suzanne for your comments. I'm with you, Yvonne! I've never been interested in making the big bucks if I had to sell my soul to do it. I'm happy getting by in making a reasonable living writing the things I really want to write for people and companies that are fair to me.
And Suzanne: I know you've struggled with the concept of blogging. I was like you before I started my blog. But once I got into it, I really find it to be a terrific and natural process. It's introduced me to new people, provided them with insight into my work and increased the desire for more of what I'm doing (i.e. solidified my "author's platform.")
So a blogging I will go.
Interesting comments on this topic. I would say I'm moving towards the love of work, but I still have to write some things for the money. I challenge myself to make some topics, that could be dry,to be creative and interesting.
I have to admit that blogging (still don't like that word) gives me the satisfaction of being about to write about things I feel passionate about or share information. My goal is to start blogging regularly.
Unfortunately, blogging is something that doesn't pay directly. A few years ago I would have stood on my soapbox and said "don't write for anyone unless you get paid for it." And here we are blogging for nada cash. But it does fill our wring souls and if we do a good job we can use this for showcasing our writing talents to potential clients, creating a following for our work (as you have done for your book, Doreen)and/or touching someone's life, as my blog about my mother has, and continues to resonate with new writers since I wrote it over a year ago.
Thanks for bringing up this very interesting and introspective topic!
For me, writing is both for love and money. I choose the projects/clients I want to work with. These "perfect" clients are a joy to my life. As long as my bills are covered and I have enough to buy gifts for my grandkids, I'm happy!
Balance is great, Allison. And I agree that my best work is on subjects about which I am truly passionate. Writing about stuff I don't care about seems an utter waste of my time and talent. But sometimes we need the money and we do what we have to do.
Fortunately I'm like you, Molly, and primarily write what I want and what I love. And I have a feeling the big payoff is coming my way. Enjoy the opportunities as they present themselves. And thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am at the point in my writing career where I am writing for love, and just starting to get money for it. My fear? That the demands of the folks paying for my work will create pressures that I won't handle well. We'll see, but so far love has trumped money! molly
I'm fortunate to have found a balance — good contracts on topics that I enjoy, so the majority of what I do makes my heart sing!
I have, however, found the shift to an editor's role a bit challenging. I was miss talking to people, finding out their stories and creating a work that relates what they do. Once I recognized that yearning, I decided to revive my blog and have other plans to satisfy this.
If our hearts and souls aren't singing with our work, then I wonder if we're doing our best work?
We take our successes and when and how we can get them Christine. Enjoy your time teaching, and as you say … perhaps you will get a book out of it. I believe that each and every experience is connected and that we should take the positive from each and move on.
Enjoy seeing Plummer live on stage. The article states that the stage is definitely where his heart is.
This really resonated with me, Doreen. You've hit on this right at the time when I'm trying to decide if I'm going to keep going with the query letters, rejections, getting in touch with editors I've worked with, more rejections, etc., or if I'm just going to write what I want to write for the love of writing and hope I sell something. I'll likely settle on doing a bit of both. Like the carp, even though I keep getting thrown back out of the [freelance magazine writers] water, I need to keep jumping back in.
I'll have to get back to more regular blog posts. That's always writing for the love of it.
I also seem to have found a small bit of success in teaching. This teaching doesn't really pay the bills as other teaching has, but it's more fun, and a lot less work for me. I might even have a book come from it.
Writing and teaching are in my blood, and my soul, so on I must go for the love of it, and I have confidence that there will [eventually] be money in it too.
I am going to see Christopher Plummer in The Tempest at Stratford in August–I'm sure he will consider this his quality work, and I'm willing to bet he's getting pretty well paid for it too.
Right on, Bruce! Thanks for that insightful comment.
I am hoping that my move to books will produce that desired effect of writing what I like and making some good money at it. I have confidence that my chocolate book will take me there.
Good luck in finding your own winning formula (Zen model).
Doreen,
This is salient topic for all writers. At MagNet, Margaret Webb spoke about the ecstasy of creative non-fiction, and the financial agony that often comes with following that path. She teaches writing at Ryerson, presumably to help pay the bills, her is was clear that her true vocation is writing true-life stories. Still, she continues to write because she must.
In the Zen tradition, the image of a leaping carp symbolizes the unceasing effort one needs to continue meditation practice, day after day, year after year, until one attains awakening. Despite being thrown back again and again, the carp keeps leaping up the falls until it reaches its breeding grounds. It must; that is its true nature.
The symbol is perfect for anyone who desires to write, make art, act, or engage in any other non-commercial creative venture. Despite the financial pressures pushing you back, you just have to keep leaping until you get that book, novel, or poetry collection published, or that play performed or that art collection shown in a gallery. We must; that is our true nature. Not to do so is a living death.
Most of us sit on the horns of a dilemma – to become a "well-fed" writer or a creatively fulfilled writer. Lucky are those who can combine the two.