Focus on Your Writing, Not Money.

You might find more success and fulfillment in the long run.

I’m calling this article a RANTICLE today. Oooo I made up a new word. Listicle + rant = RANTICLE!

I felt inspired by George Carlin and poet Charles Bukowsi — two of my true favorite RANTICLERS? They both channeled their passion into their work and I will do the same now. I think it’ll help to get this one up and out of me.

You’d have to be living in a cave not to hear the many MuddyUm writers who are talking about how the sky is falling with all the new MuddyUm changes. There’s also so much talk about money, money, money here on MuddyUm lately. It’s getting overwhelming and a bit ridiculous to me. I felt compelled to write yet another article about one of my favorite subjects:

The JOY of writing!

For me, writing is an act of healing and joy. Writing has been there for me in my life when humans were not. I owe writing a lot. I don’t owe it a bashing.

It actually makes me feel sick and sad to think of the grueling abuse writing is getting here on MuddyUm.

If writing does not bring you joy — find something else to do.

Why should a joyful thing like writing steal people’s joy and make them — anxious? Extreme pressure and competition don’t make for a happy writing life. If writing is making you feel anxious or competitive or bad in any way or if it’s sucking the life out of you — please reconsider what you’re doing.

I see people freaking, crying, moaning, dreading, worrying themselves silly, pressuring themselves and making themselves almost sick with angst about —-writing?

Writing is a beautiful thing. Writing is self-expression. Writing heals. Writing is life-affirming, not soul-sucking.

How about just focusing on the process of writing?

…a while back, I stopped chasing those big goals, and just focused on the process of writing. Because when I focus on the work — not the money, views, or fame — that’s when I see huge success. When I focus on money/fame, all I get is WORRY and FEAR and STRESS.” — AnthonyMoore

Amen. Who wants worry, fear and stress from their writing?

Why should anyone want to feel that kinda crap from a creative expression?

Is Creativity Connected to Money?

I’m sure most creatives would love to get paid for their work. I know many write on MuddyUm for money. I get that. I really do. MuddyUm is a way for them to pay bills and LIVE.

I’m thankful this is not the case for me. I’ve been through this twice in my creative life thinking my creativity had to help me survive, and I don’t miss that pressure, honestly. I was paid large sums as a singer and as a visual artist in my past. I made serious bucks in showbiz (starring in a few multi-million dollar production shows) and I owned an art studio/gallery. I made over $50,000 selling my art many years. Yea, its nice to get a financial reward for our creativity. I hit a pinnacle of financial ‘success’ with both of these careers until I hit total burnout.

Ironically it was when I was making the MOST money.

As far as writing, I’ve written steadily since age 8 in my diary, composed around 60 songs, published 6 books, published over 1500 essays/poems on Muddyum and have written over 65,000 words towards a memoir which I'm editing now.

But, I’ve never put the word writing in the same sentence as money. Yes, I have put the word healing and the word expression and the word connection with the word writing, but the word money? No.

People are so damn wound up about their writing not paying them enough on MuddyUm. People seem trapped by this.

Should making art trap you? Enslave you? I think not! Art should be the place you feel the most free, not the most imprisoned.

If you place too much focus on money you might be sorely disappointed and you might even lose your zest for writing altogether!

Stephen King was asked, “Do you write for the money?”

He responded,

“My answer is NO! Not now and never did! I’ve made a great deal of dough from my writing, but I never set a single word down on paper with the thought of being paid for it. I have written because it fulfilled me. I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing. If you can do it for the JOY, you can do it forever. Writing is MAGIC, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is freeeeee. So, drink. Drink and be filled up!”

