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Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 10:12 pm
by Sstavix
After some heavy editing, I've submitted a couple of my novels to publishers, but haven't had any bites yet. I'm hoping to get my first one up on Amazon as a self-published novel here in a few days (I'm trying to put together a cover).

It's not doing me a whole lot of good just sitting in my hard drive, so why not?

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 10:32 pm
by Orodrist
I have very mixed (read: negative) feelings about ever submitting anything to a publisher. Selling my soul isn't really my game.


That said, my will states my entire collection of writing is to go to a dear friend. Hopefully she finds it marketable enough to put her kids through college.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2014 3:46 am
by Orodrist
So I'm going through the trouble of writing up a few bios and a rough minimal outline. I think it will help, and I feel better about this year than last.

Does anyone else get fragments of writing without any idea how they came into your head?

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2014 4:53 am
by selderane
Orodrist wrote:I have very mixed (read: negative) feelings about ever submitting anything to a publisher. Selling my soul isn't really my game.
A filmmaker friend of mine asked me how I felt about selling out.

"In a heartbeat," I told him. He smiled and said that was the right answer.

That doesn't mean I'll write something I don't believe in, or say something I know is a lie. It just means that I know that sometimes you just have to do what you have to do and establish yourself then, when people see you can craft a good product, you'll have the freedom to do what you want to do.

If the product you're trying to sell as a nobody is so dear to you that you can't stand the thought of anyone altering it, it's best for your sanity to put it away and make something you don't care as much about to get that first sale and your foot in the door. That said, publishers aren't the boogie man. You still own your work and you and they both know you can walk away. It's in their interest to make sure you're happy.

True, publishers are no longer the gatekeepers they once were, but don't thumb your nose at them either. They're still a powerful entity that can open a lot of doors. And while I know of self-published writers who make a living at their work, it's still a tough road to hoe. Make no mistake.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 12:12 am
by Orodrist
Except, I have no intention of ever selling anything.

I don't write because I want to make money or get famous, or because I think it's cool. I write because I have to, because the story my words tell will kill me if I try to contain it. It's not a pleasant experience, it's bleeding myself out on the page. So no, I won't sell anything, and anyone sniffing around trying to buy any of it is going to be ushered away at gunpoint.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:48 am
by ChickenSoup
I write because I'm a weird little dude

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 5:41 am
by Orodrist
How's everyone doin?

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:14 pm
by Deepfreeze32
Haven't touched writing at all. I've been hit by lots of personal stress as well as the revelation that I don't want to work as a software engineer anymore. Realizing that you've spent four years of your life as well as a butt-load of money on something that doesn't have good job prospects (That is to say, Computer Science without software engineering) is kind of crushing, to say the least. I love computers, but every day I spend at work grinds any of the joy I get from them out of me. I've even stopped caring about computer components. I used to geek out over the newest iterations of hardware, and now I couldn't care less. Watching your one and only passion slowly ebb away from you is nothing short of soul crushing.

Maybe I could channel this into writing. But all I want to do when I get home after work is sleep for hours. I haven't even really, seriously gamed in a while.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:05 am
by Sstavix
Orodrist wrote:How's everyone doin?
Quite well! Broke the 6,000 mark earlier tonight and still going strong. I've even had a few ideas while working on this to help flesh out the story even further.
Deepfreeze32 wrote:Haven't touched writing at all. I've been hit by lots of personal stress as well as the revelation that I don't want to work as a software engineer anymore. Realizing that you've spent four years of your life as well as a butt-load of money on something that doesn't have good job prospects (That is to say, Computer Science without software engineering) is kind of crushing, to say the least. I love computers, but every day I spend at work grinds any of the joy I get from them out of me. I've even stopped caring about computer components. I used to geek out over the newest iterations of hardware, and now I couldn't care less. Watching your one and only passion slowly ebb away from you is nothing short of soul crushing.

Maybe I could channel this into writing. But all I want to do when I get home after work is sleep for hours. I haven't even really, seriously gamed in a while.
I'm sorry to hear that you've been having problems with your career choice! It might be therapeutic to channel some of that depression into words. But things will get better - you can endure this! Your friends are here to help, and I know Heavenly Father will be willing to support you and guide you as well. Take heart!

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 12:25 am
by Orodrist
I've been on target so far. Hopefully end the night the same. It's hard to pull off working a full 40 of manual labor so I expect to be needing to play catch up over the weekend.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 6:10 pm
by ArchAngel
Sstavix and Oro, you seem to be doing really well on your progress. How do you do it? I was at it for over 2 hours last night, and I felt I was writing at a good pace, but turns out, 600 words.

Do you guys have an idea of words per hour?

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 10:55 pm
by Orodrist
Buy some cheap but not terrible booze and slam about half of it on an empty stomach before you write. Basically I just get frackin wasted dude lmbo.

As far as words an hour it varies. I'm trying to stick to a word quota on weekdays that comes out to around 1700 on average. I'm a fairly irregular writer but if I hit a groove where I know exactly whats going to happen next I can sit and hammer out 4-600 words in all of a half hour. If I even have the slightest hesitation or am stuck I walk out, have a drink, light up, etc.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:03 pm
by ArchAngel
You know, a bit of scotch sounds perfect with writing. If a had a laptop, a pipe and scotch on the porch sounds perfect.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:22 pm
by Orodrist
Also, I realize you're a working guy but 2 hours a night is not going to cut it. I work a full forty and I still allot myself from seven to midnight.

But you're also married so antisocial behavior might not be the best plan.

Re: Prepare yourself! NaNo 2014 is coming!

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 12:31 am
by ArchAngel
Yeah, those 2 hours were the first I could allot so far. My wife is trying to be supportive, but I'm not going to leave her with the lot of housework, nor can I disregard her the entire time.

So, unless I can start blazing through on the weekends, things are not looking good for ol' Gill.