DOING ALL WRITE
So why not you? Andrew Don asks at the end of his piece on earning more in income than most of us aspire to (Breaking the big money barrier, WM, Nov).
But here’s the thing… it never was about the money. At the height of my corporate career I got half-way to his zenith. Walking away was easy. I’m not that rare beast who writes in their spare time and goes on to publishing superstardom. I’m the even rarer one who has curated their time to enable the writing and not have to care (much) about how it is received.
No disrespect to Mr Don – if his achievement is your aspiration the advice is sound. Some of it is sound, even if you measure success differently.
That’s the real thing: how do you measure success? If you have space to write what you want to write, and you’re doing so, you’re already successful.
And if the bills are being paid, mostly on-time, doubly so. LESLEY MASON
Norwich
Helen Gaen’s star letter (WM Dec) certainly resonated with me.
Although we all love to see our work in print and get paid for it, it is not the be all and end of everything. I feel the ability to entertain or amuse – even without financial reward – is more than enough on certain occasions.
Since the very first lockdown I decided to send out a daily ‘point to ponder’ email to a group of about twenty friends, the intention being that if any of them was feeling lonely they had a chance to respond. It seemed to be well-received and occasionally I would send the odd amusing picture from the farm. On National Poetry Day I sent a poem. To some I sent the odd short story. There would also be inter-reaction from others. It kept us connected.
The responses in general were so positive it gave me enough courage to send out my forty-year-old unpublished novel to a selected few. Each was puzzled as to why it had not been published.
I don’t seek fame and fortune and though payment is wonderful, giving you a sense of worth as well as something in the bank – plus a boost to the ego – my aim is purely to know my writing has been well-received, entertaining or amusing, especially at times when many spirits were so low.
ASTRID BARTLETT Shepton Mallet, Somerset