Guest Post: Writing for money

"Aesop's fables! Aesop's fables!
Stories from so long ago!
Aesop's fables! Aesop's fables!
Still have much to show!
We remember all his tales
Filled with morals true!"

Opening song in Gerald Murphy's "Aesop's Fables -- The Musical"

By writing this blog I have joined the ranks of "content creators" in the modern world of small-scale media. 

I like writing this blog. I try to be serious and fair. I get one or two new readers a day, but I've never gone stratospheric. I don't write click-bait headlines. ("Five signs you have cancer -- that your doctor won't tell you!")  I haven't attempted to monetize this blog. I would rather have more readers than more money.

Some photogenic, articulate people are "influencers" by means of their YouTube channels, TikTok videos, and Instagram. My son, Dillon, has been doing a Portland Trail Blazer-focused podcast, "Holy Backboard," for years. If one's audience is big enough, one can monetize content creation.

Gerald Murphy is a playwright. He is a retired high school drama teacher and now lives in Medford, Oregon. He calls himself a "hack," but that is tongue in cheek and lighthearted, like much of his writing. He writes short plays of the kind school and church groups perform.

His plays are copyrighted and Murphy gets paid when people choose to perform them. Organizations like Lazy Bee handle the paperwork of making the plays available, with product inventory sorted by style, play length, cast sizes, and sets to meet the demands of the marketplace. 

Murphy wrote me about writing for money.

Guest Post by Gerald Murphy

                       Confessions of a Serial Hack

I have several habits I engage in immediately after my first cup of coffee each morning. The first thing I do is crank up my little laptop and work on my “Wordle” puzzle. My wife also plays this game, and she beats me more than is acceptable to a fragile ego. The next step is to check Peter Sage’s political blog, which is always interesting, even if the name Donald Trump appears far too frequently. I imagine half the country is longing for a day when this narcissistic ex-casino owner disappears from the public view.

And finally, since I am a playwright, I scan my emails to see if any of my publishers have good news for me. Good news means one of my plays has been picked up by a community theater or school drama program. And that means I’ll be getting royalties. Doesn’t happen that often anymore, but when it does, I’m a happy camper. Does it bother me that it’s very hard to make money in my chosen field? I have to admit it does. I like writing, but as Woody Guthrie wrote: “California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see, but believe it or not, you won't find it so hot if you ain't got the do re mi."

Saw "American Fiction" yesterday, which brought up a problem I share with the hero of that movie. Should I write to make money, or do I write for one of many non-monetary reasons (self-satisfaction, love of literature, you can't stop yourself, etc.)? I'm aware that some people write what they need to write but still make money, but I think this is rare. Heck, getting published or produced is rare. But let me tell you where I ended up in this debate. 

First of all, I write to make money. That means I pander. Since I write plays, I go where the money is -- schools and community theater. I would never purposely set out to write a play for Broadway because that road is filled with broken glass, sharp nails and wasted lives.

I always have at least a two-to-one female-to-male ratio in my shows. The clients most likely to put on my shows are middle and high schools, sometimes elementary. My sets are always simple. Complex sets and costumes are beyond most budgets. You probably know the rest of my story. Keep it simple. Don't include any prop that a teenager couldn't find in some uncle's garage. Stay away from heavy drama and avoid tragedy at all costs. Comedy works best. Go for short attention devices like sight gags and easy-to-understand puns and jokes. Above all, remember the words of Moss Hart: "If you have a message, call Western Union."

I'm sure my words here will appall many serious writers. So be it. I'm a hack, so this is what works for me. If you can write well-enough to be produced without pandering, you have my sincere admiration. But remember that the writer in "American Fiction" closes his show with a cheap and tawdry Hollywood ending.