Ahoy there

I joined AW because I have written several short fiction pieces in the past and have been successful in seeing them in print, but I have never managed to finish a novel. I need some motivation. I am super busy--a medical student who also happens to be active duty military with a family--and cannot write every day. But I still would love to at least finish one. Seeing one published would be a great bonus, but I will be satisfied if I at least finish a novel.

I also love to write non-fiction stuff, particularly related to medicine and science; however, that stuff is mostly for me. Maybe it'll see the light of day one day.

Anyway, I see most everyone here is super friendly, so I'm looking forward to that!

Enlightened said:

I'm a type-A personality too. Are you shooting for fiction then; if yes, what genre?

You did find a great community. Lots to experience, learn, and evolve as a writer from.

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Incidentally, I’m pretty type b. But yes, I’m shooting for fiction. Everything I write has a bit of an SF bent to it. I’m not sure what it’s called, but it’s like close SF. Stuff that can exist but just doesn’t yet.

HD Simplicityy said:

At least you have something in print. Way cool.
On a personal note, Thank You for serving. I'm a busy university student with less than three and a half terms till I finally graduate...about seven and a half years since starting college studies. Pales in comparison do what you're doing.

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Yeah, one of the journals I published in actually puts out a print version of their journal. It was super cool getting it in the mail.

What are you majoring in? I did my degree in math. It took me about 10 years to finish. I took a break when I joined the military and then started again when I decided I wanted to be a military doctor instead of a civilian one.

The Urban Spaceman said:

Shiver me timbers, is it Talk Like A Pirate Day already, matey?

God, I'd make a terrible pirate. Welcome to AW! Motivation, hmm? You could have your partner (or a really good friend) stand behind you with a schooling whip and have them flagellate you every time you pause in your writing for more than 2.4 minutes.

Good luck!

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We get practice talking like pirates. We have a whole pirate ceremony when we cross the equator.

Enlightened said:

Science Fiction (technology and science/concept and prototype) vs. Fantasy (magic). You certainly have a lot on your plate. Good luck with the writing.

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Thanks. The last thing I wrote was a fictional research paper for a journal called Mad Scientist Journal lol. It was fun. I just love crazy sf tech that is actually reasonable.

HD Simplicityy said:

English major and a Creative Writing Minor. I started college studies back in 2011 as a Computer Science major, hoping one day to develop video games. Didn't go well, and I kept trying. Stopped near the beginning of my fifth year. Skip some time and I started at the university I'm attending as a BFA in Creative Writing Fiction. But a new English major came out at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, one that cut away classes I didn't want to take in the BFA and allowed me to finish sooner. I'll be finishing with a Bachelors of Science in English w/Writing minor at the end of next March. Its been wild!

Thats a long time to finish a math degree. Wow...but you stuck with it. Nice

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I actually started out as an English major. I went to school for 3 years doing an English major and various minors. It was getting pretty expensive, and I didn't know what I was going to do with an English degree. So I took a couple years off to play music professionallly. After a few years of that, I wanted to go back to school but couldn’t afford it.

So I joined the Navy. You can’t take advantage of tuition assistance until you’re completely out of training and fully qualified. So a few years after I joined, I was finally able to start again. This was around five years after I stopped. But this time, I majored in math. So I basically started all over except for gen ed courses. I went full time around the clock for two years and finished my degree. Was really rough for a while doing 12 credits per semester while working 80-100 hours per week and raising two kids, but it was worth it.

Fallen said:

Military...? Math degree...? Music...? Kids...? You've got a world of experience to get through any novel, no doubt about that! Welcome to AW! And I'm with HD: thank you for serving! Police, army, navy, doctors... nurses... you deserve the best out of life. Teachers too! Christ knows I couldn't survive with 30 kids....

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Thanks. It’s more about attention span. I can write and sub a short story in a day. It takes a lot longer to write a novel. By the time I get halfway through, I hate the whole premise lol.