Originally I thought if I were any good I should get published so that my writing would have value and be worth something. I thought getting published meant sharing with the world. I wanted to be on the book shelves of somebody who was a bit like me and help them in some way. But as I got older I realized anyone can get published. And the real value is what you put into it and it's quality. Getting published doesn't guarantee that and there are a lot of crappy books on the market even ones that sell because people 'think' they're good because someone else told them it's good (it's a psychological fact that this happens). A lot of people argue that getting published means you're good. No, it just means 2 or 3 people either liked your writing and if they didn't like it felt like it had potential to make them 'money'. When your book can no longer make money if it doesn't happen to be the 'Michael Jackson' of writing then it goes out of print because it's copyright ran out. It becomes very hard to find even if millions loved your work. Next to that generally when you get published you give away certain rights to your story. And I have a firm belief that my story is 'mine', people can dissect it anyway they want and get something totally different out of it, but it is my creation, and no one gets any kind of right over something 'I' created but 'me'. So I didn't like what publishers stood for money not quality. Self publishing seemed really great, but you have to be really good at marketing and if you want a good self published book you have to at least in my opinion have an editor look at it (several), and make sure it is quality work and then work hard sharing it. Unless you just want a book in your hands to hold, in which case you can make your own quality looking book from home using simple tools since all books are is binding, thread, glue, and cardboard. Even publishing on the internet is good enough if you know how to advertise yourself. Writing and what I write means so much more to me than publishers could ever offer and I don't have any serious goal to be published. Only to write well, improve my craft, and touch at least a few members of an audience. I don't want to 'lose' the heart of what I write about. I would like to bind my own books and publish online, but at the same time. I don't even know if I care anymore as long as I can make my work shine and touch an audience no matter how I do it, no matter how many people that is all that matters to me.
Yes. I intend to get published. I may have a long way to go. My first novel wasn't good enough, and was rejected, so I'm writing another with everything I have learned so far.I don't know if it will be good enough either, but it's so much better than the first that I can't help but be optimistic about how it turns out. But if it's not good enough, I'll try and fix it. If it's still not good enough, I'll start again with another story. Why? A combination. Money is a factor certainly. But the main reason is the accomplishment for its own sake. I'm not particularly artistic in any other fashion, so to be able to sell something that I've created myself would be pretty amazing.
Yeah, that's what gets me as well. I'd love to be published, to know that my books are on someone's shelf and they read it for pleasure. I don't mind if they make fourms of it, dissecting every paragraph for a hidden meaning, yet I'm afraid. Afraid of the process, afraid of accidentally signing all of my rights to something *I* created away to some guy who thinks that killing off the mc's best friend or relative is gonna make good money and that friend/relative is central to the whole story line. It's something I created, something I love. I Plus, crap books like Twilight and Inheritance are the big things now, so a published book may not have a good enough chance if it's not about vampires in schools or elves on dragons.
I have no problem admitting that I'd like to get paid for ,y writing. It doesn't make me less of a writer. It's hard freakin' work and getting a check for doing something gives me a sense of accomplishment that no other reward can. My ideas start out the same way as yours. I write out these cool game ideas, but then I'll get an actual development team and everything going. We never get anywhere. Eventually I just decided to convert the ideas into a novel, but I still feel the story is better with its interactive moments. the reader can still see what the character has experienced, but they cannot share the experience.
Publishing is definitely the goal for me. I want to see how a large array of people react to my writing.
I used to do monthly articles for a veterinary journal in the UK and have had a couple of other articles published. It would be my dream to have a book published but at the moment I am struggling big time applying myself to it, stories and characters and ideas are bashing to get out of my head but writers block is a huge factor. I have had alot of stress this year and I think that has played a big part, my husband was in a car crash a few months ago and although I feel as though I am on the verge of moving forward with my writing, I am struggling to make that leap and get started, something is stopping me and try as I might I cannot shift it. How do you guys cope with applying yourself to your writing? I would be interested to know.:redface:
Yes I do want to publish. I also want to get paid thousands of dollars for doing so! /me wonders if I should tell them about my Delusions of Grandeur mental illness problem.
