Why We Write, What We Get
Karin Finell -- June 30, 2006
Karin talks about the problem of writing and money and why sometimes we get something unexpected and more valuable from what we write.
Do we write to make money?
With all of our efforts poured onto the written page, a little remuneration here and there would be nice. Very nice. I gave up writing travel articles long ago, they paid too little and devoured an exorbitant amount of time. One thing I got out of them was the reduced price of a hotel room which I would get at the rate of a travel agent.
I wrote articles for a few specialty magazines, about therapeutic riding and skiing and such. The difficulty there lay in that I could not use the word "handicapped," and had to be extremely careful and use euphemisms. I wrote articles about parts of the United States, e.g. the Cemeteries of New Orleans for a German literary geographic magazine. It paid better than the rest, but not enough to compensate me for the effort.
What is a writer to do?
There are contests that lure, with only $12 dollars invested, the writer has a chance to capture a prize of $1,000 for Glimmer Train! Along came another prospect, though not from a renowned literary magazine, but $1,000 first prize with no entry fee, for an article to be published in THE WAY of St. Francis, was not bad. I am not Catholic, but there were certain connections, and I thought, why not? I need to make a little money with my writing, I'll submit my story. Needless to say, I did not win. Not a penny.
But wait! Quite unexpectedly, I received a call from the Chief Editor, who told me he liked my story very much and would like to publish it. He could pay me $50 and complimentary copies. He lauded my story so much that my ego swelled as we talked. I had written about Stephanie, my handicapped daughter, her untimely death and our friend, a Franciscan Father, who came from the Navajo Reservation to conduct her funeral. The editor told me that after reading my story he thought he knew my child. She was a miracle child, he said. His words were like a warm and honeyed potion making me feel ecstatic, making me forget that I did not win the big prize.
Today two sample copies arrived. I tore into the envelope and on the cover I found a smiling Stephanie, inhaling the scent of a rose, in full color. There my child bridged the years, smiled at me from beyond the grave. The editor put her on the cover, though my story had not even won the second price. I thought of money made from writing. What matters prize money, when I, the mother, have won a prize bigger than any dollar amount. Stephanie has been honored and will smile on the many who receive this Catholic magazine, on the many who will connect with her special way in THE WAY of St. Francis. Isn't that what ultimately counts?