Saturday, December 16, 2006

Follow Up Writing Pressure

This to answer a comment about business taking away from writing:

First of all, I love my work and am not complaining :), but the pressure a writer feels, both in energy and time, add pocketbook pressure, is balanced by many factors.

It depends on the writer's life style and family, etc. demands. Add work, which writing is, even though it is creative, then tack on a string of obligations and travel and preparation, and ad work,and a huge balance of time is needed to feel fresh and with the story. (Try alisonkent.com/blog and read her take on pocketbook pressure. She's a great blogger.). But one person, no matter how talented, only has X-amount of energy and time, and business can take away writing time very easily.

Take a writers life style. With a supportive spouse and family, that writer will have more time and energy to devote to writing. A supportive family member can take some of the burden, i.e. websites, promo design, tax record keeping, travel arrangements, etc.

While we love writing and the writing community, book selling is still a business and has to be done; that takes time. It is an industry. If you follow mediabistro.com, Publisher's Lunch, etc., you'll see some of it.

Some of the writers I know are settling down to write without the travel, etc. expense and energy demands. They are writers producing work for sale, and hoping that book buyers will purchase and love. There's a big difference between a hobbiest writer and a working writer, who sits down every day and works, not just when they feel like it.

Internet has helped writers tremendously, in that much ad work and business can be done online without too much time, money and energy loss.

It's all one enchilada; time and energy and pocketbook pressure balanced against the quality of a book. Everyone handles the composite differently according to lifestyle and pressures.

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