You Amateur!

There's been recent confusion over the use of the word "professional" when discussing writing.

Professional" properly refers to marketing, not to a grade of quality. From the word "profession," as in career or thing you do to get $$.

The opposite is "amateur" -- which properly means "done for the love of." Again, it does not refer to quality. The next time somebody calls you an amateur, the correct response is: "Why thank you! How kind."

Too many times the synonymn for "professional" is "hack" -- from the livery stable horse that can be rented out to everybody and which has no personal interest in the job.

However, no professional should be ashamed of being a good hack; we need them. A lot of professional writers spend time as hacks. It covers day jobs and bread-and-butter writing.

Where would whole industries -- including advertising, journalism, scientific and legal composing, script-writing, etc. -- be without these devoted, hard-working writers?

Comments: 6

Nyota *Star* Aug 26, 2007, 12:07pm EDT

Very interesting explanation.

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Donna Barr Aug 26, 2007, 12:24pm EDT

Yes, a lot of people get them mixed up. You'll see a lot of snobbery, especially among non-professionals. For instance, hobby artists use the terms "arts and crafts" to snub what they perceive as craftspeople, when the proper terms have been "Two-dimensional art" and "Three-dimensional art." (I would add cooked art while I was at it!). I never cease to be amazed by the amount of snobbery in the hobby writer or artist.

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Joe T. Aug 26, 2007, 12:28pm EDT

Great rhetorical question. I answer: nowhere. We need professional and amateurs. Both are equally as important if communication through the written word is to advance forward. One of the reasons I like Gather is that people write about what is on their mind and "publish" it for other members to read. It is a terrific form of communication about the ideas and issues of the day.

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Donna Barr Aug 26, 2007, 12:38pm EDT

Joe still doesn't know the difference. He THINKS it's about quality. It's not. It's about whether or not you make a business out of it. "Professional writer" means "career writer." "Amateur writer" means someone who does it for the love of it. The terms have been blurred. A "Proffesional writer" can be the most appalling, boring hack -- but if they fit the publisher's machine, they'll get promoted and paid. An "amateur writer" can be a jewel working in a country bedroom, never discovered, but possessing gifts beyond all published talent. "Professional" and "amateur" are business terms. For those of you who follow Science Fiction or Fantasy art, they're called "Professional" and "Fan." See? Get it?

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