something that I would do for free

The View from the Cheap Seats

Professionals do not work for free

"None of these excuses are valid.  None. Zip.  Zilch. Zero.  They don't pass the plumber test: Would a plumber say this and not be laughed out of the room?  You're a professional.  Professionals do not work for free.  Period."

charge money for your words

"Act like a pro and charge money for your words or build your audience on social media where the only one profiting from your awesomeness is you, not some super-wealthy media mogul that's too cheap to pay writers."

the bestselling book we ever did

"I didn't follow my gut.  After that, I said, I'm never doing that again.  And the book after that, when I went back to doing what I wanted to do, wound up being, at that point in time, the bestselling book we ever did."

your original why

"Staying creative for life means remembering (sometimes on a daily basis) your original why: why you write, why writing matters to you.  It means holding onto what's personal and even private in the pursuit, and holding close what's most meaningful."