1. Jones505

    Jones505 New Member

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    What kind of cadbury's cream egg writer are you?

    Discussion in 'New Member Introductions' started by Jones505, Mar 4, 2011.

    Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum.

    I'm writing my first novel. It's a Sci-fi / Fantasy one. I've written a few screenplays of this ilk. But I struggled with screenplay formatting. However, now I've started to write a novel everything seems to be going really well. Obviously I'll have to wait for feed back from others to see if this good feeling is reciprocated or not, unfortunately it's gonna be some time before this feedback comes in.

    This is because I'm not doing much fun writing (ie. fiction writing) at the moment. I'm at Uni studying mental health nursing, and it's essay season. There's no doubt I'd much rather be a Sci-fi writer. I think as a job it gives you the ultimate autonomy, and freedom to do what you want, and I love the sense of importance and fun it gives you.

    So getting onto my question's. Are you published? Are you making a good living out of this? Or (like me) do you work in another field and do this as a hobby? If so is it a big hobby? Like it is for me. Are you burning the candle at both ends, and working your hands to the god-damn bone to make it as a writer? Or do you just accept that things'll take time and **** it. Anyway nice talking to you. Just the one wink.
     
  2. Dauracul

    Dauracul New Member

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    Not published, no. Hell, I haven't even published my first novel, but I've been writing in general for about 10 years now. It started off as just something fun to let my imagination run free. Various stories, fantasy and sci-fi, were just started out of nowhere with no direction in mind. Needless to say they turned into a mess and I couldn't salvage them, but I had fun writing them.

    Now I have more direction, I outline things and set goals. Working on the first of likely several novels I have planned.

    I think its unrealistic to expect to make a living as a published author, unless you're profoundly successful like Stephen King. I work a full-time job and make enough money to live very comfortably, and its something I do in my spare time. I am not working on deadlines or anything at the moment.

    I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable making a living off of my novels. Seems too much of a "hiatus, burst of funds, hiatus" lifestyle for me. Not reliable for the costs of everyday living.
     
  3. Silver_Dragon

    Silver_Dragon New Member

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    Yeah, like Dauracul said, I don't find it realistic to expect to make a living off my writing. I think it would be cool to get published one day, and I work very hard to make my work as good as it can be, but it's more for me than for anyone else.
     
  4. guamyankee

    guamyankee Active Member

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    I'm not published, but damned if I don't want a Cadbury creme egg now!
     
  5. joelpatterson

    joelpatterson New Member

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    I've placed a smattering of articles here and there and everywhere, but there's some kind of karmic detour/roadblock/carpool lane thing going on. Then, my day job is recording bands and orchestras, so I guess I needn't really bitch all so much...

    The one "obsessive" piece I've been working on for a while now is my memoirs, starting with a wrenchingly painful divorce, and then leaping and hopping on the moonshadows of my childhood... little vignettes, character sketches, scenes I remember... the randomness of lurching around in time is very liberating, I've always thought a straight linear telling would be tedious, or at least monotonous and predictable, whereas flipping back and forth is pretty revealing.

    And the format is paragraph by paragraph, for those with abbreviated attention spans. Like...:rolleyes:
     
  6. JMTweedie

    JMTweedie New Member

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    I work full time so I'll be trying to fit writing around that and my family (have a 2 year old, two teens, a husband, cat and 2 budgies).

    I've set aside a place to write and my starting time allotment of doing at least one hour this week. My aim is to build up the time spent on my sci-fi novel series by around half an hour per week until it reaches a comfortably managable level.

    The satisfaction of getting published and that people will enjoy my story is more important than the money but I think my story idea will bring both.
     
  7. VM80

    VM80 Contributor Contributor

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    There are Cadbury Cream Eggs in this thread? No?

    Anyway, I had a couple of short pieces published, but it wasn't for pay or on any grand scale. One was part of an anthology for new poets (I don't recall the exact title) when I was 17. The other was something at the language dept. of my University and I was awarded a scholarship to go to Italy. :)

    I have a 'mention' in one of my cousin's books, because I adapted it into English for her.

    My day job is completely unrelated to writing or the arts.
     
  8. Eunoia

    Eunoia Contributor Contributor

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    Darn it, I thought this thread was going to be about Cadbury creme eggs... :(

    I'm not published, I'm unemployed and a student. :p I don't know whether I want to make a living out of writing or not, although I am doing a Creative Writing degree.
     
  9. spklvr

    spklvr Contributor Contributor

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    I've had a few short stories published in magazines, but I wasn't paid that well for them. As of now, I'm a college student who works part time shoveling llama and donkey crap (not a joke). I always have to take a break from recreational writing when there are school things that needs to be done. It just takes the fun out of it, and I've found that if I try to do both, I just end up unable to do either. My advice is, don't think about getting published. Just write for yourself.
     
  10. FictionAddict

    FictionAddict New Member

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    Oh, well... And I thought I was the only one writing for herself here! Lol

    I work full-time in a job that needs me to be focused in images rather than words. I find that helps me with the words somehow.

    I've never been published, as I've never even really tried to be. If I want to publish my novel in the forseeable feature? Of course! But I don't write thinking about that at all. I haven't even given my draft to proofreading yet (i'm a bit shy), except for the excerpt I've put here in the forum.
     
  11. VM80

    VM80 Contributor Contributor

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    Just write for yourself - well, yes but...

