Any newbie writers?

[DimesDan]

Hell, even with a full time job and pretty good health insurance, my finances went straight into the toilet with $1,600 in dental bills in 2 months, half of which was an emergency wisdom tooth removal, and only $400 of which I was reimbursed by my insurance company for. I don't work for a company that's financially underwater, either. And I'm just going to miss the cutoff for the medical bill deduction on taxes this year by about $100 to add insult to injury (literally).

After reading that, I'm so glad for the NHS.

Not sure which media in the States would be running this, but I skimmed this in one of our "broadsheets" on the bus earlier and it can only be good http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...to-deliver-universal-health-care-1635148.html

 

[JoeZhang]

See, this is why I'd never get into fiction (besides, you know not being able to write fiction) - I just like money too much and nice things - and I already make too much money to stop to try something else.

The only practical piece of advice I'd give to a writer and I think this applies equally well to my fictional brethen as well as it does to us non-fiction people - BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP!

I'm amazed by how many people have a single copy of something important!

 

[David cgc]

If you're just going to kibbutz about an idea for years and years, you're never going to actually get anything written.

As soon as I read this, I remembered Andy Ihnatko's parody series of blog posts about his participation in "National Terrible Unfinished Novel-Writing Month," where he approached as if he were a person more interested in being "a writer" than in actually writing things. My personal favorite would be the one where he buys a pistol as a fashion accessory.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

The only practical piece of advice I'd give to a writer and I think this applies equally well to my fictional brethen as well as it does to us non-fiction people - BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP!

Word to that. When I was first starting out I lost about a dozen pages of manuscript because I didn't back up properly. I never made that mistake again.

 

[James Swallow]

In all seriousness though, how hard is it to just make a decent living as a writer? How many writers on here have other careers and just write on the side?

The thing about writing is that its a job you can do while you have another job, and a lot of writers frequently do. I did that for a few years before I quit to go full-time, and I've been supporting myself wholly though writing since 1997.

 

[Jbarney]

Good discussion. Its 7:43 a.m., its the last day of February vacation, and I would like to get at least a thousand words in this morning. Reading this thread has helped. Butt in chair. I will hold off on the coffee for now. Time to write.

 

[jamestyler]

Here are some Amateur sites to look at. Might be helpful.

Free posting
http://www.nicestories.com <-- excellent site... and real publishers look here. There are many REAL authors to help you.
http://www.storymania.com <-- a good secondary site.
partial donation or pay site
http://writing.com <-- great for writing tips and tricks.

Nice links. Cheers

A good friend of mine took a course at Writers Bureau and found it quite a valuable resource as well as http://www.newbie-writers.com/forum/

But nothing's going to happen if you just keep that story in your head and never put your butt in the chair and get to work.

I was guilty of that myself. It took me two years to actually put a story into words and after a couple of months writing on the side found myself with 500 pages. Though I have no delusions of thinking 'This will be published and I'll be loaded' and will likely do nothing with it, I'm just happy to finally get it out.

Though if I was planning on anything serious it would be back to short stories (had one or two printed in local mags that were read mostly by OAP's and church goers - not exactly enough to say published) and the only reason I talk openly about doing anything is because if people know I'm doing it, they'll know if I fail and I'm not letting anyone see me do that

 

[Jbarney]

I'm working on the short story front I myself. Today has been a pretty productive writing day, as I have managed to get in well over 1,000 words.

Well, back to the short stories.

Jason

 

[Rush Limborg]

Though I have no delusions of thinking 'This will be published and I'll be loaded' and will likely do nothing with it, I'm just happy to finally get it out.

Noted.

Hey--even if I never get my current project published, I'll still be proud of it....

 

[jamestyler]

Though I have no delusions of thinking 'This will be published and I'll be loaded' and will likely do nothing with it, I'm just happy to finally get it out.

Noted.

Hey--even if I never get my current project published, I'll still be proud of it....

For me, I'll only do something if I enjoy it. Besides, my attempt at Trek end up being too... different. Though I'll happily to it on the interweb to prove that I'm only amusing myself and no one else

It's a good test though - doing that big a project just for fun to see if I can write anything again - in the past few years I've only really written for wrestling, which is substantially different.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

Terri and the others are lying. Shame on you, Dayton. "Just write." Really? Come on.

What pleasure do you get from this sort of thing? It's brutal.

