Should i quite writing.

[ilovewriting]

SERIOUS OPINIONS ONLY!!!!!!!

I have been considering the idea of giving up writing all together after the failure of my last lit story.
I guess my lit stories cant be taking too serious as i dont do a lot of editing on them or spend a LOT of time on them (why put a HELL of a lot of effort into something i wont get paid for?), but my dreams of actually making writing novels a serious career (well i dont actually expect to be able to live off the money i make ALONE) now seem distant and not about to happen.
Should i give up and work in a fucking office like every other noncreative member of society? I dont think i can live like that but then again it doesnt seem like i can write either.

 

[Charlotte Blanchard]

Just because your stories are not a hit here does not mean you should quit writing. If you want to be a writer, then be one.

I have published two novels and it is not as difficult as you think, once you throw down and do it. But with all respect, I have to say that if you are thinking of quitting because people on a pornography oriented website (no dis to Lit intended) don't find you the next Stephen King or Jackie Collins then you will have a hell of a hard time taking it when 50 different publishers reject your manuscripts and 10 of those 50 are exceptionally cruel about it.

Eventually #51 will accept.

So, I can give you my three rules of being a writer who wants to get published:

1. Stop whining.
2. Write something every day.
3. Stop Whining.

I mean this to help, not hurt.

 

[ilovewriting]

Just because your stories are not a hit here does not mean you should quit writing. If you want to be a writer, then be one.

Thank you for replying, you HAVE helped.
I DO write every day, and i also read as much as possible.
I recently red Stephen King's ON WRITING and that kinda got me a little discouraged.
In real life i write science fiction, and have just completely writing my first novel, i am now editing the hell out of it before i even consider showing it anyone else. (perfectionist)
I havent told any of my real friends that i am down about it all. If i told my gf she would worry and do everything she could to keep me writing, which i guess is good in a way....

 

[KillerMuffin]

DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!

You're not getting cash here. You're getting valuable experience in learning to please an audience. Don't stop, ever! You're learning to write here in a unique way because here you can actually see if people like your work. If you do the traditional submit for pay, you're going to pile up rejection letters and you're not going to get feedback about why it was rejected. Here you do.

The first thing you need to do is write the story and sit on it for a while. Then edit it for spelling, grammar, and content. You'll learn good writing habits and you'll learn to respect your audience. You must respect your audience to write well for them. You aren't doing that right now.

FYI:

I'm a full time mom and wife.
I've got uncontrolled epilepsy.
I go to college year round with at least 18 credit hours which works out to be about 50ish hours a week with classes and homework.

 

[MissTaken]

No.

Dont' quit.

If you are truly a writer, as I suspect you are, you must continue writing.

You need it as much as you need food, water and sleep.

You must not quit.

You can't.

Keep writing!

 

[Suzi]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

I have to say that I agree with the others Love! If you wake up and think of writing down a part of a story based on your dreams <or> If you have a hard time getting through your day without writing in a journal, or jotting down ideas for a story or poem<or>if you are inspired by life, death, sex, men, women, children--anything--then you owe it to YOURSELF not to stop!

Writing is not only to please an audience, it is an expression of who YOU are!

*Hugs*

Suzi

 

[Quasimodem]

If you can quit, quit!

If you only write for fame or fortune, and will be heartbroken if you don't succeed; you have picked the wrong craft. For every Stephen King, there are a million writers who write all their lives, and never publish anything. Another million will only publish a story or poem at a rate that doesn't cover their monthly postage. ( Old image, now it would be IP charges.) And a few thousand who get ripped off by 'Vanity Press' companies, and 'Editing' scams.

If you are after money, try plumbing. If it's fame you seek, do something shocking. (Preferably when there is a TV news crew around.) Don't take the few thousand writers in the world, who can actually earn their living writing fiction, as your measure. They can certainly be your goal; but, in the end, emulation might exceed your grasp.


The only reason to not quit writing, is because you CAN NOT quit writing.

To paraphrase Suzi:

1). If you DON'T wake up and think of writing down a part of a story based on your dreams.

