i've been a 'pro writer' for many years, so i guess all i'd like to be beyond that is a 'well-read' one! awards would be nice not for the money, but for the increased readership that would result, since i write to enlighten the readers, not to make a living [i give away all i write, with no strings attached]...
"Something more" for sure. I've been writing since I was literally 2 or 3 -- I'd get a bunch of sheets of paper and fold them down the middle and staple bindings, like a book, then I'd scribble with marker about a cat who went around collecting magic wands...lol. My job now involves writing, and I breeze through letters/papers/articles/etc. It's always just felt really natural to me. Not trying to brag -- there are plenty of things I suck at, sports for example. Although, it is hard to finish a novel. I've written tons of short stories and started tons of novels, but finishing one...yeah not so much...although, I'm working on a YA/chapter book with a more linear plot and I can see the end in sight (maybe 6K left?) I'd love to finish it soon and get published as a novelist in the next year or two. That'd be awesome. And I really do want to finish a novel...I think my problem is short attention span...it's easy to spin up something new but hard to finish it.
Thanks, everyone! It's been very cool to see what people's plans, are -- and, in some cases, to know about those who've already met with success. I hope to one day make a living from my work. I'm not there yet, or even close; first I need to kick my butt into gear and spend more hours writing. But hour for hour, writing is one of the most satisfying, scary, wonderful things I've ever done, and I've already made a small amount of money at it. I figure, well, that's not bad at all for someone in their twenties. My dream would be to have several books out there, selling consistently if not well. Not enough to get rich on, necessarily, but enough so I could live comfortably in a low-cost-of-living area.
I guess I am a semi-pro because I have a full time job (non-writing) and couple of my short stories were published. I think I want to be a pro, but I have selected "I have no idea" because I still don't believe I have the time and the ability to become pro. I'll have a clearer idea after one or two years. One thing I am very sure is that writing is my passion and I'll keep writing.
I want to be a pro-writer and if possible an award winning author, but you can be an award winning author and not be a pro-writer which is why writing well is more important than being well-renowned.
Yes, don't be afraid of what others think of you or your work. Some people are gonna like it, some people are gonna hate it. It doesn't change who you are.
I think my avatar pretty much says it all. I mean, honestly, I'm way too arrogant to be satisfied with merely being published, or even making money being published. What I want is to be an award winning writer (Believe me, I want that way more than some ridiculous rip-off writing contract with Simon and Schuster.). I want to ultimately amass a huge financial prize for the Gordon Composition Gothic Novel Awards (I want that message on the phone that starts out: "Hi, this is Dean Koontz's agent. I was just wondering if you had a chance to review Dean's latest novel?"), and I want people lined up to get me to speak at their writers' confrences. Oh, and then I want to have a book on writing that's more famous than On Writing, by Stephen King. Essentially I want the big three to be me, Strunk and White, and Merriam-Webster. I don't think I'm not asking for a lot; I just want my piece of the pie--that's all--damn it.
I'm getting very tired of the daytime job, which consists more and more of writing worksheets, English tests, and grammar guides, and leaves me with very depleted time and energy for creative writing. Over the past year I've managed to sell a few stories and nearly finish a romance, though. Roll on early retirement option (two more years to go!) and last chance to try and be something resembling a 'pro'.
I believe that writing is basically just a hobby, but it's what the writer does with it that turns it into something more.
I've had short stories and poetry published in anthologies, and I've had a year's worth of articles published in the local paper, but these aren't things I'm particularly proud of. In fact, those books are hidden under my bed in my parent's house so no one else will find them. Whenever I see them I don't think, "It's great these were published!" but instead all I can see are the glaringly obvious mistakes everyone else seems to overlook. When it comes to writing I'm a perfectionist and I don't think these stories were nearly as good as they could have been. I don't write with the aim of being published. It would be nice, yes, if I could someday produce something I think is good enough to be in print but by no means am I going to set out specifically to do it. Wouldn't it just be frustrating to devote hours to something in hopes of seeing it immortalised in print only to later realise that it's in no way suitable for mass production? I decided to give up with worrying about what my reader might want to see when I decided there would be no reader - or, in other words, the reader is me. I write what I want to read rather than what could be good for the story. Fortunately, it's come to a point where these two things now overlap. But it's calming to know that I don't need to worry about angering or putting off any readers with any sudden twists or spiteful characters. However, this approach to writing is instead what has attracted people to my work. Two friends over in the USA and Australia have been sent the first ten thousand words of my current WIP (currently at 157k) and I've received good feedback despite the fact it's badly written. I'll worry about that in the redraft. It's nice to know that people like the characters and the ideas and are looking forward to reading more -- and it's even nice when I get emails from strangers following my blog saying that they look forward to reading my work when it's published -- but I don't really need this sort of incentive to write. I write because I have stories to tell and because I feel it's a productive pastime, not because I want others to tell me how much they love and want to buy my work. If they like it then it's a bonus - but my dream is to be an English language (not literature) teacher, not a writer.
