I posted this on Facebook, without adding any commentary, because while it’s funny, there is some truth to it.

Money – Surprise! Independent writers and authors don’t make a lot of money, unless they are well established or freelance as a main source of income. Folks who write poetry make even less. Poetry is not the most popular form of writing, so I went in knowing that I wasn’t going to be making enough money to support the family. Yes, I do get paid, but it’s not a lot. You spend most, if not all, of the money you do make, on your own marketing. But that is a topic for another blog.
Make Family Proud – Some of my family is very proud of me, and it’s nice to hear when they are. It’s opened a lot of doors for both family and friends to have some difficult conversations and has provided an opportunity to get to know each other as adults. Is everyone in my family proud of me? Absolutely not, and that’s ok. Do I expect everyone in my family to like my writing? Absolutely not, that would be ridiculous. Unfortunately, I can’t make everyone love poetry, not even mine.
Happiness – Does writing make me happy? Yes, yes it does. Writing for me is incredibly therapeutic and is sometimes the only way I can process my emotions. Journaling, or writing short stories, letters, and poetry all help my emotional state of mind. It is a way for me to find the words for what I’m experiencing. I can then visually see what I’m feeling in those moments and know that I got those emotions out there instead of bottling them up. I can do what I need to with them, whether it’s having a conversation or simply ripping up the paper and getting rid of it. It also makes me happy when someone tells me that they connected with something I wrote, and it helped them out. That was my main reason for publishing my book. I want people to know that they are not alone, and that things can be ok.
Honestly, the following are what I consider the big perks of being an independent writer. I can homeschool my youngest, while writing and marketing during the day. I get to meet a lot of new people and reconnect with people I’ve known for a very long time over shared emotional experiences. I have complete control over my own publishing, while keeping the rights to my work, which is very important to me. These perks are better than making a lot of money. But ask me again in December.
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