Writing for fun Vs. Writing for money

A few months back I read about a site called Textbroker. It is a brokerage (of sorts) for people who are in need of written word. It can be anything from a product description to a blog post to an article. As someone who enjoys writing I thought 'why not'? I signed myself up and after a couple weeks of sample writing, being graded (gulp) and filling out my information and background I got my first piece. I earned a whopping $2.38 to write about fencing materials. It wasn't glorious but I was now a paid author (haha).

The next couple of weeks went by and I toiled over articles about log home cleaning products, pest control and other mundane things when I was invited to start writing in a group. I wrote my first two pieces and was graded well. I was then invited to write templates for a new project based in psychology (my career). I was earning bonuses AND getting paid a per word price TO WRITE. It was great. My love of writing, working at home and psychology all combined into one. How could I go wrong?

Well, something did go wrong. When I started writing on a deadline writing for fun got less appealing. A lot less appealing. All of the blogging projects I had planned for late 2013 (including a new blog the hubby and I have in the works) went by the wayside. I found myself going weeks without a single blog post. After eight years of blogging I hated the idea of just giving it up.

There is no official end to this post, not yet anyway. I have not given up writing for fee. Supplementing my teaching income with writing income helps me save some money. Meanwhile blogging isn't something I am willing to give up. For now I am praying that my serene, harmonious 2014 will allow me more time to write in both arenas.