Monday, April 07, 2008

Amateur vs. Professional

A few years ago, I gave someone some grief about not being professional in their work.

Looking back, I need to give me the same talk.

Amateur comes from the Latin meaning "to love." I guess, for the Romans, amateurs love what they do, and professionals get paid for it. I hesitate to mention "professional" and "woman" in the same sentence, because some people's thoughts automatically jump to the oldest profession.

I was not talking about prostitution to my co-worker. I was talking about being professional. By professional, I did not mean being a lawyer or a doctor. I meant being a professional about your work. But unlike the Romans, I think professionals need a certain amount of love for their jobs. They need to be passionate about what they do.

Right now, I am an amateur writer, and I am not talking about not being paid for writing. But I am not committed to writing. Not yet. I write a few times per week, and although it may be a bit more than most people, I am not committed to writing.

And I want to be committed.

6 comments:

Grant said...

Then here's to hoping you get committed. =) If you succeed, don't be stingy with the medication.

Ian Lidster said...

For the last 30 years I have been blessed by working as a professional in something I also love doing.
Follow your writing muse, dearest Leesa, because you are very good at it. That is (ahem) a professional opinion.

Prata said...

You women and your flippin' committment bags. Just stop it already! ;)

Blog hog said...

Leesa,

I feel that you blog committment issues are just a symptom of a deeper underlying problem.
Why dont you lay on the couch, relax, and tell me allllll about it:)

Adrianne said...

I love your blog!!!

Dr. Deb said...

I think if you are writing a few times a week you ARE committed!