This is part of the Open Book Blog Hop. I’m doing test posts here to see if I can gain traction from my old blog.
July 14, 2025
Which would you rather have? Money of Fame?
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Tough Choice
Oooo, this is a messy one! Pros and cons all over the place. It's the classic "no right answer" scenario depending on individual preferences and priorities. Chose one and some people will label you greedy. Chose the other and some people will say you're an attention whore.
Money offers financial security which comes with the ability to acquire "stuff" and buy experiences. It doesn't guarantee happiness or fulfillment, it can be a source of anxiety, and it certainly doesn't provide purpose or meaning. If you expect it to provide those things, you're going to be miserable.
Fame -- well, what published author doesn't dream of recognition? We chose to put our writing out there instead of keeping it on our laptops. Writing is bound up in our sense of purpose and meaning. But fame has its downside. Loss of privacy, scrutiny from the public, image maintenance, negative attention.
Who wants a stalker on their lawn at 3:00 am? Even legitimate attention whores don't enjoy that.
So, it all comes down to whether you prefer the security and freedom money provides or the recognition and influence fame offers. A combination of both might be ideal--although let's face it, we all have heard of celebrities who have fame and money and are depressed from living meaningless lives. Writers aren't immune from that. Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, JD Salinger -- all cautionary tales of wealth and fame leading to bad ends.
It seems fame and fortune magnify what already lives inside of us.
Which Would I Rather?
It's a hard choice and I would prefer a combination of both -- moderate success fame-wise with my books and a moderate income that would provide me with some financial freedom. But if I had to choose between the two....
I would have answered fame a decade ago, but now I'd answer money. Why? Because I recognize money can buy fame. If my highest degree of self-actualization comes from the success of my writing, money could buy me that. I could afford to drop money on advertising. Hello, look over here! Read these books! I could hire a publicist and others so the parts of indie authorship I don't really care for would no longer be my direct problem (which would no doubt introduce other problems, but let's just be in denial for now).
And there is the financial security. I'm old enough and wise enough not to be enticed into believing money buys happiness but it frees up some stress in your life so you can, if you choose, concentrate on the things that make you happy.
I'd donate heavily to my church and a couple of other Christ-centered charities I already support.
I'd do some needed remodeling on my house (after I paid off the mortgage). Definitely remodel the kitchen so I could install a dishwasher...and get rid of those 60-year-old builder's cabinets that don't come clean no matter how much I scrub.
Hire someone to clean my house and detail my car because those are things I HATE to do. Also hire someone to mow the lawn and plow the driveway and shovel the walk. (Wow, I now have a lot more hours to write).
I'd give my daughter some money to pursue her interests.
I'd purchase a nice used truck for my son (he has the money, but he cannot make a decision, and it would be lovely to just say, here, have it).
I'd buy a new used car (I doubt I'll quit being a fiscal conservative).
I might retire early if I didn't have to worry about depleting my income before I die.
I'd do some traveling. There's a lot of places I've not been to because they've always been too expensive to travel to. Maybe I'd base some books on places I visit.
Maybe I'd set up an account for future generations of my offspring.
I'd set up a trust for future charitable giving.
Essentially, I would take my existing contentment with life and do more with it. And chances are good, I'd still be me, sitting at a European cafe with my laptop, writing...because that is who I am. My setting might change. I sincerely hope I wouldn't.