Professional amatuer or amatuer professional?

I would like to be known as someone who can spell.

Probably a dumb question... But... Professional or amateur in what context? I tend to think as 'amateur' in terms of doing something without getting 'financial recompense'. Or do you mean in the less pedantic sense... with a 'professional attitude' but not getting paid?

I agree with David in that 'professional' means you earn your living from it. I write commissioned articles for a fee from which I live reasonably well, but because I love writing I also write short stories, poems, etc. on spec for which I do not necessarily expect to get paid.

In that case, Fecky dear, you forgot the apo in 'your'... Knit me a purple chainmail - I'm gonna need it.

Eric will be proud of us, keeping up the standards.

I'm not really sure what I meant myself. I saw it written somewhere, and thought it would be a good topic for discussion. I would agree with UKpoet about having a 'professional attitude', but define what a 'professional attitude' is? The way I judge my work is by writing it, leaving it for a week or so, then coming back and reading it again. If I still like it, then I keep it. (Strangely, this isn't the way I write on here though. On here, I tend to make it up on the spot.) I have never been paid for any of my work, so this probably makes me an 'amatUEr professional' :) It beats me!

To me, I think a 'professional attitude' means all the boring bits you have to do (at least if you want to get anything published), such as writing 'properly' worded query letters and reminders, keeping up to date with your admin (when you sent what, where etc, which often takes longer than the bloody writing!), not forgetting to send SAE's, negotiatiing with publishers, taking care you haven't double-submitted (or at least not in the same country!) and infringed any serial rights... Sigh...need I go on?

Oooh, I almost forgot the grammar, spelling and punctuation! Shame on me (sorry, Eric).

Brilliant, Fecky! Er...was only taking the pi**, anyway...(and having meself a little chuckle into the bargain).

As a poet, I know it is virtually impossible for me to be a professional in the sense of making enough money to support myself (still less a family) from my writing. However, being "professional" in the sense of taking a pride in what I do, being responsible myself for doing it well, and, most important of all, putting my readers before myself - that I aspire to. And, at the risk of sounding unromantic, the fact is money does talk louder than words. There is no greater vote of confidence in your writing than a stranger giving you money for it. Getting £25 for a poem in the last ABCtales magazine wasn't enough for me to give up the day job, but it did make me feel like someone who wrote for other people, not myself - in other words, a professional.