I am an amateur writer who never intends to make money off her work. If you're like most authors I run into, you probably think that I'm crazy.

Most authors would jump at the opportunity to make a meaningful living, doing what they love. The reason I don't want to earn, and will never earn (even if I'm able to) is that I write for a different reason. I love my normal job. I wouldn't give it up for a writing career and I'm okay with that. I love writing as well and I don't want to turn it into a business. I currently offer my work freely on Medium and Commaful. I love offering the work so that anybody can read it.

Why I Write

I write, first and foremost, to get ideas off of my chest. I have so many ideas on a daily basis. Way too many ideas for one brain. While it's a blessing, it gets all stuck in my head and I need an outlet to share these ideas. Writing is my way of doing it. In some ways, it's therapeutic. In other ways, I get to feel like I'm making an impact with my writing.

I'd group my writing into 2 main buckets. The first bucket is fanfiction. Fanfiction is easier for me to write because I don't have to do the work coming up with settings and characters. I just get to focus on the plot and the scenarios. I certainly write myself into the characters. First and foremost, it's a way to express my own fears and strengths. I won't lie, however. When people comment on my work and tell me that they enjoyed it, it tickles my heart and makes me smile. It makes me feel like I'm making a real impact.

The second bucket is poetry. Poetry is a way for me to artistically piece together the thoughts and ideas in my head. While still a form of expression, I have a lot more fun with the art of it. I try to get creative. Poetry is super mentally taxing for me to write and very rewarding for me to finish.

In both cases, the main reason I write is for myself. Happy readers are just a cherry on top.

When I Write

I have a very hctic and busy schedule. I don't get all that much time to myself for writing and reading. I used to complain about this a lot, but over time, I learned that I actually liked the fact that I was busy. Though I complained, the busy lifestyle made me love writing more as an escape. It made me realize that I may not enjoy writing as much if it wasn't the reward at the end of the day, but rather the work that I had to do on a daily basis.

As a result of this hectic life, I usually write at night, when everybody is asleep. It's my alone time after a day of craziness. It makes the time I spend writing very sacred to me.

No Money vs. Some Money

Now the last piece of the question is this: "Why not make a little bit of money off writing? You dont have to go full time."

This is indeed a question that has been posed to me many times. One that I've had to think about for a long time.

At the end of the day, I write for myself and because I love feeling good when readers read my work. I believe that whenever money enters the equation, the intentions are no longer as pure. Writing means I get extra spending cash and becomes "If I write another story, imagine would I could buy?"

It suddently becomes something I'm forced to do, rather than love to do.

QED.

Jk.

But that's my reasoning.