Finally... > Life Advice

Should i become a writer?

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Nightcore Angel:
I'm not exactly talking about the skill required to do so, I'm fully aware that even going literature class, one still needs to learn from life it self. What I'm asking is that I want to know the hardship and merits of being one. ex. being an AAA game dev can pour you in tons of $, but living conditions requires you to have 40h of work per week-possibly more, deadlines are strict, and competition is fierce, etc.

I'm looking for a place in the world, I'm not quite sure what to do with my life, I'm not stuck, I'm definitely unemployed, but I do need to get things together.

Thanks for the advice

Reelya:
If you want to write novels, get a dayjob then write in the evenings and weekends. You have to be committed to it. You can also write articles but you're only going to make piecemeal money from that.

AAA game dev isn't any magical money ticket either, don't be fooled. You have to be lucky to get a foot in the door anywhere. It's more about who you know.

Be aware for every JK Rowling and Sid Meier out there, there are 100 people who want to do those things for a living but can't afford to.

Urist McScoopbeard:
What kind of writing do you want to do?

Parsely:
Try it.

Urist McScoopbeard:
The "Writing" industry doesn't hold your hand.

If you want to write novels, well you most certainly will need a day job until you've published one or two so that you can survive on the royalties.

If you're confident in your work and you have a number of people you can get feedback from, you may try competition-entry. There are a slew of short story competitions that usually have a monetary reward of some kind! Not only do you get vital practice, you can win actual money, and even if you dont they usually give you feedback. Poetry competitions also exist.

Screenwriting is of course, it's own beast. If you haven't already, I'd try writing in all manner of length, form, and medium--so you know yourself. Especially a screenplay. If you're practiced, you can pump out scripts anywhere between 2-8 weeks and get paid for it. Script Doctoring is an option too, no royalties or residuals, but you get a lump sum up front.

You also need a portfolio. If you haven't developed one or started to develop one, I would have 4-6 samples from whatever medium you're primarily concerned with ready to show. Next, I'd recommend a literary agent... someone to get you opportunities, negotiate on your behalf, and generally keep you in check. Which brings me back to my last point, this is a screenwriting thing, but probably good advice in general--you may want to try and stick to a certain genre. It makes you more sellable.

Of course, you can probably find work doing journalism of some kind or any sort of writing for papers, magazines, etc. Take a look at Script Coverage as well. Basically, you read scripts and summarize them for little to no money, but its a job and good experience. There are similar positions for publishing houses.

I'm Junior in college right now, getting prepared to go into the screenwriting industry. By no means am I an expert, but I can probably answer a question or two if you have them. Here or in PMs.

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