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Write for love or money: Editor's Notes #217
August 15, 2016
Hello,

Take any gig you can get.
If the checks don't bounce, it's a good gig.

--Molly Blaisdell


In this issue:

1. Write for love or money
2. Tickled my funnybone
3. Interesting Web site
4. Writing prompt
5. Letter to the editor

1. Write for love or money
Do you write for love or money, or some combination of the two?

If you write for money, the income is important to you. If you write for love, you write what you like and ignore what the market says it wants.

I've done both and been happy with the results of both.

Even when I write primarily for money, I prefer to write what gives me joy beyond the income.That joy could be because I know about and like the topic or because of new skills I develop along the way or because I am learning about a topic new to me.

And even when I write for love, I often have an eye for what I believe will sell. With that said, there are pieces I've produced just because I wanted to say something, and I didn't care whether or not anyone else ever heard me.

Both motivations can lead to increased skill as a writer, and the increased skill brings more joy to those who write for love and higher incomes for those who write for money. So regardless of the motivation to write, improving your craft is a sure way to move forward.

Whether you write for love or money, it's good to know which goal is foremost for each project as well as what you want from your writing in your life because beyond the craft of writing, there are many paths to fulfillment as a writer. Knowing why you write gives you a greater chance of being happy with your results.

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2.Tickled my funnybone
The two ghouls got married because they loved each shudder.

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3. Interesting Web site

Morgen Marshall, in a subsequent conversation to the letter to the editor you see below, mentioned another resource she uses. She says she uses a free version. This might be something those of you with multiple submissions on the go could use.
https://querytracker.net/

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4. Writing prompt
Use the essentials of this prompt for any topic you are writing about or wondering about in your life in general. I call this Yes/No. Choose either the word love or the word money, and put it at the top of a page. Below the key word, divide the page in half. Label one half Yes, and the other half No. The essential part of this exercise is to move back and forth, giving an equal number of entries to each side. For example, if you choose Love as the key word, and you begin with the Yes side, you cannot write anything else on the Yes side of the ledger until you have written something on the No side. This forces your mind to consider both sides of an issue. Continue for a set period of time or until you cannot think of anything at all to put on one side or the other. This does not tell you which side is more important or which side is "right". It simply forces you to think of two sides of an idea.

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5. Letter to the editor
Morgen Marshall wrote after Issue #214 about how to recognize scams aimed at writers. She agreed to let me share her ideas here.

Audrey,

I use "Writer Beware" for questions instead of "preditors and editors." I forget about those guys. When I write for advice, I usually get it.

There's also a new electronic slush pile out there called "authors.me"

It was free when I signed up, but that may change soon.

Keep up the great work. Love your ezine!!!

Morgen


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