After consulting with Tamar and Lanz, I extended an invite to an author I'm acquainted with to join Wordforge and occasionally drop in and give bits of sage advice on the writing biz and such. Since he's a working author and spends lots of time actually doing things like writing and going on tour to promote his books and give some really cool seminars at a variety of functions, he won't be able to post very often, but I believe he'll be a valuable addition to the Workshop and Wordforge in general. M. R. Sellars
I hope I don't disappoint you. All I really do is throw words at the page and hope like hell they stick. I've been relatively lucky so far...
Okay then... The abject silliness taking place in the so called "Red Room" notwithstanding (which I assume remains there, much like Vegas), I'm actually a fairly laid back, jovial sort, so please don't draw conclusions from anything you see there. BearTM coaxed me into joining, so blame him... Uh, I mean, so here I am. Still, I have to be upfront with you - I'm working against a deadline right now, so I will drop in when I can, but could be scarce for long periods of time until this manuscript hits my editor's desk. After that, I will certainly try to take a more active role - until the next deadline looms.
Yes, it generally does stay there, however, even the non-"Red Room" fora are more lax than you'll find on most internet BBSes, so be on guard. That aside, welcome, and enjoy your stay!
Thanks for the welcome. And, it's all good. Like I said over in the bowels of hell (Red Room) I have a real life to worry about, so what happens here is all fiction as far as I'm concerned. That said - if someone asks my advice, I'll give it. They don't have to take it. And, I'm not about to argue with them about it. That would be like... Well... ...And I don't have time for that.
Yes. It is what I do for a living. Not that it is much of a living, which is why you need a spouse who is either wealthy, or has a good job.
Welcome in! Yeah, don't take the Red Room too seriously . . . it can get pretty good when there's something going on in the real world, like an election or some such, but otherwise it's horribly self-referential. Oh, and in case no-one's mentioned it yet, beware Teh Baba . . .
WF has several writer-members, and I don't recall any of them describing their lives to you in detail. Good luck trying to explain that. Lord knows I’ve tried. Those who get it, get it. The others get stuck in what I call the Stephen King Syllogism: “Stephen King is a writer. Stephen King is rich. Therefore all writers are rich... ...or else they aren’t ‘real’ writers.” In any event, welcome! Would have posted sooner, but I was unavoidably delayed. Always glad to see another scribe join the membership.
Now. One of you two get busy explaining to me how I can make at least a marginal living income (say 20-30K a year) with creative writing. Chop Chop! (of course, I'm sure rule #1 has something to do with actually finishing something and submitting it damnit. I can't shake the feeling that I'm wasting time writing stuff I can't sell...but hey, look at me getting serious - what a way to kill the joke)
Secure yourself a job as an English/Lit teacher in a school district that pays teachers a decent wage.
Well then, Shep, stay right where you are, unless you get a better offer from a different school or district. Even if you aren't teaching English/Lit, you are likely already making a living from creative writing when you fill out report cards.
That's unemployed teacher. Social Studies. There turns out to be a SS teacher under every rock in North MS and very little turnover. As it turns out though, for unrelated reasons, I'm probably not ever going to be able to stay with that. but i don't want to tangent into a thread about my circumstances. Suffice it to say that i do NOT need to "get rich" or write the great American novel. but nothing would suit my situation better than the ability to "work from home" selling my writing and making a passable income. I accept the reality that it is highly unlikely to happen (which is why I hardly bother to write much anymore) but it would be a wonderful solution to multiple problems. On the other hand, it's probably exactly that pessimisim that keeps me from really maxing out my best work and finding out if it will sell. Hell I don't know...
Shep, I've said it before, but you know I'm gonna say it again: Write because you love to write. Finish something. Then worry about submitting it. And even if/when you sell something, consider it a supplemental income unless and until you're offered either a 100,000 print run or a movie deal. Even then, don't spend it all in one place. Don't make me quote the odds again!
Oh i know the odds...which is what inhibits me. I've always heard "writers write because they have to" and in that sense maybe I'm not so much a writer as a person who can write. there are two big things here - one is that I don't feel compelled to write for my own satisfaction - when I WANT to write it's because I want others to read what i wrote and be impressed. Shameless ego thing I suppose. I never have written anything just for my own satisfaction. I crave to be read. and the second is that if it's not going to sell - and it's probably not - then even if I manage to post it online or something where I get my ego stroked - it ultimately is a hollow victory. Those are the biggies for me. The other major factor is one I think would probably work itself out if those did not inhibit me - is that I really am not sure I have any stories to tell. As you know I have said before, I think I'm good at a lot of the mechanics of writing - characterization, dialogue, and so forth - but I don't really have any story I'm longing to tell. Any buildup>climax>resolution structure that I can finish. I have read - and it makes sense to me - that if you just jump in and start writing that the story might tell itself. I assume that's a possibility. If I could shake the damned inertia.
The real issue is consistent, reliable income, and for that you must continue producing - oddly enough, consistently and reliably if you wish to remain employed by your readers. (Make no mistake, the readers employee you, not the publisher - the pub is just a middleman.) Even "Catcher in the Rye" is fading away, so the ride doesn't last forever. For most authors it's just a quick spin on the carousel before having to go push some more paper in order to pay for the next ride. Like Garamet said, write because you love writing.
Just my opinion here so take it or leave it - You'd best start working on some callouses. If you write simply for ego's sake, you are in for a hard fall. You will never (and this part is fact, not opinion) NEVER please everyone. You WILL get bad reviews. You WILL get people saying nasty things about your work, and moreover YOU, simply because your name is on said work. That's just how it is.
oh yes, of that I am sure. I suppose ot would be an "on balance" thing. An interaction of what I thought of the reviewer, how well I knew them, how extensive the praise/criticism. But I'm not under the illusion that everyone will love me or I would not be so pessimistic about selling. Actually, my mental attitude may be more tuned to the suspicion that when I get praised it's more a matter of being nice to me than actually liking the work. I placed in several writing contests while in college and that was my most active time because the only thing in play there was objective assessment and not "being nice" so I put a lot of stock in the idea that I might actually have some talent. But that boost only carried so far. Probably what I need to do is look for more contests to enter, lol.
I'd love to be able to write and use it to supplement my income. Five thousand a year would make a real difference for me. Hey Garamet. What do you think of what I've written here? I don't remember. Are you allowed to say anything or not? I would love to get to write a Star Trek novel sometime but I want to sell a novel or two of my own ideas first. Most especially "A Strong Second Half".
Everyone? We've only a handful of "serious" writers here. Hell, it could even be done offline (PMs and/or email) for a nominal "consulting fee." BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!!!!
No offense to her, but I wouldn't pay her one red cent to review my work- I already know it is contrived crap.
In fairness, yeah, I would. Matter of fact, I do offer a read-and-critique fee-for-service through my site.
