Scrolling through my Facebook news feed a little while ago, I came across an ad that talked about how to write books to maximize profitability. My first reaction was a hearty scoff, followed immediately by a surly grumble.

I understand that writers need to have income, but if profitability is your only objective, then I’m not interested in reading your book.

Writing, to me, is one of the highest forms of human expression. It’s an art. If it’s devoid of passion, then it’s meaningless. Writing is about releasing the fiery fantasia within your soul. I want to know that a writer was brought to fucking tears writing their story. I want to know that they were terrified, enraged, in jubilation. I want to feel their passion leaping off the page and bashing me over the head with a tire iron. That’s right–I want your book to punch me in the face, throw me down the stairs and with ravenous fury try to fucking kill me.

The reality is, only a small percentage of writers are prolific enough to call it a day job. Pursuing a career in novel writing is a fantastic goal–and I would never try to take that away from anyone–but one must always remember why they started writing in the first place. If profitability was the objective, you’re most likely going to fail. If cultivating meaningful stories is your objective, then you’ve already succeeded.