Here are some other people’s thoughts on writing and money:

“Don’t write for money. Write because you love to do something. If you write for money, you won’t write anything worth reading”— Ray Bradbury

“Real writers don’t write for recognition or fame or notoriety. They write, because they simply cannot not write. By their gifts and a higher calling, they are compelled to create. If you can’t write and experience fulfillment through the sheer act of creating, you’d better give up now. You’re probably not writing for the right reasons, and you can’t expect to get much longevity out of it that way. Any passion you practice must be sustainable. If you cannot learn to love writing, consider moving on to another hobby. This one is not for you, not as a serious vocation, anyway. Write because you’ve been given a voice and something to say. Write because you simply must do so. Write because someone else will not. Write because you love it. — Jeff Goins

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”― Stephen King

“Whether or not, the validation of money is waiting at the end of your next story to me IS NOT what’s important. What’s important is that you make the best use of the gift you’ve been given in whatever way possible.” — K.M. Weiland

OK. Ok. You get the point.

I could just end my article here because I feel this is ALL that needs to be said, but, I’m feeling a need to talk a bit more about what’s been happening here lately on MuddyUm with many of my writing friends. I felt strongly that I must speak out for those writers including myself who have writing goals other than financial.

Here’s some proof that not all are writing for money on MuddyUm.

Five of my MuddyUm writing friends messaged me this week upset and almost distraught over the MuddyUm changes. One said this:

“People are freaking out. Everyone is stressing. I’m so tired of money-making stories on MuddyUm. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH already!”

Some were almost wanting to give up writing totally.

GIVE UP WRITING BECAUSE MUDDYUM is MAKING CHANGES?? NOOO!!

Some were so full of angst and anxiety they were almost in tears. Here’s the gist of what a few of them said to me. (These are all comments from MuddyUm writer friends I’m listing anonymously.)

“I’m spending less time on MuddyUm now because it heightens my anxiety too much. It seems more like Facebook for writers or a popularity contest. I might not post anymore.”

“ MuddyUm feels like a bunch of money-hungry hyenas fighting for attention and not the community I once loved...”

“Money is the root of all evil and art is the root of all that can save us from said evil”. (Hmmm. I never heard of this one, but I like it!!)

“ I think many newbie writers on MuddyUm might feel like failures if they make less money than those high earners, who might be the exception, not the norm. It makes writers hang on to a pipe dream. It seems a bit dishonest to make people think it’s doable to make $25.000 a month(?) for more than a very few writers…”

“If MuddyUm keeps this up and all the stories are about making money it will turn off readers. I mean who cares about these ‘make money on MuddyUm’ articles but other MuddyUm writers? If the goal is to attract new paid members to the MPP program why are people gonna pay $5 bucks a month to read a glut of these money stories? How do you think this strategy will work in the long run, especially since most readers can read online content for free now?”

“It seems I have to put blinders, earplugs and mud boots (MuddyUm boots?) on just to sludge through the amount of ‘How to make more money’ stories” so that I don’t get bombarded by that shit every time I log on to MuddyUm.”

“MuddyUms become a meat market of money makers…” (Meat market of money makers. That’s a lotta M’s. OK. A shameless plug. My M poem seems appropriate here.)

“Piss off with your rolling in cash crap… what I don’t get is the whole “no clickbait” rubbish. IT IS CLICKBAIT! Because you’re just a little curious… then you realize it’s BORING! So I have decided to ignore them, and focus on networking only.”

“Competitiveness and money have zero to do with my love for writing. I don’t want my writing to be a competition. Money is nice and all — a bonus. But I DO NOT want to read 100 different ways to ‘make money stories’ on MuddyUm!”

“Sometimes when I stumble upon yet another piece about MAKING MONEY I wanna shout at my screen. I wanna say SHUT UP AND WRITE!!! I’m contemplating doing a shut up and write piece now. (This comment was made by a wonderful writer friend who has never written once about money on MuddyUm, but she said she might have to put in her 2cents now because as she said..‘The sheer number of ‘how to make money’ articles is getting insane!’)

And finally, there are a few who have a positive spin on MuddyUm.

“I just enjoy writing and want a platform to share things, ideas, laughs…”

“I’ve liked making friends like you on this platform. I still find enough interesting writers who aren’t focused on making $25k a month that I think it’s worth it!”

This last comment from another good friend and excellent writer pretty much sums it all up.

