I will start off by claiming "Almost everything you found so romantic about being an author when you were young slowly fades away as you grow older" Simply put: It isn't just the coffee stained manuscripts, and the clacking on a type writer by the fire till wee hours of the morn'. Now, I'm sure we are all aware of this, but it is still disappointing every time I think about it.
Now, I'm not one to usually follow the statistics, and I'm sure everyone here is aware of the fact that even if you are published the chance of your book making it onto the shelves of Barnes and Noble is still... very slim. Even authors who have made it to the NYT best-seller list still find themselves having to work other jobs to survive. And we all know the chances of making it to that list... Taking those into account, paired with the already daunting task of being accepted by a publisher makes being an author quite a courageous task.
So, now I ask you all the question that many have asked me: What makes you want to be an author? For me, it is always the same answer: I have traveled the world three times over, floated weightlessly thousands of miles above the earth, fought for freedom alongside my friends, and stared death in the face enough to make me laugh at the thought, I have watched friends pass, and have watched others fall in love, I have experienced amazing realms beyond imagination, and have battled ruthless villains faced with impossible odds, I have soared the skies, and explored the deep blue, I have had to say goodbye to close friends, and have enjoyed exploring and learning with them at my side... all without even leaving my bedroom. Is there anything more magical than that?
Being an author is not solely based upon the royalties you make on the sales from your book, it is about telling a story, going places, getting to know characters you wish were your friends in real life, and walking into that book store and seeing you book on the shelf... even if it is in the back corner of the store that rarely receives visitors. To me, it is a lifestyle more than a career. Your thoughts?
On Being An Author...
8 posts in this topic.
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I agree.
I know the chance that anything I write will actually get published, let alone be a best seller is pretty darn slim. But I don't really care. I love my characters so much, they are seriously real people to me, that I write about them just because I love them and don't want to forget their stories and all the stuff they've told me/all the good times we've had together
Actually, I'd rather not be a super famous author like JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. I think that kind of lifestyle would drive me insane. I'm kind of a private person and I would go mad if I knew tons of people were talking about me (good and bad) and anyone and everyone could find out little details about my life.
I remember how it was when I was still a fan of Twilight and the fan base was super small because the book had just come out. It was so fun. Stephenie would actually answer emails and questions on Myspace. It was so intimate and exclusive and fun. I would love to be an author and have a small, intimate fan base like that. -
To me, writing is something where, you create what you want. The loves, the fears, the hopes are clearly there. For me it is always easier to express myself on paper than speaking. The truth of being an author is tough. Dealing with the adrenaline of getting published and if you will make it out in the real writing world. But if you love what you do for a living, it does not really seem like work. I would rather do something that I truly love and cherish and make a decent earning than go to a job that I dread. You can be anything you want to be within your characters. That is why I want to be an author.
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I know absolutley what you mean. writing isnt a career, its a lifestyle. i love my charecters, i love fighting beside them and even getting scolded with them! i love seeing them triumph over the ruthlessness of the trials i put them through! i chear when they defeat the enemy and i feel like crying when one of my 'friends' passes on!
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Same here. Really.
I actually used to do this: If I was stuck for ideas,
I'd ask my character what's going on. From there, they would
give me whole scenes.
If that is insanity, I could do with more of it. (Tolkien ref.) -
never fear fie_of_dawn! i amcompletely insane! i do the same
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I write because I love my characters. They're weird, they're crazy, they do things that surprise me and things that make me want to smack them, and I love that. For me, the best part of writing is the moment when your characters start to come to life and take over the story. Suddenly your outline and all of your plans don't matter anymore, because your main character decides that they don't want to run after that man or go down that alley, and that's okay. That's just part of writing, and I love it.
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I don't think I'd much like to be a "OMG SO BIG BESTSELLING" author. It'd take too much time away from the National Park Service.
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