If they could be anything in the world...

Sometimes I wonder if my mother believes that when I finally hit it big with my writing that I'll be the rockstar writer that Richard Castle is. So it also follows to wonder if that's what many people think being a writer is. At least those who aren't currently writing.

Originally Posted by Heidi Clive in the comments section on that link

I would be a time travelling bumblebee.

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Can I be best friends with Heidi Clive?

I suspect that to many people (who don't know the realities of the market), writing is seen as a way to get rich and have fans without living in the fishbowl that other forms of celebrity tend to entail.

While it's true that even very famous writers can wear jeans and a tee shirt to the store without the paparazzi showing up and taking unflattering pictures (or being recognized at all by most people), the getting rich thing? Well, we all know about those statistics.

Captcha said:

Not quite sure why this is interesting to me - I guess because we're living the dream?

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I think the reason is that it seems so simple. Almost anyone can put together a reasonably coherent sentence. To write a story or a book, you just crank out a bunch of sentences. Nothing to it.

I can drive. Does that qualify me to race in the Indy 500?

I've spent my whole life reading, studying what I read, studying how to write, and writing. I've spent fifteen years building a world, plotting a story, bringing characters to life, putting words on paper, and battling demons internal and external. It's not simple.

Picking writing as a career is like finding a good spouse. You don't settle for someone you can live with, you discover someone you can't live without. I've gone through times when I didn't write, but I always considered myself to be a writer.

That said, some people can crank out a bunch of sentences and sell millions of books. I hate those people.

Russell Secord said:

Picking writing as a career is like finding a good spouse. You don't settle for someone you can live with, you discover someone you can't live without.

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Cheers!

[Where's the Like button on this thing?]

dangerousbill said:

Cheers!

[Where's the Like button on this thing?]

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Click the scale icon to send him a rep? I thinks that's as close as we can get.

And yet I've read that most who are selling writers would rather be singers or actors.

I just work under the assumption that these days everyone is secretly writing a book. Or is that just everyone on Twitter?

Peeps in that survey had a deplorable lack of ambition. Anything in the world, and they didn't choose Evil Overlord?

Well, fine, that just plays right...into...my...hands....

Phaeal said:

Peeps in that survey had a deplorable lack of ambition. Anything in the world, and they didn't choose Evil Overlord?

Well, fine, that just plays right...into...my...hands....

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Problem there is there's at least one person saying "superhero". You'll want to plan for that eventuality.

Apparently 3% want to be meteorologists. Which seemed a bit odd at first until I noticed that this was from a website devoted to the weather. Ho hum.

It is also odd that some of the professions are qualified but some are not. So whilst people wanted to be an A list actor or a famous athlete, they didn't mind what kind of a writer, politician or a meteorologist they were - successful or otherwise.

Maybe the precise definitions have been shortened to fit on the graphic? Because what I suspect most people want to be is successful, rich and famous. So when 15% say they want to be writers, they really mean the top of the heap JK Rowling sort of writer.

Apart from the meteorologists, it seems.

I'd choose rich and lazy. After all, I'm halfway there.

Jeff

I found it really weird that as many as 30% wouldn't change a thing and be what they are.

Ok so they didn't have that many alternatives to choose from, but given the free option one third wouldn't change? Talk about stagnation...

I would choose politician for sure. Don't know a thing about it but might get the chance to shake things up a bit and have some fun. Maybe do some good too.

Phaeal said:

Peeps in that survey had a deplorable lack of ambition. Anything in the world, and they didn't choose Evil Overlord?

Well, fine, that just plays right...into...my...hands....

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First rule of evil warlording: No one talks about evil warlording. 99% of evil warlords are overthrown mid-diabolical-monologue.

oakbark said:

I found it really weird that as many as 30% wouldn't change a thing and be what they are.

Ok so they didn't have that many alternatives to choose from, but given the free option one third wouldn't change? Talk about stagnation...

I would choose politician for sure. Don't know a thing about it but might get the chance to shake things up a bit and have some fun. Maybe do some good too.

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Same as WeaselFire, then.

wish i could find it now, but i saw a piece years ago about how rock stars want to be athletes and athletes want to be rock stars. it's a grass-is-always-greener type thing, but for people with everyday jobs to rather be a writer than anything else...i don't get it. i mean, i love writing, but if i could be Derek Jeter...in a freaking heartbeat.

