I recently learned the other day that a guy in my poetry class made the "cash" motion with his fingers, and declared that he could not wait to be published so that he could begin rolling in the dough. First of all, it's poetry. You will never get rich off of poetry. Second of all, his poems are all about Kansas and trains. He wrote a poem about watching a train go by. You know how long it takes for a train to pass, especially when you're in a hurry? That's what it felt like listening to this man read his poem. Like it would. never. end.
I mainly wanted to take a minute to talk about the problems that I had with his statement. Writing is an art form. It's extremely difficult and takes a long time to hone. And getting published? It doesn't just magically happen not to mention the amount of time it takes to make a steady income after publication.
I believe that people should write because they have something they want to say, or they just want to entertain. Yes, someday I hope to get published and "roll in the dough" as he put it, but that's because I would like to make my chosen path my career. Not because I think it will bring in quick money.
So to all of you out there who are just doing this for quick and easy money, you're probably not that good at writing anyway without passion, and quit degrading it for the rest of us who are passionate about our craft.
