Participate NOW: Passion Before Writing Before Money
By Sean Roney
kwbishop@hotmail.com
I know a lot of you would like to write articles about Magic. Strategy, theory, fun stories, or whatever; you just want to wirte! One major obstacle keeping you back may be hope for fame, money, or both. You want some sort of reward for your creative, talented, and ingenius work. I can't blame you. But, there's something I just <i>have</i> to tell you: Just because you want to get paid for your writing, doesn't mean it's going to happen right away. And, it certainly will never happen if you keep your current attitude.
Simply craving reward is no way to get rewarded. You must reach for it, and that takes effort.
If you really want it, you can get it. Before money and fame, though, come writing. Yes, you need to write for free, with no fans. You need to expose your talent to the world so they know who you are and what your skills look like. Wow, doesn't this sound like tournament Magic? To win a tourney you need to practice. To become a famous pro you need to show off. Nobody ever won a big time tournament by not showing up in the first place. Writing Magic articles is really no different.
But, before you get to writing articles, you need to have a passion. What was said in the previous paragraph requires a dedication to your art. That kind of dedication can only come if you have a deep personal enjoyment for it. How can you playtest if you dread playing Magic duels? How can you write articles for free if you don't really like expressing yourself?
I know, it sounds dreadful. You look around the net and you seem to see people pop out of nowhere. Pro players, featured writers, fame, and a trail of barns as far as the eye can see. In the tournament scene and on the websites, you see a person magically appear before your eyes, being heralded as the Next Big Thing (tm). Oh, how cool that is. Anyone who's talented can do the same. You know you can do that. Instant success!
The truth is, these pros and writers usually spent a long time in the shadows before their skills and recognition brought them to the spotlight. It's much like the music industry: Bands of twenty-somethings you see just sprout up out of nowhere have actually been together playing since high school, enjoying their art and showing their talents until one day, they finally got some respect from the community. Only then, does fame come. And only then, can the money come in.
Practice and exposure is all it takes. That's all it takes. You may be so good it takes only a month or so before you get paid and have a barn club. You may have a style that appeals to a smaller audience, and it might take a while longer. Or, you might think you're the next Zvi or Alongi, but in fact you're just one of us faceless dudes. In which case, practicing and exposing your talents will have the added effect of helping you out. With enough effort, you can be the next Zvi or Alongi.
