I Just Like Writing

I have been a writer since I was quite little.

By "writer," I mean that my most eloquent-- and preferred-- form of expression is the written word.

I often get taken to task because I don't have a "theme;" a field of expertise that I write about. And it's true, I'm all over the map, writing about whatever idea pops into my head. Which goes a long way toward explaining (perhaps) why I am writing a lot, but am not (for example) "A Published Author."

Well.

That, and an excessive fondness for using quotes, parentheses and the ellipsis...

Bottom line is that I write because I simply like writing. I'm not trying to accomplish some kind of "goal," I'm trying to express myself. Or formulate an idea.

Maybe it's ADD-ish.
Concept of the day: "Writer's ADD."

I was a technical writer, for some years. I more or less gave it up because "writing to order" bored me. A number of people insisted that tech writing is "creative," because the presentation of specific information in a readable format was-- somehow-- "artful."

Whereas I appreciate the feedback, these people clearly inhabit a different universe from my own.

The Changing Landscape of Writing

When I was in the process of changing my work life-- from being a business owner, to more of a focus of art, writing and creativity-- the landscape of the writing market was changing.

My initial exposure to seriously trying to "write for money" came in the late 90's, and my focus was more "technical" than "creative." Somehow, I didn't really believe that I had what it took to write fiction and get paid for it. So I took a "half-step" and wrote for (predominantly) Internet-based businesses, and the high tech industry.

One of the primary ways the business of writing was changing could be linked directly to growing Internet usage. Getting work-- and getting fairly compensated for it-- was becoming harder and harder. Where the market for contract technical writers had previously been the domain of "professionals," we now found ourselves competing increasingly with a demographic I can best describe as "Stay at home moms with an English degree."

Ultimately, I don't begrudge anyone the desire to write-- however, this particular set of players in the market helped perpetuate the old reality that writers tend to be "starving" and barely make a living. After all, they weren't dependent on making a living, they were just there to make a little "pocket money." For them, bidding a contract job at $6.00 an hour meant they'd win the bid, and get the pocket money, as desired. For me, it meant "no work," because I couldn't make a full-time living on that kind of income.

The writers market continues to change. More people than ever-- regardless of whether or not they can actually write-- call themselves "writers." The size of the "pot" is fairly steady to growing slightly, but it is spread among a huge number of folks. Where once (and granted, the process was far more laborious and protracted) a published article might earn a writer $500, now many people think it is "great" that they were paid $10 by some web site. With the exception of a few who write "mainstream blockbusters," getting a book published is harder than ever... and more and more writers turn to self-publishing and print-on-demand houses.

The landscape of writing is constantly changing, and keeping up with trends takes almost as much time and effort as the writing, itself.