Position:Home>Books & Authors> Do you believe in "the Modest Writer"?
Question: Do you believe in "the Modest Writer"!?
It's become very trendy for writers to make comments like: "I never dreamed of making money doing it, I just had to!. I had to write," or, "My only dream is to see my name in print!." Etc!.
Do you buy that!? Do you think it's possible to be a modest writer!? Isn't the act of writing a book in and of itself an arrogant thing to do!? Why wouldn't you dream of huge success!? What's the point of all the hassle if you don't want to become required reading!?
(I realize that writing is something that writers have to do regardless of success or failure!. An involuntary action and all that!. So please don't respond with that soul-stirring-heart-of-the-artist rhetoric!. It's assumed!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Personally, as soon as I found out I could get money for writing, I wanted paid to do it!. The funny thing about that is, it didn't matter how little I was paid, it still meant acceptance into that world, which is probably what I was after all along!.
Note I said probably!. My life was so filled with other responsibilities, I've never slowed down to give it a whole lot of philosophical thought, until you asked!.
Now, I'm writing a novel and I hope it sells!. I'm writing it with that purpose in mind!. Not because I have anything groundbreaking to say nor anything new to contribute to the world of literature, I just want to take a crack at it!. It's something I always feared, in the sense of self doubts and all the malarkey that goes with that!. It will give me great satisfaction to face it down!.
None of that detracts from my effort to produce a commercially viable property, one that a publisher will buy and people will actually pay to read!.
Am I aware that hardly any first novels sell!? Absolutely!. Do I have any reason to think mine will be the exception!? Not only no, but hell no!. I'm writing it anyway!.
It's important to me to finally, after all these years, prove to myself that I can do it--all the way to The End!. Is that modesty or is it arrogance!? Something in between, most likely!.
Want to know what I'm going to do after I write this one!? Write another one!. Why!? I figure by then, I'll have some idea of how it's done and number two will be even better and that one will sell for sure! (ha!)
I'd love to see my name in print--that is definitely not modesty!. I also want the money in the bank, in not so modest amounts!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
You bet!.!.!.
Did Stephen King write simply for the pure joy or did he harbor a deep, dark desire to see his name in print and reap the benefits of it!? The latter, I'm sure, is the truth!
I'm sure that J!.K!. Rowling thought of the money it would bring her to write Harry Potter!.!.!. Although, I can't imagine that she would have foreseen the level of popularity it would achieve in her wildest dreams! Really, it's insane!
Maybe I should write a book series for kids!.!.!. that's the ticket it seems! See, even the most amateur writer's dream about the money and the fame!.!.!. Really, I write for the love of it and the money is just a bonus ;)Www@QuestionHome@Com
I'm in it for the money, but not the fame!. I don't particularly enjoy writing!. It's more of a curse than a pleasure!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I've been a professional writer since the early 1970s!. Frankly, I don't care whether I'm famous or not!. At one time I was quite well known for my work and that was fine!.
It's not about "soul-stirring heart-of-the-art" crapola!. It's just that that's what I do: I write!. I'd rather write than draw a picture or park a car or cook or make a million dollar business deal!. Pretty much everybody has something they do better than anything else, and some of us are lucky enough to be able to make a living at it!.
So I write!. Famous, not famous, blah blah!. Money, oh yeah!. I'll take as much as I can get and more!. Sometimes you do write with the specific purpose of making money from it!. Other times you write because you like writing that story or idea!.
A lot of people write but can't make money at it or achieve fame, but they still write when they have time because they like doing it!.
I'd like to write a best seller in the next ten years because I'd like the dough and because writing a best seller means I'll have a built-in receptive audience for the book after that!. But I'm still a writer because I write, because that's what I do!.
Most people who say they really aren't interested in money or fame, especially after they have it, are full of crap!.
Money is great for obvious reasons and fame, well, it's not worth much in itself, but a famous singer once said in an interview, when asked how he liked his newfound celebrity, "It's great!. Everybody's nice to you when you're famous!."Www@QuestionHome@Com
My dream is and always has been, of success!. I make no bones about it!.
But in terms of being modest !.!.!.!. I'm not an outgoing person, I hate being the centre of attention, speaking in public is anathema, I die when I have a radio interview!. Maybe that's why I write, because it's a way of putting ideas across without having to shout to be heard!?!?!?
In terms of 'huge success', I think that's a pipe dream!. The reality is that no profession pays so little for so much effort!. Forget the riches of the JK Rowlings and Archer!. 5% of writers take 95% of earnings!. The rest of us make do with scraps!.
Anthony James Barnett - author of WITHOUT REPROACHWww@QuestionHome@Com