fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2709 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2709 ⌋

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reprinted from a misfire. warning: WHINE

I spent about 15 years writing and thinking of myself as a writer, but I've never gotten good at it or confident enough to show my original fic to other people. plus, I feel like my perspective is tired and not worth supporting / producing more work about (white middle-class teen angst, how original). I'm a slow writer and thinker, and even if I come up with a good story idea, it'll be 10 years before I can write it to my satisfaction and by that time someone else has already done it better. sometimes I get positive comments on my fanfic but they're few and far between. most people don't notice. should I give up? I honestly don't know what else to do with my life. my identity is wrapped up in this thing that I'm not that good at.

any career suggestions for a failed writer? I already do freelance tutoring and proofreading.

note: I realize that most writers don't make a lot of money or become famous. that's not the worry. I just don't know if what I write is ever going to be useful or interesting to someone at all.

I will say this: the things that readers look for in fanfic and the things that they look for in published fiction are VERY different. Just because you are not popular in fanfic land does NOT mean that you would be unpopular if you tried to publish an original work. Depending on your writing style, how into the fandom hivemind you are, where you advertise your work, its hard to ascertain why you haven't hit it big with kudos. But I would not let it dissuade you from trying to publish your original fiction. It could be a huge smash hit.

you could teach writing I suppose? Since you love the craft but don't really have the creativity to back it up.
I'm kind of the same way with art tbh. I'm okay at art and always have been, but I never got really good at it, and I don't have fresh enough perspective either.

Do you enjoy making it?

Have you tried making money from writing non-fiction?

I've actually been paid for things like voice-over, website content, news articles etc. It's not eay to get a gig, but it might broaden your horizons.
Copywriting might be another option for you.

Well... I think there's a few things here which probably don't help you.

1) If you don't take that risk and show your original fic to other people, getting decent concrit and improving as a writer will be a lot more difficult. You cannot develop in a vacuum, and you cannot improve without taking those risks.

2) Worrying about the originality of your content is just not helpful at all. It's not the subject matter that counts, it's what you do with it as a writer. Plus, you know, despite what tumblr says, white middle class teen angst is not a dying market. This is true regardless of whether you think that's a good thing or not.

3) 15 years is a long time, but how old are you? Plenty of writers don't hit their stride until they're in their 40s, 50s, even older.

4) Worrying about whether or not your writing is interesting to someone else is a trap, because it'll bog you down in anxiety and steal all the courage you need to keep writing. Write something you think is good, something you like and want to read. If you can do that, chances are your audience IS out there.

no because even if you don't want to share it with anyone or you can't it's healthy to have a creative outlet

Do you like writing? Is it something you enjoy doing? Does it make you happy or relieve tension for you? Does it give you something to look forward to or some kind of meaning?

If the answer to any of those question is yes - then keep writing.

You don't have to do it for anyone but yourself.

Some other things:
1) if you write, then you are a writer.
2) don't worry about how original your ideas are. all ideas have been done before, it's where you take it to that makes something "original". in fact, you should only really be worrying about originality if you're close to actually publishing, and it sounds like you aren't. so don't worry!
3) you are the writer. which means you are in control of your stories. at the moment, there is no one looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do. so write whatever you want!
4) I know this is hard - but try to remove your ego from your writing. you are not your writing. your writing is a product made by you, but it is not you. there are many other things that are worthy and good about you beyond your writing.
5) when you're in the middle of writing, don't focus on originality or performance. focus on the idea that made you excited about the story in the first place. what was that concept that you loved? keep focusing on that to motivate you. you can worry about how good it is when you've actually finished something and need to edit it.

to me, it sounds like you need to figure out WHY you are writing and what your motivations are. perhaps you've wrapped your writing up with your sense of self and you need to disentangle them for a bit.

I'd also like to add that very few people become "good" or "published" writers overnight. It is a long, slow process, and the only way to improve is to write - and to show your work to people eventually.

Fanfic can be a good way of exploring the editing process, before you're ready to move on to sharing your original stuff.

The example I like to use is Christopher Paolini, who wrote the Eragon series. He got successful at a young age (15 I think?), but the books aren't very good. But would he have been a better writer if he'd been published later, say when he was thirty or forty? He's missed out on all that time of learning and criticism which can be so valuable.

Yeah, definitely agree with your last part. I've never read a novel by a young "prodigy" writer that didn't read, well, like it was written by someone very young. (That's not a complement at all.) Taking some time for your ideas and your style to mature is not a bad thing at all.

I mean damn, my favourite "literary fiction" author is Cormac McCarthy and he's older than time. He wrote The Road when he was 73 (!!).

part of me kinda feels sorry for Paolini tbh

like I think he probably had some good ideas but it was just "BAM! SPOTLIGHT!" and he didn't get any of the years of concrit or development or languishing around waiting for replies from publishers

and those things suck but they're also important

wow! I had no idea Cormac McCartney was so old! that gives me hope haha

All of this is true.

Honestly, don't think about originality. Write whatever you enjoy as well as you can write it. That's it.

[ SECRET POST #2709 ]

should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead

Re: should I quit writing and what should I do instead