2). If you DON'T have a hard time getting through some days without having to write in a journal, or jot down ideas for a story or poem.

3). If you are NOT inspired by life, death, sex, men, women, children--anything!

Then, you OWE it to yourself to quit!

Life is frustrating enough without forcing yourself to pursue a writing career when you have no desire for it.

But, hey, its a Free Country! Or at least it still was one, here; the last time I tore myself away from the computer.

Quasi.

 

[naudiz]

If you want to be a writer professionally someday, then you have to care about the quality of your work now. If it's all about the money, and the fact you're not getting paid affects the amount of work you're willing to do, then it might be time to reexamine why you're submitting stories at all.

The words I try to live by are: anything worth doing is worth doing well. If you want the good feedback, submit quality work. Edit your work, or have someone edit it for you. Lit. offers volunteer editors to help you, free of charge. If you know you're submitting sub-standard work, don't be surprised when it gets sub-standard reviews. I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm trying to be realistic, and sometimes there is no gentle way to say it: if you want your work to be called good, then it has to be good.

This site offers such a great opportunity to become a better writer if you take advantage of the critique and volunteer editing. Care about your work. You're not getting paid money for your stories here, but you are getting paid in experience and learning. You're getting paid in opportunity to both improve as a writer and to get your work out there and seen.

The bottom line is that you have to care enough about your work to submit the very best you can do, and then learn from your critics about how to make your best even better. Take pride in your writing -- all of your writing -- and do it because it's what you love to do.

That's my opinion, and it's the best advice I can offer. I hope it helps.

 

[wildsweetone]

SERIOUS OPINIONS ONLY!!!!!!!

I have been considering the idea of giving up writing all together after the failure of my last lit story.
I guess my lit stories cant be taking too serious as i dont do a lot of editing on them or spend a LOT of time on them (why put a HELL of a lot of effort into something i wont get paid for?), but my dreams of actually making writing novels a serious career (well i dont actually expect to be able to live off the money i make ALONE) now seem distant and not about to happen.
Should i give up and work in a fucking office like every other noncreative member of society? I dont think i can live like that but then again it doesnt seem like i can write either.

Hi ilovewriting ,
i've just read Doctor's Surgery. I thought i'd take a look and see what it is that is 'failing' you and if i can help.

in my humble opinion, what i've seen as the possible problem is a lack of editing. in the first paragraph you say that Chris is 'quick good looking'. this in itself will possibly be why your story/ies has/have taken a tumbling.

at a guess, you've probably relied on your spell checker to do your editing for you. spell checker will only pick up incorrectly spelt words. 'quick' is correctly spelt and will not be noticed except by your own eyes or your readers' eyes.

in the long run the choice is yours really, do you wish to write for your own enjoyment or for recognition? if your dream is still to write novels, then you need to be prepared for constructive critisim and a strong learning curve.

from what i've seen you have ideas and the need to write. take the next step towards your dream. you can do it! good luck *hug*

 

[karmadog]

You're probably just suffering a case of writer's blues. I think everyone who does something creative occasionally suffers from insecurity, but eventually your natural arrogance and disgust with some of the things you read will have you screaming, "I can do better than that!"

Also, I agree with naudiz. Never, ever submit anything half-assed. It's not fair to the reader or to yourself. If that means that you only submit twice a year, so be it. It's better to be good than prolific.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I don't see what you're on about. You're not bad at all. Sure you have grammar trouble and you're not very good with character and all that. That's what happens when you lack experience and don't edit yourself.

I took a leaf from WSO's book and took a look. I read a different one though, The Request.

I took the liberty of whacking your first paragraph down for you. To see if you can see any improvement in it. I added the word "for" and changed "nervousness" to "anxiety." Other than that I just deleted.

Do you see any improvement? More importantly, do you see the hook? Learn to edit and you'll be more satisfied with your work, I think.

Twenty-five year old Heather sat nervously on the couch in her small apartment, awaiting the arrival of her good friend Calvin, who was due to appear at any moment. Nervousness had set in some time ago, and she was now more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life. Even though they had been close friends for over ten years, she didn’t know how he would react to what she was going to ask him.

