Still puzzled. Nb – published authors may leave the room. - Writers Forum

The Backward OX · 04-17-2008, 05:15 PM

Do you write the way you do because it pleases you to write that way or are you writing what you believe a publisher will accept?

In other words are you just writing for fun or is there a mercenary motive behind it?

Or is it both? And if so, how do you rate your chances?

Just Jim · 04-17-2008, 05:47 PM

I write the way I do purely for fun. I post it here and make revisions that might it more likely to be published.

My chances on stuff I'm writing now are not great, but I'm new to fiction, and expect to become much better. I'll write anyway.

CodeRed · 04-17-2008, 10:39 PM

In simple terms, I write for pleasure. I've only submitted something once in the hope of being published and that was many years ago now. (At the age of 15/16, some of my writing wound up in the hands of other people and I was asked for permission to publish it, but that was so long ago I exclude myself from the 'published author' group). That's not to say I don't harbour the desire to be published one day, but at the moment it seems a distant dream.

Here's the thing, and you're obviously well within your right to disregard or refute my theories, but the reason I believe that everyone keeps saying 'just do it' is because there's not a lot left to say. Speaking for myself, the creative processes I go through to put words on to a page vary so wildly that it's actually quite difficult to pin point tried and true methods and offer them as advice.
Not only that, but in the long run, knowing how or why I write will bear little relevance to the process that you find works best for you. Knowing that sometimes I stare blankly at the screen for an hour before I find something to write about, or that sometimes I brainstorm for three pages only to end up with six lines of dialogue (two thirds of which I scrapped anyway), or that sometimes I'm hit with a sudden flash of inspiration from absolutely nowhere and other times all I have is a name and a half-baked character that festers in my mind for weeks, will offer you little in terms of motivation, method and inspiration. There is no winning formula here, it becomes a process of trial and error - so what is left for anyone to say in the end but 'just do it'?

Personally, I believe that clouding your mind with other peoples' methods and motivations could well hinder your efforts to find what works best for you.

Ilasir Maroa · 04-17-2008, 11:11 PM

I write the way I do because I can't do it any better. I would enjoy being published, but it's not something I am actively seeking at the moment. I write purely for fun, because anything I do as work gets very boring very quickly. Chances? 13% might be a bit high.

Loulou · 04-18-2008, 05:08 AM

I write because I enjoy it. If a piece receives good response on here I might turn my thoughts to publication. But the key is that while I am writing I have no thought of market or publication, I'm just lost in the whole thing. I'd write even if I never got published. I couldn't not write. So to have been published is simply an honour, a thrill and a big big bonus. The minute you write solely for publication is the minute you lose your spark.

Gate · 04-18-2008, 05:28 AM

I write because it has to come out of me. I love to write. I do it and then look at it like a beautiful piece of wood.....with something inside that needs to come out so I run it by others and learn where and how to carve out the art inside.....people here are way beyond me ....I just have all these stories in me and I write them.....

strangedaze · 04-18-2008, 06:44 AM

I do both.

Writing's something I'm good at, something I enjoy, and while I'm pretty focused on publication, the results are always better if I'm writing for me.

As for my chances, I've had stuff published. I just keep upping the quality of the venue until I hit a roadblock, go back to the drawing board, and try again. I'm not banking on a career in writing, but I'll always do it, and wouldn't mind making some spending money through it.

lilacstarflower · 04-18-2008, 08:54 AM

I love writing. I love the challenge it gives. I'm a pretty organized, tidy person so creating characters and plots then making them flow in some sort of order is fun for me.

I would love to get published one day but if I don't I will be happy knowing that I could at least finish what I had done and had enjoyed it at the time.

The only one I really try and write to 'please the publisher' is one I'm writing for a sub-market because its what they expect and if the book did get published and it wasn't written a certain way I know I'd get slated for it forever more.

OddGodHMK · 04-18-2008, 04:10 PM

I write for myself in the forefront of my mind and others in the back. I have a tonne of stuff in my head just aching to get out and I get it onto paper as best I can. That's the me part. But because I love stories and how they can enrapture people, I send some of them to my friends if I think they might enjoy it. I don't think of an audience when I write it, afterwards I think about what audience might like it if I decide to show it to people.

I would love to be published but I doubt it'll happen; the bulk of my ideas tend to be sci-fi or very long plots that evolve instead of sticking to one specific idea. My first novel, which I sent to agencies at the start of March, suffers from the long, evolving plot and with my new book I've squashed that and kept it focussed.

(My first novel has also seen only rejections so far, with only about 5 or 6 places left to hear from - maybe less. Oh well, life goes on.)

Judith Tramayne · 04-19-2008, 09:19 PM

Maybe I'm in the wrong forum. Have any of you considered self-publishing? If you enjoy writing and can improve someone's life, why aren't you putting it out there for people to read?

I'm not talking POD, but ebooks. People buy ebooks. Yes, it's harder to sell fiction ebooks but it can be done.

A better and EZ-ier way is to make an Audio Book of your fiction novel. There is a huge demand for this all over the Internet. Every body and their sister has an MP3 player. Why are you not taking advantage of this?

If you know you're a good writer, take control of your writing career and use the Internet to it's fullest potential. You'll enjoy the fun you'll have and your readers will adore you.

Judith

Raging_Hopeful · 04-22-2008, 02:03 AM

Pfft.

Sorry Judith in advance.

Self-publishing is flexing your own vanity, and is of little worth, and often little interest to the public. This is not to say there haven't been self-published works that have been successful... but do you read many self-published books? I've had the grand misfortune of reading several, most of which were absolutely dreadful. Self-publishing for the purpose of posterity or your own family is one thing. But if you haven't been able to get your work published through traditional means, there is usually a good reason. These reasons may include:

1. Typos, grammatical errors, and erroneous spelling. (you'd be amazed at how many self-published works are riddled with this.)

2. Your book just isn't marketable (which means you won't be able to make money self-publishing it either.)

3. You're just not very talented. (not to say you should never write and that you can't improve, you should and can, but that the world just might not want to read your very first novel.)

4. It is very difficult to be taken seriously as a self-published author.

Now, these are all my impressions as a reader and as someone who has seen various self-published works. Am I a publisher? Nope. Have I ever been published? Nope. So I'm not saying I'm the authority on this but I do think that what I've said is true.

Quote:

If you know you're a good writer, take control of your writing career and use the Internet to it's fullest potential. You'll enjoy the fun you'll have and your readers will adore you.

Do you know how many people I've met who "know" they're a good writer and they're really not? Look at American Idol for example... hours upon hours of people who are CONVINCED that they are great singers and can win the competition. Do not underestimate the power of delusion. Just because something has worked for you, be careful when heralding it as "the answer" for unpublished authors. Being a successful self-published author is HARD.

Cheers,
Linz