New to Writing?

Me too!

I have no problem going out of the house to meet with clients of my other job - I go to their houses, work, and come home slightly richer.

I'm having trouble with the freelancing part of this business. Some days, I get up and write, and before I know it, it's 10am and I've written an article. Other days I get up, do the dishes, check my email, look at what I could be writing, write the first line, check my email, and from there, the day goes downhill.

I'd like a desk somewhere else as well, but I don't think I could afford it.

I find myself getting distracted easily, too. I have the added frustration of still being in school. I'll be done in a couple of weeks, fortunately, and I'll be able to spend the summer concentrating on working on my book.

Luckily, my fiance is INCREDIBLY supportive...we're getting married a year from June, and he's determined to make me a full time writer. Part of his career goals include getting a job that allows me to stay home and write. (I'm so lucky!)

In the meantime, I've promised him I'm going to start working to get published as soon as I graduate. One of my new year's resolutions was to publish something by the end of this year.

Having such a great supporter reminds me to set aside the reading for pleasure and turn of the TV and get back to writing Deirdre's story. Everyone has days that aren't totally productive, I know, but I do my best to write something or do some research every day.

It's great that your fiance is so supportive. I'm lucky, too - my DH wants me to be something, and he doesn't really care what it is so long as I like it. He likes the idea of me being a writer, though.


It's tough to write and go to school or work at the same time, though, isn't it? Because whenever you sit down to write, it's with "stolen time" and either you've already put in a hard day's work, or you're going to be leaving to put in a hard day's work in a few hours.

While I am not new to writing as a hobby, I am new to editing and revising the manuscript I wrote, the first one I feel has potential (this is my second manuscript that I have written).

In college, I took a creative writing class that I had to be accepted into where we wrote short stories and critiqued other student's works.

Since I never took an actual writing class after high school, I have been actively reading and researching ways to improve my writing. Before I signed up on these boards about 2 weeks ago, I thought my novel was near perfect. Now I know where my problems lie and what I need to fix which will force me through several more stages of revising.

I do not want to be a professional freelance writer. I would love to be a professional novelist but I have an awesome day job that I love (I am a freelance computer animator). On days I have off, I spend about 16 hours writing and revising. On days I work, I can only eke out about 2 hours since my hours are usually longer than most people's day jobs.

I don't find myself getting distracted because I have something inside me that just needs to be put onto paper. As a resident couch potato who is obsessed with tv, I sometimes give up my favorite shows just for the chance to write.

I had a three-year hiatus where I suffered from writer's block and lack of time to write due to attempts at advancing my freelance career. I don;t know what changed but about 4 months ago I just woke up one morning and decided i had to start revising the novel I wrote 5 years ago, something I had tried to do in the past but could never get around too. I guess it helps that I have an obsessive compulsive personality and now I cannot sleep or breathe without thinking about this novel, and I have already started outlining and planning my next one.

Sorry I am rambling.

Help!!

Jennybean said:

GOod evening folks,

I was hoping to start a thread for people new to writing so we can discuss our own personal roadblocks and how we are overcoming them.

I found this web site by buying and reading Jenna Glatzers "How to Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer" and although I found it full of great information, I still have the jitters of just getting started. I think it would be great for some of us "aiming-to-be writers" to discuss what we are getting stuck on, our frustrations and our suggestions to eachother.

Hope to hear from you guys! (Or else I may fear I am the only one stuck!)

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I think that is a good idea. Recently, I was searching the Net for some motivation or inspiration. Why? I'm an English major. Since I was a kid, I always enjoyed writing short stories or poems. I even attempted scripts. However, is that enough to base my future on? How do one know if he or she got what it takes? If it get too rough, what should I remind myself?

In addition, I have some goals that I hope an English degree could guarantee. If I don't always want to teach, what other career doors could an English degree open up for me? So many questions.

hello

hello my name is Sue, I wanted to know if you would like to chat about writing sometime maybe read some of my work here is my e mail address

[email protected] if you ever want to chat

thank you
SUE

Little Pickle said:

I think that is a good idea. Recently, I was searching the Net for some motivation or inspiration. Why? I'm an English major. Since I was a kid, I always enjoyed writing short stories or poems. I even attempted scripts. However, is that enough to base my future on? How do one know if he or she got what it takes? If it get too rough, what should I remind myself?

In addition, I have some goals that I hope an English degree could guarantee. If I don't always want to teach, what other career doors could an English degree open up for me? So many questions.

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Be of good cheer! I just graduated with a B.S. in English. I want to write, but there are TONS of things open to me as a job to keep the bills paid until my book is done! I'm looking into copyediting for the local newspaper, I could get a position as an executive assistant, I could write for the paper, I could possibly work in a library (though some are fickle about needing a master's in library science to be a librarian), I could be an archivist, the list goes on and on!

Above all, my passion is writing, and I don't want to do anything that would take away from that. That's why I majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. I learned SO MUCH taking creative writing classes, and now, I feel really ready to write as my career.

Keep writing! And message me sometime--I'm sure you and I would have tons to talk about as English majors!

Cyjon said:

My big problem is one common to freelancers: distraction.

I don’t mean TV or computer games. I mean mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, doing my taxes. And, of course, those damn Absolute Write forums

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My problem exactly!

Over the past year or so I've let my house/yard/garden go straight to hell due to events beyond my control (illness, surgery, new job, death in the family). Now I feel obligated to clean up the mess, and I'm not going to let a little thing like ... oh, you know, fulfilling my life-long dream of writing get in the way!