Writing vs Publishing

Or…What’s in it for me?

A tourquoise journal and a cup of tea ready for the writing to begin.
Ready to Write

Journal Entry (4.6.23)

This morning I spent several hours working on a blog post. Will I increase views or subscribers by posting each week? Maybe a few. Will I make tons of money or sell hundreds books for my efforts. Not likely. SO WHY AM I SPENDING MY TIME WITH THIS???

Because I enjoy it! It is fun to put together a story with words and pictures. I learned a new way to upload photos today. I remembered a story about my grandma and a hill of daffodils. Someone said that you know you are passionate about something when you are doing it and you lose all sense of time.

That’s what happens when I write!

(I drew a big heart here, right on my journal page, with a bright red marker. Because I love my markers. Its a kindergarten thing. Remember when we used to call them Magic Markers but now they are just markers? How did they lose their magic? That’s a story for another time…)

Writing vs Publishing

a screen shot of a computer with a blue publish button
Publish it

Was I excited when my story appeared in the Oro Valley Writer’s Forum Anthology? When I first sold my first story to a local magazine, didn’t I go to the newstand and pick up a dozen copies to give to friends and family? Did I celebrate when I published my first book on Amazon, and don’t I check to each morning to see if that little sales graph has gone up overnight?

Yes, yes, and yes. I’ll be honest with you, the allure of publishing is a huge motivating factor. There is nothing like holding your published book in your hand or seeing your words in a magazine article.

But my friends, I’m here to tell you that there is more to writing than that. Much more.