Writing without the intent to publish

[thedarknessrising]

I've found that the more I write, the less I want to be published. It's not that I'm ashamed of my work and want to lock it away from the world. I've just come to the realization that I'm not really writing with a target audience in mind. I'm writing for myself. I originally created my world as a way for me to escape real life and to have a place where reality meant little. And then it became a setting for my various Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. The stories I write are meant to be used as adventure modules for D&D.

I still plan on rewriting and editing these stories, but not for publication, at least, not yet. There may come a time when I decide to release some of my work for publication, but that may not be for a couple of years. Does any one else feel this way? Or is it just me?

 

[Russ]

Lots of people write for themselves or other purposes than publication. Many mental health professionals reccomend it for their clients.

Nothing unusual about that at all.

 

[Philip Overby]

I write lots of stuff I don't intend to publish. I consider it like "exercising" for when I do want to publish something. However, this idea that everything has to be published has always been kind of strange to me. I write lots of things in the Challenges section that are either a) really rough or b) snippets of something. While I like writing in the Challenges section, most of what I write there will never be published. I'm fine with that.

So I think if you want to write for yourself, that's perfectly fine.

 

[CupofJoe]

You are writing to a target audience... YOU! And long may that continue...
The first person that has to be happy with what you write is you... There may not need to be another, if that is not you aim.
If in a year, or three, or never, what you want to do with your writing changes, go ahead do that, then...
For the most part I write so that I can enjoy writing better... It doesn't happen often enough for me but I like the way I feel after I have told a tale the way I want to tell it.
Generally I have no wish or need to publish. That said, rarely I will publish anonymously, if there is something I really want to get out-there. Publish and then forget about it.
And Russ is right, Mental Health Professionals do recommend writing in some cases. I know I am marginally less wack-a-doodle because I write.
And it is much more convenient to have a laptop or notepad with you than try to get a session with your therapist.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

No that's fine, and writing for yourself is probably the way most writers begin. But I would still say always keep some form of publishing your work in the back of your mind. Not beause you particularly want to publish etc but because getting your work out there being judged by others is a part of a writer's journey to becoming a better writer. And whether you write for yourself or others, you shouldalways want to be a better writer.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Ryan_Crown]

For a very long time I was against the idea of trying to get published -- it seemed like such a complex, frustrating, one in a million shot sort of process that it didn't seem worth the effort. And whenever I'd see some 3rd-rate hack (I'll be polite and not name names, as I'm sure everyone has their own personal examples of authors that fit into this category) not only get published, but become a massive best-seller, that made we want to play the game even less. I was perfectly content to write strictly for myself, simply for the joy of writing. For me it was (and mostly still is) about the creative process. Even if I'm not writing the words down, but simply playing out scenes and story ideas in my head, it's still an enjoyable creative release.

Recently, however, I had a friend self-publish her novel, and that not only got me to start looking at the possibility of publishing some day, it got me more excited about the idea of writing. While I've admittedly spent more time learning about the publishing process, and platform-building and marketing processes, than I probably have actually writing, at the same time it has fired up my desire to write, and I'm writing more consistently now than I have for years. Suddenly, the idea of publishing something I've written not only has appeal, it feels like an actual attainable goal, and that makes me want to write more.

All of that being said, I still write mostly just for myself, just for the joy of writing. Some day publishing something I've written is a nice dream, but it's certainly not the end-all reason for why I write. I will say, though, as psychotick commented, having that possibility of publication in the back of my mind has pushed me to be a better writer. I've started submitting short pieces to be critiqued (I use Scribophile, and highly recommend them) -- something I never would have thought of doing a few years ago. And the feedback I've gotten has done wonders to improve my writing.

So I'd say whatever motivates you to keep writing, and keep improving, go with it. If getting published doesn't serve that, so be it. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[TWErvin2]

Thedarknessrising,

There is nothing wrong with writing for yourself. As others have indicated, sometimes the goal or motivation changes. Rather than echo what has been said, I will point to a couple of things that might prove relevant to your writing:

Here's an article I wrote for Mythic Scribes: The RPG Experience to Writing a Novel

Here's an interview with Robert Bevan (he's a member here at Mythic Scribes, but hasn't been active here for a while). His successful set of novels and short stories are directly RPG/D&D based: Interview with Humor/Fantasy Author Robert Bevan

Other than that, all I can say is enjoy what you're writing and see where it takes you.

 

[PaulineMRoss]

I've always written for myself, too. But I agree with Greg/Psychotik that putting your work out there to be scrutinised is part of the writing process. Posting chapters of my work on the online critique group Scribophile was the single best thing I ever did, as a writer. I learned so much from people critiquing my words that no reading of craft books could achieve. I've since gone on to publish 3 books, but even without that final step, my writing was so much better from being seen by objective eyes.

So, write for yourself, but I recommend putting your work out there in some form in order to polish it, and enable you to hone your craft.

 

[Miskatonic]

I think it's a good state of mind to be in if you want to write without the pressure of that little voice in your head asking you what would appeal most to an audience. I agree with PaulineMRoss that you should let some fellow writers take a look at it so they can give some constructive criticism and help you improve your writing.

Who knows, you may come up with something exceptional and decide to publish after-all. At least for now you won't have any added pressure.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I'm writing to be read, and with the intent to publish. I hope that one day I'll be able to make a living off of writing, and while that's a goal, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy writing and getting read. Writing is great fun, but having others read my stories and enjoying them is a real kick as well.
Pretty much all of what I've written so far is available for free on my wiki. Most of it isn't pretty good, but it's there. Putting it out there for people to read spurs me to put in more effort into the writing and to try and improve and get better.

 

[thedarknessrising]

I think I will put some of my stuff in the Showcase forum at some point, just to get some feedback.

 

[Xitra_Blud]

Yeah. I can relate. When I started my first novel, I didn't even know publishing was an option. I thought it was something that only the rich and famous could do. Other people kept asking me if I was going to publish and that is how I found out about it, but I've written for myself too. I will likely try to publish, but I feel like my writing is more of for my own entertainment purposes that anything else.