    There's nothing wrong with ambition that goes beyond that, is there?
     
  12. juliuswrites

    juliuswrites New Member

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    I write for fun, like you. I'm currently finishing highschool and as it stands have no hope of being published at my age, but I am turning 18 in two months, and in three months to a year I'll be starting my own publishing group, I won't be living off my writing, though I may publish a couple novels, I'll mainly be living off of other people's writing until I can get my English degree and try my hand at teaching English.
     
  13. tiggertaebo

    tiggertaebo Member

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    Absolutely!

    I work (more than) full time in another industry and if I'm honest I don't think I'd want writing to be my "day job" as it would probably suck alot of the pleasure out of it for me. So at the moment I write for the enjoyment of doing so and the audience is just me because, honestly, I don't think anyone else would be that bothered about what I write. If other people do end up reading and enjoying anything I've written then that's something of a bonus. Nothing wrong with a bit of ambition though - for me getting published is one of my "things to do before I die" just for the sense of achievement but just because I'm not planning a career in it doesn't mean I wouldn't encourage anyone else who was.
     
  14. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    I am currently trying to get published - but have only been trying two weeks properly. Whilst not really expecting to make a living out of it, or even expecting anything other than rejections I am going to do everything in my power to make it happen.
     
  15. Terry D

    Terry D Active Member

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    I think you will find that there are very few writers on these forums who earn much from their writing. I know of at least one member here who makes enough to help pay a few bills, but that is rare. They've graduated, so to speak, and hang out with the big kids. What you will find here are a lot of folks in various stages of making that same journey.

    I've been writing with the intent of publication for about 40 years (sometimes more actively than others). I've been paid for writing advertising copy, I've been published in trade magazines, and worked for a short time as a sportswriter at a local newpaper, but have failed to publish any fiction. I recently self-published my first novel, and it is selling at a modest pace. That experience has been a lot of fun, regardless of what those who view self-publishing as some form of debauchery say. For the next two Saturdays I'll be sitting in a couple of neat little independant book stores signing copies of my book for folks who are willing to spend money to read it. That's about all I ever expected from writing. Anything beyond that will be gravy.

    I have a full time job, but I take my writing seriously enough to do it six days a week. My second novel is about 53,000 words old and growing nicely. Maybe it will be the one!
     
  16. SeverinR

    SeverinR New Member

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    I think jones and Daura ate all the Cadbury eggs, before we got here.:(

    I write for fun,
    If one of my works get published, great. But I won't change my writing habits.


    If your still in HS, take classes pertaining to writing. I discovered writing well past my school years. Now I have to figure out all the rules they tried to teach me in school.:confused:

    You can set your sights on King, Rowling, etc, but keep it real. Thousands of people try, only a few make it.

    Its like a guitar player going to Nashville. Thousands do it, and only a few reach their goals to be professional.
    Just because only a few will make it, doesn't mean you don't learn to play. Play/write for your enjoyment, and you'll never be sorry.
     
  17. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    what's any of this got to do with candy, for goodness' sake?

    anyway... in my old life, i wrote for money... both my own stuff, and for others, as an obscenely highly paid [$75-150/hr back in the 80s!] writing consultant... i had columns, articles, short stories, poems, etc. published for pay and was working on novels, non-fiction books and screenplays, all of which got left behind with my agent, when i gave up that life for my present one...

    since i bailed out of the material world over 16 years ago, all of my own writing has been for my unpaid 'day job' as a practicing philosopher, which i give away, having vowed to never again do anything for money... the other [totally free] writing i do is for others, as a writing mentor... and occasional ghostwriter, if the project is a worthy one...
     
  18. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    It's an advertising slogan - how do eat yours? Everyone has their own way of eating a Cadbury's Cream Egg
     
  19. Yandos

    Yandos New Member

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    The kind of cream egg writer I'd be would be the type that would peel off my shiny wrapper and bash my head against the keypad! GOOOIFY!

    I'd love to get published; I've even gone so far as to write a story (or 5) to deliberately get published. The only thing I was able to write because of this mentality was complete and utter BS! It was the worst thing I've written (or so I think) and that's not just me being harsh on myself.

    I've now started (well, I started 2 years ago on this) to write a story just the way I want to tell it. No more pandering to the masses or trying to target specific groups or ages for my story. I'm writing it the way I would have like the story told to me.

    However, even if I do get published, I don't think that'll make me a writer in the context of 'Stephen King', 'Robert Jordan', 'Wilber Smith' or even someone that will do this for a living.

    I have a full time job designing sustainable energy, mechanical devices and geotechnical & environmental lands (mapping). It's not glamorous but it's something that I'm good at and enjoy.

    Actually, I think I've got a cream egg in my fridge. mmmm!
     
  20. VM80

    VM80 Contributor Contributor

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    That's fascinating. Something must have happened to make you decide to do that.

    I guess it's this forum's gain. :)
     
  21. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    thanks for those kind closing words, vm...

    as for what 'happened' see 'why your money's no good' in the essay section of my website... for the rest of the reasons, see 'what am i?'; 'alms for the rich'; and 'triage' in the same section...

    in re the candy confusion, i've never seen that cadbury ad and i don't eat 'em... i'll be glad to share how i eat my oreos, though! ;-)

    love and hugs, m
     

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