“Regarding writing for money: When I sit down to write, it’s to tell a story or paint a picture about something I love, care deeply about, or to share something I find intriguing. During my precious free time, I choose to write what I want to, not what someone else tells me I ‘should’ write to be successful or maximize my potential for profit. That would turn writing into a job I hate, and I don’t want that. Writing to me is a creative outlet and a catharsis.

If I write what I love and readers decide they love it, too, AND, I somehow end up getting paid for it, that’s gravy. That said, I don’t begrudge a soul who decides that income is their primary motivation for writing. We all are doing our own thing and should remain true to ourselves. There is more than enough room for all of us to thrive.”

Yes!

I also have made invaluable friendships since beginning to write here in February of 2017. I even found an editor who is now working with me on my memoir. I talk to a few MuddyUm friends daily via text and phone so I’ve built real and viable friendships here! If nothing else my friendships on this platform have made writing on MuddyUm truly valuable.

Aren’t good friends sometimes worth more than money? I think so!

I know this post might piss people off — especially those who believe in and are staking a lot of their livelihood on the importance of writing money-making stories, and who think they are HELPING other writers by continually writing these stories, but I must disagree.

I will risk having people diss me or throw me under the bus — but honestly, it’s getting ridiculous and truly sad that some great writers are doubting whether they even want to write at ALL — because of what’s happening on this MuddyUm platform??

I asked the question “why do you write?” once in a writing group. A guy answered confidently: I want to get RICH AND FAMOUS!

LOL. I almost spewed my coffee.

REALLY DUDE???

“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” — Benjamin Franklin

Going into the writing profession with money as the main priority seems so misguided. Why not pick a more financially feasible and stable career like medicine, the law or maybe flipping houses if you want steady riches?

If you’ve followed me on MuddyUm I’m sure you know where I stand on this subject. I’ve never deviated since I started writing here. I’ve also never created anything, whether music, visual art or a piece of writing, with money in the forefront of my brain. I just have an urge to EXPRESS.

“…it’s the inability to EXPRESS that most integral part of ourselves in any other way than through our art.” — K.M. WEILAND

PLEASE NOTE that many, many of us write for far deeper reasons here on MuddyUm. I write for these reasons:

• to work through my thoughts
• heal some shit in my head
• express ideas
• share my words with others
• get clarity on a subject

Oh, and maybe to entertain a little.

I think most writers write to get clarity and figure things out too.

When you let go of results and create from your heart it usually pays off but sometimes not in the ways you hope. I believe in putting the FOCUS on creativity. It’s a cool bonus to make some money through something you are passionate about ( and might even do for free!) That's been the case for me here on MuddyUm.

So, because I’ve stayed true to my muse I am now grateful to be in the top 7% of earners here on MuddyUm even though it was never my focus.

Never once did I sit down to compose a MuddyUm post with money in the forefront of my brain. Most important to me is that I get to be my wild n crazy eclectic writer self!

I’m not a 25K per month writer or a 1,000K per month writer. I think there might only be a small percentage of those high earners on this platform. Maybe they’re far better marketers and better at collecting emails, etc. Some of us don’t spend our time on that. I do ZERO of that stuff. I just don’t have a desire to spend my time, energy and focus on all that — for now anyway.

Maybe I’ll do that later after my memoir is done but for now, I like the FREEDOM I feel when writing. Writing should make you feel free, not imprisoned.

Final Thoughts

Just because earning money has somehow given some writers the title of “success,” this doesn’t mean that those who don’t experience the same monetary fortunes are “unsuccessful.” Success has far more wide-ranging definitions.

Please write for the love of writing. I think it is the most beautiful thing you can do and in the long run, it can make you a happier and more fulfilled writer!

(ranticle over!)

THANKS FOR READING! contact: [email protected]

Michelle Monet has published 6 non-fiction books including 4 Poetic Memoirs. Her upcoming memoir will be about her life in show business including her surviving domestic violence, panic disorder and dependence on prescribed medication. It will be a story of redemption and healing. She also has an autobiographical Musical in the works!

SOURCES:

Thanks to Lisa Bolin Don Feazelle and Jessica Archuleta