From: julie@pascal.org   
      
   On Sunday, June 22, 2014 12:57:08 PM UTC-6, C. E. Gee wrote:   
   > On Saturday, June 14, 2014 8:27:18 AM UTC-7, mumble wrote:   
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   > > Advertising, marketing oneself, becoming a "ride-along" to the    
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   > > publishing industry... what a load of mercenary twaddle, apparently    
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   > > "writers" today are looking for money but not capable of obtaining it    
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   > > through more efficient means than sucking up to the publishing industry,    
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   > > which leads me to conclude that the modern lot's unlikely to ever come    
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   > > up with anything justifying Edward Bulwer-Lytton's famous adage "The pen    
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   > > is mightier than the sword" since their only real interest in the pen    
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   > > seems to be applying it to a checkbook.   
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   > Anyone writing for money is a fool.  There's many other easier and more   
   productive ways to make money.     
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   > One should write only if one is driven to write by muse or id -- or perhaps   
   by destiny.   
      
      
      
   Pppbbbt!  May as well say that there's no reason *but* money to write, because   
   there are many other far easier, and sociable, types of recreation.   
      
   Writing is work.  Most of the people who write to amuse themselves could just   
   as well *imagine it all in their heads* and call it good.   
      
   Seriously, obviously, people should write for whatever reason they personally   
   have to write. I dislike the old saw that one should only write if they have   
   some arcane compulsion to do so for two reasons... 1) it perpetuates the   
   belief that writing is    
   something that happens naturally instead of something that can be developed   
   and learned, and 2) it excuses jerkish behavior and bad advice on the theory   
   that anyone who should write *can't* be discouraged from doing so.   
      
   -Julie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)