tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post917918806492280863..comments2024-03-23T01:38:00.651+00:00Comments on Vicious Imagery: Writers, you are not owed anythingDAVID BISHOPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342376036664282348noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-85485649214037724422010-03-31T12:43:08.834+01:002010-03-31T12:43:08.834+01:00I agree completely. The writing comes first and ev...I agree completely. The writing comes first and everything follows from that - but, like anything in life, there is arguably a degree of luck involved. Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time. When that happens though, you need to be prepared for it. Be prepared to turn a chance into an opportunity. That's when all the hours of writing and rewriting make a difference.<br /><br />If you work hard, concentrate on improving your writing and putting yourself forward, you will also make your own luck. It is all about managing the odds in your favour with the tools you have. Being positive and professional, networking with others, will hopefully mean collaborations and projects will lead to more in the future. Onwards and upwards.Matt Gibbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983655931857493619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-90600848093994088202010-03-31T12:39:16.314+01:002010-03-31T12:39:16.314+01:00Igor gets it right on the nose: how many writers a...Igor gets it right on the nose: how many writers actually have something to say? The rise of postgrad courses in creative writing has increased the amount of well formatted vacuous scripts, BBC Writers Academy trains writers to produce medical dramas consistently, and every MA course comes with its own anthology. If all this brings a few decent writers into the industry, does that justify the amount of public money spent to do so? I'm not convinced.<br /><br />There are rays of light. I'd like to think Red Planet is one. Jimmy McGovern working with new talent on The Street is another. But are books and telly now any better than they were a decade ago, when the writing industry was smaller?youdothatvoodoohttp://www.youdothatvoodoo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-1934024312991618532010-03-30T10:43:56.933+01:002010-03-30T10:43:56.933+01:00Hi Dave, as succinct as ever I see; however as you...Hi Dave, as succinct as ever I see; however as you are keying in hometruths, why not walk the whole mile? Not only is a successful career of a writer dependent on talent (both latent and apparent), tenacity, courage and determination; the most overlooked and obvious component of sucessfull writing is having something to say in the first place.<br /><br />IMHO, too much emphasis and paid for attention is placed on the career of the writer without accounting for the act itself. Writing is not a business or a get rich and famous quick scam or even a means for accruing more sexual experience (although writing has been used as a means to all 3, let's face it, there easier ways). Writing is basically a calling, a call to the act of writing.<br />My view is that we can all save ourselves the time and distraction of taking about, arguing about and writing about writing and just get<br />on with it: finding something worth saying.Igor GoldkindHttp://Oxfordseo.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-75131755506866870872010-03-30T10:15:52.361+01:002010-03-30T10:15:52.361+01:00Sure, but over half the ppl who go on creative wri...Sure, but over half the ppl who go on creative writing courses ad attend such courses will never get anywhere BECAUSE they have such a sense of entitlement; the other half will be made of people who give up because *life* gets in the way and priorities change, ppl who give up cos they become bitter and twisted, ppl who end up dead before their big break... Then about 10% will make half an income if they're lucky from writing and about 0.25% will make BIG BUCKS. LOLLucy Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576008511353143019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-30531328855224484502010-03-30T09:52:49.696+01:002010-03-30T09:52:49.696+01:00(Recycled from a post elsewhere, but sufficiently ...(Recycled from a post elsewhere, but sufficiently relevant to be worth posting here ...)<br /><br />Specific to novels, but very enlightening is this post on Charles Stross' always excellent blog: <br /><br />http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/03/cmap-7-miscellanea.html<br /><br />Fantasy author Jim Hines surveys nearly 250 novelists to see whether their experience bears out the things everyone knows are 'true' about selling your novel:<br /><br />http://www.jimchines.com/2010/03/novel-survey-results-part-i/<br />http://www.jimchines.com/2010/03/novel-survey-results-part-ii/<br /><br />It makes fascinating reading.<br /><br />Also linked from Stross' blog is Tobias Buckell's 2005 survey of SF and Fantasy authors' advances:<br /><br />http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2005/10/05/author-advance-survey-version-20/<br /><br />...from which two interesting facts emerge:<br /><br />1) Agents more than pay for themselves<br /><br />2) You are likely to starve to death unless you can produce three or more novels a yearJim Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02852861530716171096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-36450417855289130032010-03-30T08:59:10.231+01:002010-03-30T08:59:10.231+01:00Preaching to the converted? Certainly so, in some ...Preaching to the converted? Certainly so, in some cases. But teaching creative writing and attending a lot of events in the last 18 months have shown me there are plenty of people who don't understand it yet. <br /><br />Brevoort also echoes your comment: that big break may never come, depending on your actual talent - but the best way to increase your odds is by doing the things that you know you need to do.DAVID BISHOPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17342376036664282348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-329481982723517062010-03-30T08:27:14.034+01:002010-03-30T08:27:14.034+01:00Aren't you preaching to the converted, though?...Aren't you preaching to the converted, though? Anyone with even half a hint of how this biz works would agree - the guy who asked the question of that other guy obviously hasn't got started yet. But also: what about the people who work as hard as you like, raise to the challenges they're set, etc but never seem to get the break? It's all very well saying hard work gets the payoff it deserves but you and I both know that can be just half the story.Lucy Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576008511353143019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679499.post-61816679158093753372010-03-30T08:16:00.671+01:002010-03-30T08:16:00.671+01:00Well said - counldn't agree more. While a tiny...Well said - counldn't agree more. While a tiny bit of me is hoping that a huge opportunity will fall neatly into my lap, we all know there's only a 0.00000000000000000000001' chance of that happening. So my motto - get off your arse and make shit happen!<br /><br />Onwards!Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870545005924820667noreply@blogger.com