i'm intrigued by those 11 'award-winning writer' votes... i'd love to know what 'awards' are being referred to...
The original question was about goals, where you would like to be. Given as I have just entered a story into the British Writers Award (unpublished), guess that makes 12 now lol Not that I expect to win or anything - going with my dad's thing of you might not win if you do, you won't win if youd don't. Here is to hope and goals.
I'm very much a casual writer with no intent whatsoever of getting published. I write because I enjoy it, and I do not want to threaten that love of writing in the interest of making a few dollars on the side. I'm currently working on a novel, and once I complete it I will post it on the internet for people to enjoy free of charge. The reward of completing a novel and improving as a writer are reward enough for me.
Well, one thing's for certain from this poll. NOONE writes just for themself. Everyone wants others to read their works.
I want to be an award winning writer. Am I actually going to achieve it? Realistically speaking, no I'm not. But hey, how did that song go again? "If you don't dream big / then what's the use in dreaming?" I am of opinion that you must always strive for the top. Even if you can't reach it, you'll know you tried. I don't mean that everyone who writes should try to win an award since there are people who are not that interested in that sort of thing, but I think that no one should say "it would be nice, but since I can't do it, I won't even try." If you want it, go out there and get it. Laugh or cry, the ending is up to you.
My main goal with my writing is to get it published, develop a large fan base, and go from there. I really want to touch people's hearts, and writing is a good medium to use in accomplishing that. Ultimately I would like to win an award, not necessarily for the recognition, but for the achievement. Some people are more inclined to read your work if you've won an award, not to mention the networking possibilities.
thanks for the reminder, el!... i forgot it wasn't what we 'are' but only what we want to be...which makes my vote kinda silly, since at my age, i've been a pro for longer than most here have been writing... so, i guess i'd have to switch it over to the 'award-winning' category...
I think I just want to be able to do my current story justice. If it gets awards and enable me to go pro then I have done better that I planned. But I'm still a novice and have lots to read & learn. But we can all dream can't we?
I would like to become an award winning writer, but of course I don't think that will ever happen. I voted for that because I think that this is my ultimate goal, even though my realistic goal is Pro-Am.
All of us here love writing with an indistinct passion. How many of us, however, make a full-time living or have attempted to make a full-time living from writing? If so, for those of us who would love to lead their life writing (like me!), what steps did you take to reach that goal? I did find one article, if anyone would like to read it - Click Here. However, most of the research I conducted said to live towards Freelance. What is your opinion on this?
Well, I'm unpublished at the moment but there are a few ways to get published. one is to get in contact with a literary agent, you can find extensive lists just by searching "literary agents" or you can self publish, if you want to do that i recommend going to http://www.lightningsource.com/ and they will print your book and ship it for you, free of charge, all they ask in return is a certain percentage of your sales profits.
Imo writing for a living would push me to rush my work. I like taking my time, thinking things out, from different angles. But if I have a deadline even a flexible deadline, it would encourage me to assembly line my work. I want to be published eventually, but I don't think I want it to be the thing I pay my bills with. Kind of like a movie script compared to a tv series script. The tv script is weekly, so not alot of work can go into the piece, and they have to keep coming up with interesting storylines. The movie script has more time to perfect the work, and is more flexible. They don't have to work with the same characters for each movie. Much like a painter that paints for his benefit. He sells the work if someone wants it, but has no preasure to dole out painting after painting. He could sign a contract to produce, but there will be the preasure that was not there before.
I think freelance online writing and self-publishing are the way of the future. e-books are becoming more and more popular with first time book writers. You don't have to put up with agents and editors. The trend is definitely away from paper publishing (dead tree technology).
