mmph mmph

[seldear]

*prods coltsbane*
Happy Birthday!

*g*

interviews

Done both interviews. No joy. I don't know that I would have been entirely comfortable working at these places. The first group were fairly intense and the second were very cutting-edge and needed someone who was willing to go in there and BS.

So, contract for the moment. I'm kinda glad, actually. The work isn't too hard - or hasn't been so far. I wrote two programs today, very easy. And I wrote on the train in to work and somewhat less on the way home.

I'll finish NaNo, but I think I'm slowing up. The old worry about whether anyone would want to read an original story has reared it's ugly head.

It's scary: having worked with fanfic so long, where you know that someone out there will read it, it's a long, hard, frightening jump to original fic where nobody will read your story unless it's 'good enough'. You don't have a prepared audience, you have to bring them along as you go.

Terrifying. And humbling. Possibly humiliating. And now I have a headache. But dinner is served.

Comments

[coltsbane.livejournal.com]

*gets prodded* Thanks for the birthday wishes. I hope the interviews will look better and better the further in the past they are. And yay about the contract work.

As for the NaNo story...I want to read it. I reckon Lee might want to read it. She's into all that fantasy stuff. There's a big market out there for fantasy writers. So quit worrying! Try, try, try again :)

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Have you had a good-ish day? You've finished all your essays, right?

Contract is good. Contract=$$$, which is very important coming up to Christmas!

[coltsbane.livejournal.com]

Didn't really have a good day, no. But had a good evening so far (ie: 5pm onwards). So that's brightened things considerably.

Money good. Therefore Christmas money good.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*big hugs and smoochies*

Hey, I've written you into my NaNo story again. :D You're the leader of a Set of warriors among the Thaalians.

[coltsbane.livejournal.com]

Rock on. If I die, make sure I die dramatically.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

I'd make you one of the bad gals, but I already have one of the other set leaders as a bad gal and two might shake the faith in the Thaalian military more than needful to the story.

Hmm... Would you like a torrid romance with a Metrisian Lord? ;)

[coltsbane.livejournal.com]

Oooh yeah!

Even if I'm good guy, and you decide to kill me off (not saying I want you to, but if you decide to!) make it gooood.

I love background/minor characters. They kick ass.

By the way...dunno if this counts as a birthday present, but if it is it's the best pressie this year :D

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Okay, a torrid romance with a Metrisian Lord now and you die dramatically in the upcoming war. ;)

It probably won't be much more than a mention at this stage of the story, but I'll work it out!

[coltsbane.livejournal.com]

Hee. That's so cool! Thanks Sel!!

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

And Happy Birthday! ;)

[venom69.livejournal.com]

I don't generally count for much, but I'll read you're story.

So you have 1 audience member to start with.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thanks for the vote of confidence, hon. And yes, you count as much as anyone else.

[venom69.livejournal.com]

*Does the cheerleading again*

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

It's scary: having worked with fanfic so long, where you know that someone out there will read it, it's a long, hard, frightening jump to original fic where nobody will read your story unless it's 'good enough'. You don't have a prepared audience, you have to bring them along as you go.

Sel I've often thought about the exact same thing. I've wanted to be an author since I was 15 years old and the longer i stay in Fanfic the more concerned I become. It's easy to write characters that are already prepared and yes the audience is a known quanitity. I guess I don't have a point other than to say that I know how you feel and come hell or high water I will be leaving the fanfic world very soon because barring a miracle the future doesn't lie there.

((((Sel))))

Ruralstar

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

Finding the right job is really hard. There is something convenient about contract work, as you indicated the other day, in that you don't have to pick up the pieces or deal with the fallout. It's much tougher in a full time position. But at least with the full time position you get the 4 weeks annual leave, the better security, and knowing you're getting income each month. But finding the right job is not easy.

Glad that the contracting is going okay. Hopefully you'll be able to continue to get decent contract work until you find something else you like.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Rob. :)

Fanfic vs. Original

[whiteroselover.livejournal.com]

I find it interesting that so many people are more comfortable with fanfic. I've always been terrified of trying it myself. They're someone else's characters, and the people who'll be reading your work are, for the most part, _experts_ on the characters. What if you get the characterization wrong?! And there's all the past history, all the niggling, picky, little details that make up that universe... Easy to forget or mess them up.

Whereas, original characters, and universe? You're calling the shots, making up the rules. As long as you're logical, and fair, no one can bitch about it, and there are no past details to trip over (until you get around to writing the forty-eleven sequels, of course. :)

And if you're still looking for someone to read your original work, I'd love to. *smiles*

Re: Fanfic vs. Original

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think it's partly to do with the "I'm writing and getting paid" status of original fic. But there's also the fact that, as writer of original fiction, you have to draw the audience in yourself.

If your concepts aren't dramatic enough (and, in the last 7 years, there's been a radical increase in the number of fantasy fiction ideas thanks to the popularity of JKR and Tolkien stories as book and movie) then your writing may not stand out - at least to an editor who has quite possibly read many good writers yet has seen all the cliches come up before.

Re: Fanfic vs. Original

[whiteroselover.livejournal.com]

My most abject apologies for not replying earlier. I'm still NaNoing (and am jealous of your word count -- just trickled over 41K tonight, myself, which finally puts me ahead of my original schedule.)

Yep, getting paid for writing original fic is a really, really attractive idea. I'd love to be able to make as much money in a year writing as I do in my job as a build engineer. Maybe someday.

And yep, there's been a radial increase in the number of fantasy fiction ideas thanks to JKR and JRRT. But this isn't the first time this has happened. JRRT's books seem to start a new revolution and a rebirth in fantasy publishin in cycles. I saw it happen in the last 60's/early 70's and heard people say there were no more new fantasy stories to tell. Every time there's a boom in story telling, someone worries out loud that there are no more stories to tell. And yet, we keep telling new stories.

I think you worry over much. The voice you use in your journals is more than dramatic enough to draw people into whatever ideas you chose to write about. You write in an intelligent, well-thought-through and yet still passionate manner. If that's the same style you're writing your novels and stories in, then your readers will be drawn in whether the story is original ficition or fanfic. Don't worry so much and don't over analyze yourself. Just MHO. YMMV.