Here is the truth of writing fiction. The real truth, without the varnish. It's not pretty so, if you are of the rainbow and unicorn persuasion, best to pop off now. There's a good lass. Or lad. Whatever. Just get out. This ain't for the squeamish.

They gone? Good. Okay.

Now then.

The truth of breaking into prose writing. Pay attention. I'm risking my life here.

The truth:

It's a complex system of favors and bribes that gets any writer into the driver's seat. Even for short stories.

Cash payments. Mule duties. Travel is usually involved. Martial arts training is helpful but only if you're REALLY proficient (otherwise you'll just get hurt worse). And it's good to have some training in field medicine. I'm just saying. Swallow knows what I mean.

But, before all that, there's Phil. (Yes, you craven bastards, I'm telling them about Phil. DEAL WITH IT.)

If you have any prayer of becoming a published writer, first you have find Phil (and he's a bastard for being in places you wouldn't think of). You have to find him and you have to convince him that you can come up with the necessary cash in the first, I think, four days. There's no set amount. I think he makes it up as he goes along. and it's always a LOT, usually something close to Everything You Have +.

Then if, IF he likes the cut of your jib (he says that a lot and I still don't know what the hell it means), he'll send you on an ERRAND.

I don't know what the other guys had to do but my Errand was something that will keep me in therapy for at least another decade. No, I won't talk about it. And neither will you if you make it that far. Trust me. (Jesus. Remember what happened to Constance DuPree? God, that was a rum business.)

After that, if you complete, if you survive, THEN, you get to write a short story. 7500 words or less. Make it less if you know what's good for you.

Then Phil takes whatever you write and hands it over to Mack or KRAD (not anything close to their real names, BTW. But that's a whole other rant.) who turn it into whatever they deem it should be that week. THAT is the story that ultimately gets published with your byline. And that's not just with tie-in books. That's EVERY book you've seen on a shelf since 1973. Even porn.

You just have no idea how deep this goes, man. Really.

And that's just for prose. Don't get me started on the limerick and haiku markets because we'll be here all month. Those guys are effin' scary.

Brrr.

PS: if anyone talks to Phil before I do, tell him (okay, gently inform him) that I would like to see my dog again, sometime this century. Alive. I didn't mean what I said. It was just a joke.

Ah. Who am I kidding? This post is my death warrant. Nice knowing you people.

 

[Dayton Ward]

 

[James Swallow]

The truth of breaking into prose writing. Pay attention. I'm risking my life here.

Damn it, man! You broke the code! You know the rules!

That's it, you're dead to me. Sure, I owed you after what happened in Namibia, but this is too much. I can't protect you anymore. You're on your own.

 

[DimesDan]

Geoffrey, that is one of the funniest things I've read in a while and I was laughing away all the way through, I think the best line was:

That's EVERY book you've seen on a shelf since 1973. Even porn.

 

[Thrawn]

RedJack.... awesome. Just awesome.

 

[TerriO]

Dude, Phil's pissed. And I don't mean drunk.

You are in it so deep right now. Can I have your computer when he's done taking care of the problem?

Working on the short story front is a bit different from working on the novel front. I'm enjoying the hell out of doing both right now. After being told to my face by one editor that they didn't think I was capable of writing a novel, it's so nice to be under contract for my first tie-in novel and shopping around an original series right now. I'm also working on two short stories in my original universe for anthology invites, so the old brain is definitely getting practice going between the two mindsets. And yeah, they are two different skillsets. Anyone who tells you otherwise has, IMO, done one but not the other.

I said I had horror stories.

 

[William Leisner]

I have absolutely no idea what any of these people are talking about.

And just for the record, I spent the entire year of 1998 in the United States. I have the pay stubs and the receipts to prove it. And anyone who says differently is a filthy lying Albanian bastard.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

The truth of breaking into prose writing. Pay attention. I'm risking my life here.

Damn it, man! You broke the code! You know the rules!

That's it, you're dead to me. Sure, I owed you after what happened in Namibia, but this is too much. I can't protect you anymore. You're on your own.

Namibia! It's always Namibia with you! I TOLD you not to bring that stupid bird along! But who ends up paying for that? ME! You're damned right you owe me!

Fine. Everyone for themselves then. Phil be damned!

 

[David Mack]

^ Don't bust Jim's chops for bringing the bird. It was delicious, and if it hadn't been for that frickin' parrot we'd have had to eat Marco. And you know how gamy he can be.

 

[Therin of Andor]

we'd have had to eat Marco. And you know how gamy he can be.

Anyone seen him lately?