Thanks to all of you who responded to my professional vs. amateur question. I think Alan Chin sums it up best:
“Profession and amateur are both labels. When we push the egos out of the way, we are simply all writers. Some get paid more than other, but pay is not the only conpensation. Bliss is a good reward for doing what you love at your own damned pace.”
Alan, hope it’s OK to quote you and to give the link to your blog. I’d add that treating writing as a profession involves discipline and perseverance – something I don’t have much of at the moment. I got seduced into playing Spider solitaire – anyone else have that problem with computer games? They’re a horrible waste of time, yet somehow I’m unable to stop, even though for me they’re a guaranteed depressant. I wrote a poem about it called “Skinner’s Last Laugh,” which I’ll post one of these days on a poetry page.
I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day.
