I used to volunteer at a community theatre as I built up my portfolio to get paid theatre work, and I was stunned by the way my fellow volunteers talked about how people who wanted to be paid for it “must not really love it.” All those hours and creative input, and they were proud to not be “in it for the money.” Needless to say, I didn’t stick around that group.

For writing, it’s almost worse because there’s the ongoing joke that writers are just bums who sit in coffee shops. And yet we have writers insisting that they shouldn’t accept money or want to be compensated fairly because they “really love it.” Why not both? Why can’t you love to write and want to be paid for it!

Totally agree with every word of your piece!