Would you do it for nothing?

Shunter · Jul 29, 2015

Would I write? Yes.

Edit, on the other hand? No way.

For me, writing is the fun part. Writing is enjoyable, I love doing it, it makes me feel clever, whatever. I wrote fanfiction for ages and heaven knows that doesn't pay. However, there was a certain point where I decided that I was going to write with the goal of earning money, and so quit the fics and started doing my own thing. And it was fun, good fun. But the trouble was, I didn't have readers, so while I enjoyed myself, it seemed a bit pointless.

Then I found my tiny little fanbase (hello two beta readers!) and voila, I was set. If those two will read it, I will write, unpaid, quite happily.

But edit? No. Editing is a slog. It's important, and I see great value in it, but frankly if I wasn't looking to get paid I'd let my darlings live on forever. I'd buy them cottages in the woods and create festivals in their names. My darlings would go on to have their own darlings, and my words would live on in happy little towns of useless chatter, because, well, I like them. If I'm not getting paid and not trying to and my little fandom loves them, why edit? That's the part that requires incentive to do.

But I'd write no matter what, I enjoy it too much not to. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't.

gettingby · Jul 29, 2015

I used to be a journalist, writing for money full time. After leaving journalism, I switched over to writing literary fiction. No one is paying me to write fiction, but I write a lot of it with the hopes that things might change as I get better. Every time I write now it's practice. And I believe in practicing a lot. More than I want the money, I want to be good. I enjoy writing fiction and the company of other writers. I wouldn't mind not getting paid for a short fiction as long as the publication is good. Writing as a journalist I was used to getting paid and expected to get paid. Writing fiction I feel much differently about. Sure, I would like to get paid, but where I publish feels more important than how much they pay. But above all, I know I need to continue to work on my fiction and continue to improve. I guess that means I don't really have a problem doing it for nothing.

andiwrite · Jul 29, 2015

If you mean doing it without getting tons of money back, yes I would. But I wouldn't do it "for nothing" in the sense of writing only for me and never showing it to anyone. If nothing else, I would always at least self-publish ebooks. Even if I had only one fan out there, that would be "something."

LOTLOF · Aug 1, 2015

I have written over two million words of fanfiction. So, yes, I would do it for nothing. I am writing novels in the hopes of making a living at this. However, I still post fanfiction when an interesting idea hits me. It's my hobby, and what I enjoy. So long as I do I will continue to write for free.

Kayley · Aug 3, 2015

I would probably keep writing, mostly because I don't think I could ever stop.

TessB · Aug 3, 2015

I started my current writing habit with fanfic, love it there. Writing is social currency in fandom, mind you, so it's not for financial benefit, but I am certainly not doing it 'for nothing.' I write because I have a core group of readers who take pleasure in reading it, and because I have friends who will write me smut for birthday presents. <3

Writing original fic was partially out of spite (I can SO write original things), partially as an experiment, and it's doing pretty well for me so far. If I ever run out of stories for pro novels, I'll still have fic.

_Sian_ · Aug 3, 2015

I have a job already. I think writing for profit is... well, it's a way of measuring progress. When I get accepted by a pro magazine, I'll know I'm off a certain standard. When I'm consistently publishing at that level, it will indicate to others that I'm at a certain standard.

I think, re fanfic, that you get the same thing through the number of Kudos ect. I won't read anything with under 1000 views unless it sounds really like it's my thing, or it's been recommended to me. I use it's popularity as a barometer, in the same way I used the cost of things as a barometer.

TessB · Aug 3, 2015

The number of hits and kudos can vary so wildly based on fandom, though. The crappiest, most wildly OOC fic for Teen Wolf will automatically have more hits than anything for, say, MacDonald Hall, because many, many more people know the show than the book series, and the fandom is a current one. I generally sort by kudos and go for the first two or three pages / top ten percent of fic on the list / until I get sick of the tropes.

_Sian_ · Aug 3, 2015

I'm probably not phrasing myself the best way - I tend to seek stuff out by fandom, not in a catch-all net. So the "going by hits" thing also depends on what I want to read. Also, it doesn't stop me from clicking away the moment I read a crappy first sentence.

LJD · Aug 3, 2015

TessB said:
The number of hits and kudos can vary so wildly based on fandom, though. The crappiest, most wildly OOC fic for Teen Wolf will automatically have more hits than anything for, say, MacDonald Hall, because many, many more people know the show than the book series, and the fandom is a current one. I generally sort by kudos and go for the first two or three pages / top ten percent of fic on the list / until I get sick of the tropes.

IS there MacDonald Hall fanfic? OMG, I loved that series.

Captcha · Aug 3, 2015

Does the MacDonald Hall fanfic slash Bruno and Boots? Because it certainly SHOULD!

