[ SECRET POST #3614 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3613 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.
[Project Runway + various reality shows]


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05. http://i.imgur.com/clVGMSG.jpg
[sex scene from The Wolf of Wall Street]


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.
[Ace Attorney]


__________________________________________________



08.







Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 08 secrets from Secret Submission Post #516.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

08. http://i.imgur.com/8cnZmF8.jpg

Transcript by OP

[fscom]

I've been supporting myself on part-time work for about a year now. I told myself I'd use the extra time to work on original writing, but I fell down the fic rabbit hole instead. The positive feedback is like crack, and I've made some really good friends. Even though it didn't really jumpstart my original work like I hoped it would, I'm overall glad I started writing fic.Thanks to Trump, though, I'm probably going to have to find full-time work within the next year so I can get health insurance despite my medical issues. Suddenly, I'm worried that I've wasted the only miraculous free writing time I'll ever have, and that I've made a huge mistake. I'm afraid I've thrown away an actual shot at a writing career in exchange for some compliments from internet strangers. As much as I appreciate the friends I've made and the stories I've written...the idea that my time is over and I've wasted it absolutely horrifies me. s!b: this is probably the stupidest, most entitled possible reason to be upset after this shitshow election. also, inb4 "you were probably never gonna make it anyway, cry more bby"

[(Anonymous)]

Like, even if you did waste time, dwelling on it will change nothing for the better, only for the worse.

[(Anonymous)]

Even if you have to go back to full-time work, it's possible to find time to write - sometimes I feel as though the less time I have in the day to write, the harder I throw myself into it when I do have time to focus. Keep at it, even if your time to work on your original ideas is limited, and don't give up hope.

[crossy_woad]

Maybe you really needed the time to write fanfic, though. Sometimes it's about developing skills and confidence. It's easy to say "just jump right into original and earn $$$" but it can be so much more complicated than that, and anyway, maybe the choice was between writing fanfic and writing nothing (which could have happened...sometimes when we put too much pressure on ourselves to 'perform' we end up freezing up altogether--it happens a lot imo.

Anyway don't be hard on yourself about this. If you need to keep writing fanfic, do so. When you're ready to write original, do that, too. Even working full time, you can probably carve out a few minutes a day to work on it.

Here are some books that might help inspire/encourage you w/ writing even when you're working more:

Lifelong Writing Habit: The Secret to Writing Every Day: Write Faster, Write Smarter, by Chris Fox

The 8-Minute Writing Habit: Create a Consistent Writing Habit That Works With Your Busy Lifestyle (Growth Hacking For Storytellers #3) by Monica Leonelle

The 15-Minute Writer: How To Write Your Book In Only 15 Minutes A Day,
by Jennifer Blanchard

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. I found my time as a fanfic writer really valuable because it helped me find my voice as a writer, figure out what worked for me, and the techniques that worked the best. Don't give up hope, OP!

[(Anonymous)]

+1

I find fanfic really helpful because it's fun and low pressure, and sometimes that's what you need to start with.

[feotakahari]

You wanted to write something people would read, and you did. Even with a 40-hour job, you'll still have time left over to keep writing and improve on the skills you've developed.

[kallanda_lee]

I've been doing the same, but I couldn't really get around to writing m original stuff because it's more stress-susceptible than my fic, and even m fic was horribly slow.

But anyway, I'm quitting, so I'm fucked, but I need to for my mental health.

Draw it out as long as you can, try to cut costs elsewhere? I'm not sure how your system works exactly, but maybe try to get the insurance first, then try to get unpaid leave? As a wise person once told me, you cant have everything. So figure out what's important to you. If you still want to write after this, what are you willing to give up? I don't know your living situation, but...cohousing? Cutting expensive coffee?

Also, there's emigration.

[(Anonymous)]

Training is never, ever wasted.

[dinogrrl]

Like the others said, writing fanfic isn't a waste. It does keep your writing muscles going, and if it's fun, then that's good. When the time comes for your original work to be written instead, it'll happen. That's how it's been in my experience, anyway. :}
(FWIW, I work full-time and while my health issues are mostly controlled now, they do like to rear their heads now and again, but I'm still able to do some writing most nights!)

[(Anonymous)]

I actually stopped writing fanfic for an number of years and went away to write original fic. I've recently come back to fanfic and can see huge improvements in what I do.

I've gotten better at writing because I was writing, and now I don't want to stop, even though I work full time. Sometimes, I feel like it's even more important to write because I have less time to do it. So don't feel like you've missed out—you've still got plenty of time.