Episode 001 | Pro, Amateur, Hobbyist, Dreamer
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There are so many spots along the continuum between dreamer and bestseller. Your challenge for this week is to ask yourself where you are right now and where would you like to be? Are you…
A Pro – This is the writing equivalent of the Major and Minor Leagues in baseball. You publish your work and you get paid to do it. Pros may choose to publish traditionally and work with a small press or one of the Big Five or they may go the Indie route and publish their own work They’re all pros.
Amateur – This could be the writing equivalent of playing college ball, playing for something like a novelty league like the Vintage Baseball Association, or playing for a rec league. You publish your work, but pay is less reliable or nonexistent. Are you in a Masters of Fine Arts program or even a continuing studies program? Do you write for Wattpad? Do you belong to a writer’s guild or writing club where you frequently do readings? You may have amateur status, but you’re no amateur if you get my meaning.
Hobbyist – This is the pick-up ball of writing. Maybe you write your memoirs for your kids or trade short stories with a fellow hobbyist. Or maybe you’re a “batting cage” writer who journals or writes only for themselves. There’s a lot of passion among hobbyists and whether they decide to pursue publication down the road or not, they’re getting in the reps and probably getting better all the time.
Dreamer – These are sort of like the baseball fans who think to themselves, maybe I could play a little ball at some point? They love the sport. They may buy themselves a new glove or look up the signup dates for that rec league, but they haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. That’s cool. They may stay there forever or they may take the leap and surprise everyone with their talent and perseverance once they decide to get in the game. So keep subscribing to The Writer magazine and buying yourselves the pretty notebooks and pens, dreamers. Watch those author talks on YouTubes and dream away. When and if you’re ready to change your status, there’s lots of room for you to suit up and jump in the game!