It started out as a hobby. I loved creating characters and different plots but now it feels like more then just a hobby to me. I would love to get published one day but i doubt it'll happen.
I plan on having a short story published and I hope that happens before too long. As far as a novel is concerned, I'm not so sure. I would love to be published and I'm willing to put in all the work and make all the effort in the world, but I'm not yet that confident in my ability. So for me it's one step at a time. I don't want to complete my novel until I get an acceptance for one of my short stories from a paying publication. Currently I'm dealing with rejection letters which really isn't too bad since the ones that aren't form are usually kind and encouraging. It makes me feel like I'm close or at least that it's worth getting better for. Besides that it's just waiting for more responses while I juggle a handful of incomplete projects.
Absolutely. I'm an apathetic creature and there are few things I truly care about, but if I had to list my life aspirations in a numbered list, being a published novelist would be at the top. I don't think it'll make me rich or famous, I don't think my life will be instantly glorious once I've been published, but it's a personal challenge I've set for myself and I damn well mean to succeed at it. If that means I have to keep on churning out throwaway, unpublishable fiction for twenty years while I hone my skills, so be it. It'll just make it all the more satisfying when I finally make it happen. That being said...I see nothing wrong with writing as a hobby, although I still think it's important that you keep challenging yourself and striving to improve. To each his/her own.
I would love to be published. If I had a book published I would buy a magnet big enough so I could pin it to the fridge. But to get published I have to write something halfway decent. And what I'm working on now has some brief sex scenes in it.. my mum and grandma would read it. Then I'd get a cocked eyebrow every time I walk into the room. As if to ask "How do you know about this one sonny?" Do I intend to get published? I intend to write it to the best possible standard I'm capable of. I hope that it will good enough to be considered publishable. It is a hobby that I would love to share with a larger audience, even if it is via bargain bin.
I'd quite like to be published one day, yes. It won't be easy, of course, but I think I can do it. Eventually.
Do you mind if I steal your idea? That way every time I go into the kitchen I can say, "Look mommy! My erotica novel got published!"
Some of my work, yes. Some of my work, no. I enjoy writing and do 90% of it for fun. I am writing one book which I intend to publish. If I publish it, I will try publishing more. However, most of my writing is just for fun or fanfiction, which I can publish for free on fanfiction.net, so I like to do that.
I have been writing since I was a child because I love it. All my life people have told me how good my writing is. I decided that I would try to publish when I was 25
As I always say when it comes to writing "If you're in it for the money, you're going to be poor". To me, writing is about sharing a part of yourself with others, and for getting out that creative energy that is in us. I see absolutely nothing wrong with selling your creative works, indeed the fact that some do is what gives us such great stories to read. I just happen to think that you should write for the enjoyment first and foremost; the money, second. The money is gravy, good gravy, but still just gravy. The real meal deal should be the satisfaction of using your creative talents to bring a story to life. As for me, I might sell a story of mine someday, but I'm in no rush.
My goal is to get published- eventually. I think this hobby, this talent, whatever you call it, should have some end goal. That end goal for me is to get published, so what I've done can fulfill a purpose beyond self-gratification. Now, whether or not I have the writing skill to get published is another question...
Maybe I want to have a story I write manifest itself into a published book. I've always been one for creating art for the pure reason of sharing it with other people. I dunno though, I've only been involved with writing for a few months now so I really don't know enough about all the processes yet to say for sure what my goals are (after actually finishing a story of course ^^).
No, I intend on writing to an audience (however small) that may enjoy my writing. I do not intend on writing to an audience (however large) that a publisher wants me to write to.
I do want to be published, and I intend to self-publish, so that won't be a problem. It would be nice to sell a few copies and see what happens, but mostly I just want to have 1 copy for myself, framed or something, to remind myself that I did it. Writing a book has been a dream of mine as long as I can remember.