Cyia said:

First rule of evil warlording: No one talks about evil warlording. 99% of evil warlords are overthrown mid-diabolical-monologue.

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I am the 1%. You haven't seen Mr. Incredible around lately, have you? Noooo, just lame cars and planes and girls with bows and silly monster rehashes.

Nuff said.

TAMaxwell said:

Problem there is there's at least one person saying "superhero". You'll want to plan for that eventuality.

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See above.

oakbark said:

I found it really weird that as many as 30% wouldn't change a thing and be what they are.

Ok so they didn't have that many alternatives to choose from, but given the free option one third wouldn't change? Talk about stagnation...

I would choose politician for sure. Don't know a thing about it but might get the chance to shake things up a bit and have some fun. Maybe do some good too.

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Is it stagnation or just being happy the way they are? I think people can continue being who they are or doing whatever it is that they do and continue to evolve as people. Not all change needs to be massive to be meaningful. It's the difference between saying, "I need a change of scenery" and heading down to stare at the fish in your backyard pond or jetting off to Aruba. If it's just a change that's needed, the trip to the backyard is just as good and far cheaper. If it's a general malaise, neither will work, but Aruba is a lot more expensive. Admittedly, I'd be one of that stagnant 30%.

Wow. I can't help thinking that is just shows what ignorance the public has about the lifestyle of a writer. Especially the money part. I really don't think "famous" applies unless you're JKR or King. I don't think the public would recognize even some of the more accredited writers in the field unless they had their own TV programs. Maybe this is a safe zone, where a writer's privacy is more guarded.

tri

Jamesaritchie said:

And yet I've read that most who are selling writers would rather be singers or actors.

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Could never sing for crap, and I wasn't much for acting either (tried out for a couple of plays in HS--didn't get the parts), and I never liked sports than much either.

So writing.

But seriously, I've always loved reading, and I've always had these crazy people inside my head, telling me to write about them, and they just wouldn't shut up.

triceretops said:

Wow. I can't help thinking that is just shows what ignorance the public has about the lifestyle of a writer. Especially the money part. I really don't think "famous" applies unless you're JKR or King. I don't think the public would recognize even some of the more accredited writers in the field unless they had their own TV programs. Maybe this is a safe zone, where a writer's privacy is more guarded.

tri

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I agree. A bit similar to photographers perhaps. I used to be one, between 15 - 10 years ago. People were a bit envious and romanticized the job, as with writers, they only knew about the really big names.

They thought about their own pic taking and confused it with actually selling your stuff and making a living of it. I probably worked harder for each earned buck in those years than ever before or after.

When people got to be annoying in their "cushy job, taking pictures.." routine I would invite them to assist me for a couple of days.

haha that used to stop the nonsense pretty quick.

oakbark said:

I agree. A bit similar to photographers perhaps. I used to be one, between 15 - 10 years ago. People were a bit envious and romanticized the job, as with writers, they only knew about the really big names.

They thought about their own pic taking and confused it with actually selling your stuff and making a living of it. I probably worked harder for each earned buck in those years than ever before or after.

When people got to be annoying in their "cushy job, taking pictures.." routine I would invite them to assist me for a couple of days.

haha that used to stop the nonsense pretty quick.

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A person on a baking forum posted a link to a writer's blog. The writer was lamenting how some websites use the come-on of, "Get your name out there!" and "Develop an audience!" to obtain free content and then use it to make money. The BSP (baking site person) was drawing a parallel to unlicensed, hobby bakers undercutting licensed bakers--a fair enough point.

Along comes person #2 with (paraphrasing here, but not much), "All writers do is sit around in their bathrobes, sucking lattes! They don't know what real work is! Anyone can write, so what's the big deal?" blahblahblah. It always amazes me how easy another's work is until you actually have to do it yourself.

A large part of the problem is that everyone writes, whether it's on a forum or reports for work or what-have-you. Everyone takes photos, whether it's "selfies" for their FB page or of their daughter's birthday. They don't see the difference between whipping out three lines of text-speak for a forum reply and sitting and churning out 50,000 (or 150k) words of coherent text. Nor do they see the difference between snapping a shot of Aunt Agnes and taking a photo that tells a complete narrative. *shakes head, sadly*