A passion for words.

I recently did something that I never thought I would do: I walked away from an opportunity to make some pretty good money. Despite the many “get rich quick” schemes out there, this type of venture was legitimate and it gave me the one advantage I need the most: The ability to work from home. I know of many entrepreneurs and stay-at-home moms who do this kind of thing and benefit financially, but after I learned what it was all about, I didn’t want to join them.

I didn’t want to join them because it had nothing to do with writing and everything to do with working for somebody else and doing nothing but sending E-mails out all day.

I have always wondered if I would be up to pursuing a career that didn’t involve writing. I always thought it was a good idea to, in order to keep the work mentality separate from my true passion for words, but after some serious soul-searching and trying out a couple of things, I’ve realized that I can’t do it. I can’t devote myself to spending hours doing something that has NOTHING to do with writing, because my true passion is with writing and only then can I use this passion to perform a job well. It is through writing where I can truly shine and it is with writing that, no matter how little or how much I can make from it, I will continue to persevere.

And even if I don’t make anything? I will continue to write, anyway. I will keep it up, because it’s what I am passionate about. I love words. I love using and playing with words. I love challenging my ability to use words to create a world, define a character, tell a story or to catch someone’s attention. I’ve recently been practicing writing advertisements for my books and I’ve enjoyed it immensely because it was a new challenge for me to test my skill with words.

I’ve been talking with my friend, Shaunna Privratsky (http://shaunna67.tripod.com/ ), about this. She and I both agree that, despite the downs outweighing the ups, we could never “quit” writing. It’s just something we are both so passionate about. It’s our calling, our true love and our number one trait. Our writing defines us, motivates us, inspires us and teaches us in ways other things can’t. And we’re doing something that we love every single day. We’re not stationed at a desk from 9-to-5, dealing with nasty coworkers, telephone calls, business meetings and overbearing bosses. We’re dealing with something we are passionate about: Words. They are our tools for success, therapy, self-definition and creativity.

And you can always rest assured that words will never spread gossip about you all over the office.

When my book, 365 TIPS FOR WRITERS, came out on the 15th, my publisher, Beth Erickson, included an excerpt in the issue of Writing Etc. (her newsletter – find it at http://filbertpublishing.com/ ).One of the tips she included in the newsletter was my tip, “Love being a writer.” She herself had something to say about this and I had a huge smile on my face after I read it, because she really reinforced what I’ve been feeling about writing all along:

“2004 Action Plan to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

Dawn's tip # 183 (see article above) says it all. "Love being a writer."

With so much discouragement, rampant low wages, and fear of failure in this biz, it's easy to forget why we persevere.Simple answer: we love to write. We love the written word.As 2004 draws to a close, take a moment during this busy holiday season to embrace your profession.You're a writer. You can affect your world.Rediscover the passion you once felt as you wrote and make 2005 your best year yet.”


Thank you, Beth, for such a powerful and inspiring message to me and all the other writers out there! I promise I will try to do just that.