I wasn’t sleeping anyway, so I started tooling around the internet and came across a blog or two on the subject of writing for money vs. writing for love.  Now, those who know me well are also aware that money is a strong movtivating factor in my writing.

At this point I pause to let the rotten tomatoes sail over my head–for after all, everyone also knows that making the above statment is foolhardy.  In the world of writing, admitting to money-motivation is a bit like emblazoning a gold dollar sign across one’s chest in the place of the scarlet letter.

But why is that?  Many people insist that without love and creative passion, the written work will be dull and crass.  That very well might be true, but we’re not discussing the poor taste of the consumer who accepts (or even demands) such work, we’re talking about artist or author motivation.  Why is it often assumed that writing for money must be divorced from writing for love?  And, further, why is it assumed that the quality of money-motivated writing must be lower than passion-motivated writing?

It’s not my assessment that those in the throes of passion are particularly clear-headed or insightful.  The statement ‘love is blind’ may not be universally accepted, but most would agree that love is a strong motivator to overlook the beloved object’s faults.  Why, then, this assumption that the pinnacle of creative endeavors is founded on a devotion to one’s work to the exclusion of outside influences?  And if some outside influences are to be admitted, then why are some more worthy than others?

Perhaps the stigma leaps, in part, from the assumption that compromise, or writing by committee, will leave the writer with a diluted wash of dirty grays in the end product.  This idea has merit, but one could argue just as easily to the beneficial winnowing effect of placing one’s writing before cold and unyielding eyes, the better to kill darlings and hone the work.

Perhaps it’s different for each person, but I know that having monetary goals motivates me to tackle difficult scenes which I might otherwise gloss over, delve deeper into my psyche to find truths of universal significance, and spurs my creativity to greater heights.  My best work has not been accomplished when I was writing ‘for myself’, but across the board has been written with specific objects or publications in mind.  When I know the parameters of what I must write, I enjoy greater freedom to unleash my creativity without losing the ability to turn out something coherent when I’m done.

History backs me up in this.  Let those modern artists and writers remember the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Michaelangelo and Shakespeare when they look down their long noses at the creative limitations of those who work on commission, motivated by money.

Share, share away: