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I'm worried about my Future

srebak

Troubadour
Here's the thing, ever since i wrote my first story, i've strived to become a writer. But lately, i'm starting to wonder if i'm cut out for it anymore. Back in my final years of Middle School and High School, i often tried to work on my stories in Class when i got a free moment (like when we weren't really doing anything). I got more or less much work done back then. But now, I'm out of school and have plenty of free time, yet i only write every now and then. What's more, the words just aren't coming to me anymore. A perfect example would be my inability to write when it seems appropriate (I wanted to work on my WIP Fantasy novel around Halloween, but i didn't get much done, and now i want to work on my book about WWII for Memorial Day, but once again, nothing). I'm starting to wonder if i can still be a writer, especially you guys all seem to dislike my stories. I'm in a slump that shows no signs of ending in time for the holidays.
 

Kelise

Maester
Well I haven't read anything by you so I can't really comment on that, but I do know that most authors in the fantasy genre don't tend to get published until they're 35. And have totally finished four or more novels completely, edited, perhaps even sent them out then put them aside and started working on something else.

It all comes down to dedication and discipline. The ability to write 500 words a day (or for a certain amount of time a day) and just get in that habit. Even if it isn't good, just be able to push through that - first drafts are hardly ever any good.

Why only write during the holidays?
 
A writer is someone who writes. If you aren't writing, you aren't a writer. If you write, you're a writer.

The question is, what's your goal? Do you want to be a successful, published writer, who does this for a living? The only way you're going to get there is to write a lot, suffer a lot of rejection, and work your ass off. It's an immensely competitive market.
 

Rikilamaro

Inkling
Srebak,

I completely understand where you're coming from. Up until about a month ago my schedule was so full I had to cram the writing time in wherever I could. Well I'm done with classes for the summer, I lost both of my jobs, and suddenly I have all this time. I should be writing. I should be editing. I should be doing a million things, but the drive is gone. I'm hoping that given a few days I'll work myself out of this funk.

However, in your case I'd echo what others have said. First, set a goal. Do you want to finish a novel this year? Do you want to finish the first ten chapters of your story by Memorial Day? Set a realistically attainable goal for yourself. Then, do whatever you have to attain that goal. Write every single day. It may be pure word goop, but keep writing. Eventually something will surface. An author friend of mine once told me to write an hour every day. Set that time aside and just focus.

The only other piece of advice I have for you is to stop reading. *gasp* Contrary to other's opinions I think that reading can sometimes become an excuse for not being a productive writer. Perhaps that is because I just read a 600 page novel in two days. For me, reading can be an obstacle to my creative flow. I stop thinking about what my story line is, and instead, focus on where the other author is taking me. It interrupts all of the plans I had set up in my head for my characters.

I don't know if any of that makes sense to you, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one that feels that way. Keep your chin up, just keep swimming, and definitely keep writing!
 

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
I know that feeling. When I was finishing off my masters dissertation back in September I was itching to write but couldn't because I had to study. Then I handed it in, moved back to my parents house and spent four months unemployed and on jobseekers allowance. Now with time to write, I tried and couldn't. I spent my time applying for jobs, watching DVDs or playing computer games.Eventually I started writing articles on ancient history just as something to do, but still I couldn't write fiction. It wasn't until several weeks after I started my current job that I felt able to write again.

As for the self-doubt, that's certainly nothing new to writers. My approach, last time this happened to me, was to decide it didn't matter if I would never be published, as long as I kept writing because I enjoyed it. I still say stuff like "when I'm a famous author with lots of money, I'll... (build an ecohome/stay at the Yas Marina hotel on race weekend/etc)" but if I'm realistic it's more likely that me in 10 years is still working in my current job (maybe with a promotion or two), without a PhD, with maybe one book self-published online which has sold maybe 100 copies, with a five year old and a mortgage. That doesn't mean I should give up writing. If anything it means I have to try harder now before there are kids in the way.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
Brandon Sanderson wrote, I believe, 13 novels before he got published. Echoing what others have said, set some goals and strive for those. It's all about baby steps. Being able to write well doesn't happen overnight. It's pretty much like learning anything new. You're wobbly at first and you'll fall down lots, but if you get back up, and do it again and again you'll get better.

Personally, I try to be a student of writing. I've have read tons of books on different theories and that's helped me understand what writing involves. Not all of what I've read is helpful, but that's apart of the learning, figuring out what's good advice, figuring out what makes sense for you and what works.

I've had days where I think my writing sucks more than a vacuum, and there were days where getting each word out was like a kick to the groin. What helped me was listening to some podcasts. They gave me perspective that I wasn't alone, that everything I was going through was common. Here are some podcasts you should check out:

I Should Be Writing - This the first writing podcast I ever found, and it totally put me on the right track. I think this would help you.
Writing Excuses
Dead Robots' Society
The Roundtable Podcast


Lastly, believe this, no matter how bad someone says your writing is, if you keep writing and learning, you WILL get better. I haven't read anything of yours, so the following is a statement about writers in general. It doesn't matter if a story stinks, just believe the next one you write be just a little better, and the one after that, a little better than the second. Eventually, the stories will stop stinking and who knows where one can go after that.

Writing is work, and it isn't easy. Nothing in life worth doing is. One of my college professors said something to me once. I don't know where it's from. It was just some corny offhanded comment, but it's stuck with me. He said, "What you get out of something is what you put into it."
 
Forgive me if I misinterpret, but you sound a bit young.

It takes a long time to become a writer. Don't force it...treat it as a hobby...hope to be published by the time you're 35. If you do you'll be younger than I was when first published. My first published novel was my third completed novel (and there were any number of incomplete ones along the way).

