Wow this is a fantastically detailed response! I will save it and get to studying, thank you!!

I think I am just starting to develop myself and my writing. I think my problem is being impatient. I agree that quality is the magnet to success. I’ve been reading a bunch about marketing and writing in general and that theme keeps recurring — “if you’re the best, people will come to you.”

I will definitely soul-search fore a more detailed answer, but off the cuff, I think my main driver is “freedom.” That implies a lot of financial freedom so it feels weird to say something like “I’m in it for money” (and that sounds even lamer when I’m trying to do it with poetry) but what I’m really after is juuuust enough money to be able to spend my days on my terms. So I can spend all day being creative. So like freedom of life expression might be the deeper driver. (and then maybe showing other people they are worth fully expressing themselves in life too?) I want to do what I want when I want with who I want, you know? In my mind that looks like spending my mornings/days making art and marketing, and my evenings just relaxing with people I appreciate. I literally hate all other forms of work but I’ve been keeping day jobs to fuel this.

But maybe “freedom” is my main theme then? But not every single poem I write is about that…

Thanks again for listing your other relevant articles for me! I will explore and devour them soon, probably tomorrow.

:)