Even though they had been close friends for over ten years, she didn’t know how he would react to what she was going to ask him. Heather sat on the couch in her small apartment, waiting for Calvin. Anxiety had set in some time ago, and she was now more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life.

 

[ilovewriting]

Should i stop writing for LIT

I think i need to make one thing clear to the wonderful people who have supported me on this thread so far. I have NEVER written anything for the primary purpose of making money, and i have NEVER done it for the fame.
I love writing, you should know because its my user name lol, and ultimately when (IF) i get published i want people to enjoy my stories.
If in my entire life i have only enriched the lives of a few thousand people, (out of the book i plan to write - i have GOOD ideas for at least 30 so far) then i would die a happy man.
I had someone the other day who critisized my sentense structure, and that is something i thought was usually ok in my writing. YES i am an atrocious speller, but the invention of word processors, dictionaries, and my efforts to improve my spelling myself have basically destroyed that problem.
My grammer is usually only a problem at LIT as i never go over my work more than 3 times and i never do a print out and red over with red pen lol, as its a waste of very expensive ink.
I just shut off my feedback thing in my profile because people cant stop putting me down over my last story. AND I still dont understand why people love my Lesbian Blackmailer stories because personally i didnt like them all that much.
I guess the new question is "Should i stop writing for LIT??"

 

[wildsweetone]

ilovewriting

follow your heart, therein lies the answer

 

[KillerMuffin]

Which one is your last story?

You should only stop writing for Lit if you aren't getting any satisfcation from the experience. Should you quit? If you don't like it anymore, then quit. If you still get some enjoyment out of writing here, then stay. You're the only one who can decide if you still like. Just wait a week before you do.

There are Mr. You SUCK! everywhere. I get hit by him/her every once in a while.

My latest:

This message contains feedback for: KillerMuffin
About the submission: Sodomizing Hannah
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

You suck bitch! That was the worse story I have ever read I can't believe that Literotica put it up! Give it up you dumb cunt you can't write!

*DO NOT hit the REPLY button to respond to this email.*

 

[p_p_man]

Writing is in the blood...

it's the love of words, of a fresh sheet of paper in front of you, a deep feeling that something just has to be written (good or bad) because you'll burst if it isn't...

If it's in your blood and it sounds as though it is, you won't give up. In fact the choice isn't yours anyway...

You can't give up...

You won't let you.

 

[XicotencatlSmith]

Never quit

I thought I'd drop my oar into the water. A fraternity brother of mine once said, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

And then he passed out.

No, seriously, as a matter of philosophy you should not quit anything you want to do. That might sound selfish, and if you are hoping for big fat royalty checks to pay the bills, it might also sound unreasonable. But it is the only thing you can do. Some tips:

1. Edit yourself. Print out the story when you are done with it, put it on the desk, and come back to it the next day. Whip out the red pen just like Mrs Johnson did in the 9th grade, and go through it skewering every error or awkward phrase in a torrent of red ink. Then go back to the PC and fix it.
2. Be true to yourself. Don't use fifty cent words if you don't use them when you are speaking normally. Don't try to write literature, just tell your story the best way you know how. Your style is your best tool.
3. Motivate yourself. Feeling down? Find yourself agreeing with the folks who think you suck? Go to the bookstore, grab a cheap sci-fi novel or western, read a few pages. They suck, and they are getting paid. No matter how bad you might be, I will make a guarantee you (and I) are better than some of the authors being published in bulk by the big publishing houses.
4. Finally, be realistic. You've sent out a sample chapter, but that twenty grand advance might not be back to you before the first of the month. Don't be down on yourself if you have to join the millions of people slogging away in the office rat race. Working in a bank, a coal mine, or even in AOL tech support doesn't drain your soul and make you or the millions like you into uncreative lumps. Television makes people uncreative. Go to work if you have to, but blow up your TV in the meantime, and you'll see results in your writing.

Hope this helps you.
-X
http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=114248

 

[Bob Peale]

Which one is your last story?