Find your natural storytelling voice is the best advice I can give. Tell the story you want to write...not the one you think might get you published. And yes, lots of reading. If you're not a reader you'll never be a writer.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
If you want to be a writer, you need to get excited about your project, and you need to find ways to maintain that excitement and turn it into active writing time. Sell it to yourself.

The number one motivator for absolutely anything? Progress. I've seen the studies which prove it.

Maybe you're awful - I've no idea - but you can get excited to see your skills improve, to see progress in your development as a writer. Depending on where you are and what you want, it might be a long road to get there with your work, but you can see the smaller steps you're reaching along the path and use them for energy to get there.
 

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
The number one motivator for absolutely anything? Progress. I've seen the studies which prove it.

Maybe you're awful - I've no idea - but you can get excited to see your skills improve, to see progress in your development as a writer. Depending on where you are and what you want, it might be a long road to get there with your work, but you can see the smaller steps you're reaching along the path and use them for energy to get there.

Well said. Whenever I discover something new, improve my style or get faster, I feel more confident. I wrote silly little stories until I could make them serious and well-plotted. I wrote weak characters until I could write strong ones.

Right now I'm completely immersed in learning how to edit effectively, and I'm realizing how critical that process is too. It's all a learning process. Every step you take, you get better.

If I tallied up all the hours I've spent writing, and the hours I've spent researching, editing, and outlining... well it would be clear how little time I actually spend on the writing. In fact, outlining is the least, then writing, then researching (over all, though that varies on novels), and the thing I spend most time on is editing.

If you sit down and can't write on a given day, don't let it be wasted. Go do a little research and maybe inspiration will hit you (this is something I do a lot!). If that doesn't sound like something you would like to do, go back through an old work and edit it. It's all good practice.
 
So here's a different thing:

I'm almost 41 years old. When I first got out of college I was primarily interested in music, and spent a great deal of time recording and self-pubbing my own music and it never went anywhere. I could never find people to work with, solo recording is... challenging for punk rock, and I got married to a lovely woman who wasn't really interested in the scene.

Then for the next 16 years I spent much of my free time publishing a webcomic. It never reached dizzying heights of success, at least in part because I can't draw worth a damn, but it was fun.

But all through all of that I also wanted to be a writer, and tried. And tried, and tried, and tried... but I never had the stamina for it. The amount of time I thought I had vs. the time I needed made me so tired I eventually gave up each time. It wasn't until my early 30s that I ever finished writing anything--I mean finished writing anything at all, period. And it's not until I was a few months shy of 40 before I was able to get my act together enough to start doing things with it.

I turn 41 in July, and I'm not particularly successful at anything other than being able to hold down a day job full time, but I am actually doing something. And one of the ways I learned how to actually start doing it was to fail a lot. Couldn't finish anything in my 20s, but trying (and failing) helped me finish something in my 30s. And my struggles in my 30s led to where I am now. And I don't know what my 40s will do for me, but I expect whatever I'm doing in my 50s will be based on that experience as well.

You have a lot of time to figure out how to make everything work, and it doesn't particularly matter whether this forum likes what you write. It's nice to have support, but everyone who starts out discovers the same thing--99% of the people they meet don't care. Being able to handle that type of discouragement is as important as writing the novel itself, because you'll face it no matter how good a writer you are. (Just ask Stephen King!)

And it's actually OK to be discouraged about it, because nobody sane can look at what a writer has to go through to find any measure of success and not feel discouraged a little. Just don't stop fighting through it. You'll have encouraging days as well as discouraging ones.
 

gavintonks

Maester
if you cannot write plan take your story and index characters etc so your time is productive
describe your characters
abbreviate your story as a punchy description
lots to do
 
I'm a late bloomer myself. I've been writing since I was in high school and I'm fast approaching 46 today, but I'm finally in the door with a publisher. I certainly understand the highs and lows. There have been times where I got absolutely nowhere and other times where I couldn't type fast enough - I actually took to voice recording one time.

Point is, set a goal. I'm going to write 100 words a day. Then 200. Then 500. Then, I'm going to knock out 5 full chapters over this weekend. Stuff like that. If you don't set a goal, you're flapping in the wind and you'll never get any traction.
 

gavintonks

Maester
writing is by far the hardest thing I have ever done, and I have done a lot. I was thrown into the deep end many times, we did very successful animation and someone said,"how long you been animating,?" my answer since last week Wednesday
But writing is hard, there is only 2 things that have helped putting my writing out their and being mauled, my first crit the man refused to read because a comma was in the wrong place, but you learn to take it and learn from it.
The second is commitment, never give up, never surrender.
I was a successful interior decorator but hated painting walls, but in order to do stuff you need to know by doing it. I took off 2 weekends and did I contract job I had myself, would go in Friday night and prepare Saturday and Sunday I painted. I learnt technique, and how to do the job properly. Invaluable experience.
Writing is a huge barrier as you have an idea, but so do architects, they cannot build a building without going everyday and using experts.
Most people forget the simple fundamentals about planning and aesthetics, plus we are entertaining. Put the framework into play and the rest is easier.
 

kennyc

Inkling
It's probably good to worry and think about it, but the thing is to keep at it if you enjoy it. The worrying can have a negative effect and it's best to just let it go, there will be ups and downs, keep writing, encourage yourself, take pleasure in each step forward.
 
Keep writing. No one can see what the future holds for them. If you have stories in your head that need to be told, keep writing. Some days your writing will stink. Keep writing. Others may hate what you write. Keep writing. You can not know if you are good at something until you put forth an effort.

Trust me, keep writing and you will know if you are what you hope to be.
 
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