Is It Wrong... #IWSG
Happy August, everyone! Lately I've been learning a lot about marketing from successful indie authors. It's truly amazing and wonderful how much sharing goes on in the indie author community, and I've definitely picked up a lot of solid, actionable advice.
But taking all this in has brought on a brand new insecurity for me. This solid, actionable advice is usually couched amid language like, "How to make a living at writing." And I realized ... I ... I don't aspire to make a living from my writing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in for doing what I can to help readers find my books, and if a living's-worth of royalties ever drops on top of me, I'll gladly accept every dime. But I don't want to devote myself full time to writing and marketing. I just don't. I like having a job that's separate from my fiction writing, and I like the freedom to blow off writing and marketing for big chunks of time.
Is that okay? Am I still a writer even if I don't aspire to ever be full-time at it? Or am I just a slacker?
And now for the two-part IWSG question of the month!
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer?
Professor Burbage and the Potions Master, a novel-length Harry Potter fanficiton. The embarrassing thing is, I wrote it before I learned that fanfiction was even a thing.
Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?
Lucky for me, fanficiton is a thing! Burbage lives over at fanfiction.com, The beginning of the sequel is there, too - which I fully intend to finish one day.
But taking all this in has brought on a brand new insecurity for me. This solid, actionable advice is usually couched amid language like, "How to make a living at writing." And I realized ... I ... I don't aspire to make a living from my writing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in for doing what I can to help readers find my books, and if a living's-worth of royalties ever drops on top of me, I'll gladly accept every dime. But I don't want to devote myself full time to writing and marketing. I just don't. I like having a job that's separate from my fiction writing, and I like the freedom to blow off writing and marketing for big chunks of time.
Is that okay? Am I still a writer even if I don't aspire to ever be full-time at it? Or am I just a slacker?
And now for the two-part IWSG question of the month!
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer?
Professor Burbage and the Potions Master, a novel-length Harry Potter fanficiton. The embarrassing thing is, I wrote it before I learned that fanfiction was even a thing.
Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?
Lucky for me, fanficiton is a thing! Burbage lives over at fanfiction.com, The beginning of the sequel is there, too - which I fully intend to finish one day.
This post is part of the monthly blog hop/therapy session known as Insecure Writer's Support Group, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavanaugh.
This month's co-hosts:
Comments
So glad fan fiction brought us together! (I'm probably one of the few people who have never read Harry Potter).
I'm a huge fan of HP. I may just have to find your fanfic. If the title is any indication, it sounds like a fun read.
Anna from elements of emaginette
That is cool about the fan fiction. I write Star Wars but don't post it anywhere. Use to share with a group of friends but we have all gone our separate ways.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
You just want to enjoy writing... not stress yourself out trying to get your books out there and worrying about selling, selling, selling. I can get OLD for sure. Not that I would know. LOL.
I FINALLY have a short story coming out on Friday. YAY.... In the THAT THING THAT TURNE ME anthology. Super fabulous authors are involved, so sales MAY BE GOOD. I'm not so worried about that, I am hoping readers will enjoy my story. Received a few incredible reviews already. SO I am pleased.
SPEAKING of FAN FICTION... Did you get your copy of HP and the Cursed Child. I just finished reading this morning. Good story but not such gripping writing. JK should have written it. ANYWAY... I am not going to ask you when you will be in town .... let me know if you ever plan to come in. LOL.
Take care. I miss you.
And I love that you started out with fan fiction. Having a full-fledged world like Rowling's to dabble around in sounds awesome. Years ago, a bunch of us bloggers--including Michael above, had a fan-fiction "Hogwarts underground newspaper" called the Thestral Gazette. Think yellow journalism with magical teenagers. Our old posts are still online. http://thestralgazette.blogspot.com/ Enjoy!
How cool that you wrote Harry Potter fic! I will have to check that story out.
I sometimes feel guilty (as silly as it seems) because there are so many writers who aspire to do so.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out