My latest:

This message contains feedback for: KillerMuffin
About the submission: Sodomizing Hannah
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

You suck bitch! That was the worse story I have ever read I can't believe that Literotica put it up! Give it up you dumb cunt you can't write!

*DO NOT hit the REPLY button to respond to this email.*

Hmmm, I wonder if this a form email
I have 10 or 20 of those lying around too.

 

[DVS]

I've been a musician and song writer for over 30 years. I have never published anything. Does this mean I don't write good songs? From my fans (about 5 or 6 at last count), they say no. There are things such as countercultures that parallel society, because society doesn't give them what they desire. The Internet has helped this. (No, I'm not talking about the Napster stuff).

I don't write the top 40 songs, that record companies want, and I don't look like a progressive style rock and roller. I don't conform to the set guide lines to the cheap and quick money. I would love to be a rich and famous song writer, I don't want it for the wrong reasons. And mostly, I wouldn't enjoy it.
And after all of this, even if it means I will never get anywhere, I couldn't stop writing music. I would go crazy.

Writing stories is the same way. You can't write to be famous, and you can't write to be rich. You have to write because you enjoy it and life couldn't be the same without it.

But, you also have to work at it. You have to treat your stories as your kids. You have to care about the final draft and be proud of it. That doesn't come easy. It takes work. But, you seem to want to do it, or you wouldn't have come this far and you wouldn't have asked for help. As someone has already said, you are probably in a lull point about things.

Shit, we all get that. Take a break for a while. Do something else. Forget about writing for a little while. Sooner or later, you will hear it calling to you again. Then you will know it is a calling you have to answer.

 

[ilovewriting]

Which one is your last story?

My last story was The Choices We Make .
The two before that that i didnt expect to go well but everyone seemed to love were Lesbian Blackmailer and Lesbian Blackmailer 2

 

[Quasimodem]

Of Posinons & Neginons

This message contains feedback for: KillerMuffin About the submission: Sodomizing Hannah This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

You suck bitch! That was the worse story I have ever read I can't believe that Literotica put it up! Give it up you dumb cunt you can't write!

*DO NOT hit the REPLY button to respond to this email.*

Ah ha!

Don't sweat it, KillerMuffin, or Bob Peale; that is a 'Neginon'!

In advertising they often employ a 'Posinon' - a Positive Non-Inferential Statement. That's where you say NOTHING, but you say it REALLY positively!

Eg: "Coke. It's the REAL Thing!"

Advertisers use Posinons to say something positive about a product that will not come back in court, to bite them on the ass.

This troll used a Neginon - a Negative Non-inferential Statement.

It wasn't bright enough to find something to criticize -- even if there was something to criticize! One can't even be certain - from that note - that it actually READ the story, or COULD READ beyond the title. Of all we CAN be certain is it got a copy of a abusive form letter, and it knows how to post.

If that is the quality of criticism you have been getting ilovewriting dismiss it. Consider the source, and don't take it personally. After all, you don't take it personal when your toilet backs up, do you?

 

[ilovewriting]

Re: Of Posinons & Neginons

After all, you don't take it personal when your toilet backs up, do you?

Now that depends if it backs up while im sitting on it.

 

[Quasimodem]

Now that depends if it backs up while im sitting on it.

On it?

I'm usually IN it!

That's why I bought Art Carney's old hip-wadders on E-Bay.

 

[mrwizard67]

All of those wonderful folks gave you some great advice. I will add one bit of lesser info.

If you don't have someone to edit for you, or don't wish to take the time. You can use text to speach software, and hear you story. By listening to you story read, you can hear poorly structured sentences, incorrect words, and poor puctuation. It really can be a great help.

There are several freeware text to speach programs on the web.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[ilovewriting]

All of those wonderful folks gave you some great advice. I will add one bit of lesser info.

If you don't have someone to edit for you, or don't wish to take the time. You can use text to speach software, and hear you story. By listening to you story read, you can hear poorly structured sentences, incorrect words, and poor puctuation. It really can be a great help.

There are several freeware text to speach programs on the web.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

That is a fantastic idea!!! it never occured to me. I might just try that!