What I Did For Love

The Broadway musical, A Chorus Line  is the story of a group of dancers auditioning for a show. Throughout the play, each dancer tells their stories about why they love dancing and how they started their dancing careers. These dancers are called gypsies, the chorus dancers who perform in the background making the star look good.

I’m a Writer! A Writer Writes!

In answer to the question of why she endures the disappoints of being a professional dancer, the cast sings the fabulous Michael Bennett song, What I Did For Love. Hours of practicing their craft, broken and bruised feet, the disappointment of losing yet another role, nothing else matters, they only want to dance. They did it for the love of being a dancer.

The is how I feel about writing. I love writing. The words, the stories, the sound of the language and even the clicking of my keyboard when I have a great idea and the words are flying from my fingers faster than I can type. So many possibilities.

Yes, I could write privately in a journal or in a notebook, like I did in the years before the Internet. But ever since I got the very first comment on my blog from someone who wasn’t a friend or relative, I realized just how much I love writing for an audience.  I love the freedom of expression I experience when I write something that other people enjoy reading. For much like the dancers in A Chorus Line, dancing (writing) without an audience is not as fulfilling.

What I Did For Love, I Also Do For Money

While writing a blog or guest post is fulfilling, it is exhilarating to actually get paid to write. To be a real writer, a professional writer who is paid for her work requires more than the love of writing. When people pay you, they expect the best.

When you are being paid to write a sales letter, blog post or press release for a business, you need to write on a much higher level than when you are writing about your love of movies or your problems with a bad haircut. When you are being paid, people have higher expectations.

Damn Fine Writing

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers talks about the 10,000 Hour Rule says that to be successful in your chosen field you have to practice 10,000 hours.  As Cassie says in “The Music and the Mirror” , ‘I’m a dancer, a dancer dances!’

I want to be be the best possible writer.  I want to take whatever natural talent I may already possess to the highest level. It  requires more than just practicing, it takes an education. It is not necessary to have a degree in journalism to learn how to be a better writer. Many websites offer excellent online courses that can teach you how to be improve your writing skills. James Chartrand’s Damn Fine Words is one of the best.

Like the hardworking chorus line dancers, the more they practiced and danced, the more they trained and learned, they more roles they got and best of all, the more money they they earned.