I'd probably write if I wasn't making money at it, but I'd write different stuff, I think. And probably not as much.

And I wouldn't write if I didn't have some sort of an audience. Fanfic would be fine, but SOMEBODY has to be reading my words in order to make the trouble worthwhile.

TessB · Aug 3, 2015

LJD said:
IS there MacDonald Hall fanfic? OMG, I loved that series.

There totally is, and not nearly enough. *cough* one of them was written as a gift for me after I sent a friend my old copies of my books. (because I bought the box set, not because I stopped loving them!) I wish there was more Cathy/Diane, to be honest, but given the tendency of fanfic writers to go for the M/M, I'm not at all surprised.

I. I just searched AO3 to get the link, and I'm killing myself laughing. There's a Mac Hall / Teen Wolf crossover. I swear I had NO IDEA when I randomly chose my examples. :roll:

Mac Hall fic on AO3

harmonyisarine · Aug 3, 2015

Of course I'd do it for nothing, so far that's all I've got! :tongue

It's only recently that I've started to think about publishing, but I do write primarily for myself. If I write, I'm happy, no matter what happens with that story. So I guess it's not nothing, but it's not really anything most of society would care or measure.

DancingMaenid · Aug 3, 2015

I don't write for money. I never have and seriously doubt that I'll ever make a major profit from my writing. Though I'm not opposed to making some extra money, I prefer to keep writing as a hobby, not a job.

AnthonyDavid11 · Jul 15, 2017

Maze Runner said:
If so, for how long? Forever? How 'bout for next to nothing?

Do you love it so much that you think you'll do it no matter what?

I enjoy it, at times I do love it. When it's really working and I read back what I've written and...but let's face it, it's a lot of work. Plus, many of us have to do something else. It's an avocation we'd hope to turn into a job, or as I heard E.L. Doctorow say (posthumously) on Charlie Rose the other night, "It's a calling."

I believe that any art requires that you do have some knack for it. Then it's up to you to develop it--and with that, if you didn't have it at the onset, comes love. Another writer, can't recall his name, but he was a TV writer and producer said (paraphrased)...Everyone's born with a talent. It's your duty to find out what that talent is and to fall in love with it...I believe it was Stephen Cannell.

I think the point is, it takes a lot, a lot of energy, work, time, thought, persistence, ingenuity, etc, not to master ('cause I don't think many if any ever get their arms all the way around an art) but just to reach a viable level of proficiency and "success" whatever that may mean to you. What does success mean to you?

Have many of you achieved moderate success by your definition (readership, sales, reviews, artistic achievement, personal satisfaction) and then had second thoughts? I won't say third thoughts, because then you probably wouldn't be on this board.

Have you gotten to the point of mindless repetition? Meaning you've forgotten why you write? But show up to do it on most days because you sense that it's good for you. I think there is something healthy in it. It's almost like a meditation, ommmm... It occupies a mind that might go somewhere less positive and productive and healthy if it's left to its own device.

Please know that I'm not trying to discourage anyone, and I'm not saying I'm ready to quit (I'm a relative babe in this pursuit) but we're all grownups here. I think it's healthy to know where your bottom is, if only to have something to spring up off of.

I would do it regardless, but let's be realistic. If I'm getting paid for it, I can devote a lot more time to it and turn out a lot better work. I have learned to keep the TV turned off. It's a true bane to a writer. For me, it takes plenty of time, thought, speculation and letting the mental stew in my brain simmer. Yes, I could churn out a story a week and book a month, but they wouldn't be very good. The best work, in my opinion, is work that has been slowly simmering for a long while. The writer knows his characters and all the motivations and has broken down every scene and done everything he can to get the effect he wants from the reader. Would I do it if I never sold anything? Yes. It's a form of expression and my personally favorite form.

As far as success, if I get to the point that writing pays my bills, I consider that successful. However, at that point, the definition changes. Then it needs to pay the bills and make room for savings. Then it needs to pay off my mortgage and a new car. Beyond that, let it pile up and write to my heart's content for sure, but one step at a time.

Great post and questions!

storiesweaver · Jul 16, 2017

I am certainly hoping to earn money from my writing. If I prove to be unable to sell a book then I'll write fanfiction. Or read, probably read.

Would you do it for nothing?

Shunter

gettingby

andiwrite

LOTLOF

Kayley

Someday.

TessB

The Boxing Baroness

_Sian_

Ooooh, pretty lights and sirens :D

TessB

The Boxing Baroness

_Sian_

Ooooh, pretty lights and sirens :D

LJD

Captcha

TessB

The Boxing Baroness

harmonyisarine

DancingMaenid

New kid...seven years ago!

AnthonyDavid11

storiesweaver

Writing Everyday