I'd not argue that some people in creative industries do work for similar reasons as your
steelworker and waitress above. However, I would argue that the vast majority of people
create not because they make a living that way but because they enjoy the act of creation.
Every day, I meet people who write books (even ones that I'd consider worth publishing)
but never send off a copy to any publishers or agents. Every day, I meet people who write,
perform and record music not because they're secretly hoping for a contract from the
record industry but because they enjoy making music and they enjoy that they can give
people a little entertainment.

Goodie for them. I WRITE FULLTIME. Making a living is important to me. I am no longer physically capable of doing any other work. And I am sick and tired of this patronizing attitude from somebody who knows absolutely nothing whatever of the kind of work I do or the fact that it is extremely HARD work.

 

If I gave a complete answer to this I would set fire to the internet. So I will simply say that you are totally and completely out of your mind. It is quite obvious that you hate anybody who wants to make a living in the arts. As long as YOU get paid for whatever YOUR paid work is, you care far too little what happens to anybody else. Knowing somebody who writes books is not the same as writing books yourself.

 

When I was a teacher, I got paid monthly. When I was selling telephone systems to businesses, I got paid biweekly. When I was a cop, I got paid biweekly. As a writer, I get paid whenever some editor decides to get up off her butt and send me a check. If my book sits on her desk for a year because she's too lazy to open it and look at the first three pages, which is all it takes to say "No, I don't want this," that's my problem, as is the fact that most editors won't look at simultaneous proposals at all.

 

Greg, I'm sorry. I know you like me to stay current with what's going on in the mailing lists. But I'm taking four blood-pressure meds already. I'm bailing out. I will do all the things that I am committed to doing, and you know what they are. But I'm not going to read this crap anymore.

 

Anne