I know you're probably going to raise an eyebrow, but in my case it isn't the money.
It's the type of work, the hours, enrichment from the job itself instead of financial enrichment, etc.
But of course the money doesn't hurt! Really, though, I do it for a living, and I've been involved in working with the English language for some time now, so it's hard to picture doing anything else.
I had a day job where I worked as a personal care attendant or home health care aide, live-in as a nurse aide, for the disabled.
This was before I became mildly disabled myself.
But creative ghost writing is my true calling.
I used to be an artist too, and sold some of my best work.
But I haven't really done a lot of art lately.
My daughter appears to be the new budding artist of the family.
My husband used to paint frequently, and sold a whole gallery of his work to visiting Europeans.
So we are an artistic family.
I drew pictures in pencil, ink and color, and took classes in still life drawings and nude art as well.
I invented my own special interpretations, but it's been awhile since I've done anything with a pen, color and ink.
Writing is what attracts me now.
Ghost writing in particular is good, not only being quite lucrative but also forever being informative.
I learn something new from every book for which I'm the ghost writer.
It's amazing how much knowledge and information is out there and accessible via the Internet, and it's equally astonishing how many new fictional ideas come my way.
I get the most fascinating projects about space aliens, cowboys, vampires, powerful women, conspiracy theories - all popular stuff, but my clients somehow manage to always put a brand new twist on things.
Basically, you need a degree in English to get started as a freelance writer, so that you have that one major credential under your belt.
However, I slowly amassed my own self-designed degree in journalism, creative writing and fine arts over several years of time - 1980 to 2006, in fact - because I wanted to be able to choose all my own coursework and do whatever came into my purview at the various colleges I attended, doing what mattered to me the most when it came to learning from the material.
Twenty-six years may seem like a long time to get a degree, but I was working the entire time, sometimes two jobs, and also I wanted to take only the courses I liked as they became available.
Well, I have the career I expected and wanted now.
It's fun, enlightening, a real romp sometimes, a hard slog through the bitter mud of boring writing other times.
I am capable of livening up the most boring of texts, if I must say so myself, and while it helps to have exciting material, I don't have any problems in dealing with older material that has been rehashed somewhat, either.
One way or another, I'm able to take something poorly written and turn it around.
I have won awards for my copy editing of short stories and other works, and have measured up as a genius on creative writing tests.
So I do appear to know what I am doing - and what is more important - I very much enjoy what I am doing, too.
It's the type of work, the hours, enrichment from the job itself instead of financial enrichment, etc.
But of course the money doesn't hurt! Really, though, I do it for a living, and I've been involved in working with the English language for some time now, so it's hard to picture doing anything else.
I had a day job where I worked as a personal care attendant or home health care aide, live-in as a nurse aide, for the disabled.
This was before I became mildly disabled myself.
But creative ghost writing is my true calling.
I used to be an artist too, and sold some of my best work.
But I haven't really done a lot of art lately.
My daughter appears to be the new budding artist of the family.
My husband used to paint frequently, and sold a whole gallery of his work to visiting Europeans.
So we are an artistic family.
I drew pictures in pencil, ink and color, and took classes in still life drawings and nude art as well.
I invented my own special interpretations, but it's been awhile since I've done anything with a pen, color and ink.
Writing is what attracts me now.
Ghost writing in particular is good, not only being quite lucrative but also forever being informative.
I learn something new from every book for which I'm the ghost writer.
It's amazing how much knowledge and information is out there and accessible via the Internet, and it's equally astonishing how many new fictional ideas come my way.
I get the most fascinating projects about space aliens, cowboys, vampires, powerful women, conspiracy theories - all popular stuff, but my clients somehow manage to always put a brand new twist on things.
Basically, you need a degree in English to get started as a freelance writer, so that you have that one major credential under your belt.
However, I slowly amassed my own self-designed degree in journalism, creative writing and fine arts over several years of time - 1980 to 2006, in fact - because I wanted to be able to choose all my own coursework and do whatever came into my purview at the various colleges I attended, doing what mattered to me the most when it came to learning from the material.
Twenty-six years may seem like a long time to get a degree, but I was working the entire time, sometimes two jobs, and also I wanted to take only the courses I liked as they became available.
Well, I have the career I expected and wanted now.
It's fun, enlightening, a real romp sometimes, a hard slog through the bitter mud of boring writing other times.
I am capable of livening up the most boring of texts, if I must say so myself, and while it helps to have exciting material, I don't have any problems in dealing with older material that has been rehashed somewhat, either.
One way or another, I'm able to take something poorly written and turn it around.
I have won awards for my copy editing of short stories and other works, and have measured up as a genius on creative writing tests.
So I do appear to know what I am doing - and what is more important - I very much enjoy what I am doing, too.
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