Life Quest (and other stuff)

As a copywriter I am expected to know what to say. To take the information behind a product or service and turn it into a message that is easily understandable, promotes, sells and often, is expected to be clever too. With enough insight into a product or service this can be accomplished. Yes, sometimes it can be difficult, harder work than one might think to get to text on the page, but (so far) it is always doable. It is not so easy when the words are my own. When the message is personal, my words are not only harder to find, but it is harder to let go. How do I know for sure that what I mean is what you will understand? How do I even know what I mean is what I understand? So I keep working at it, dissecting sentences in my mind, trying to find the words. The right words. Enough of that. It has been months since I blogged and even with some of that time spent trying to find the right words, I may just end up putting it off until I have no voice left. So I’m stepping away. Gettin...

“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.” - Moliere I came across this quote in this past week and it immediately grabbed my attention. I guess it felt especially relevant since I recently started whoring my writing. In a way that is why I started this blog. To keep it pure. Uninfluenced by "what sells" and rather driven by something deeper: verbal diarrhoea. A place where I can spew, well, anything. Yet I am wondering about the statement. Does Moliere state that because we sell, we cannot love? Or can we love while making a buck on the side? And don't you just love how "friends" sits smack bang between love and money. But there are (as usual) two (at least) sides to this tale. If I love, I want to do more with that love and somehow that "doing more" usually ends up with some form of remuneration. Let's look at an example: I love to paint. I paint all the time. I end up with a 10...