So I want to be an author. I'm sure most of us do. I did have a great stint back in 2014. I got really into writing short stories in the fall then did nanowrimo. It kicked my ass and burnt me out. 2k words a day then nothing since. I have not edited the novel or even re-read it.
Since then I had a baby and I'm looking for a new job. Life is busy, so I set a new goal of 200 words a day. Small potatoes but better than zero. Here are my issues:
I'm really into writing fiction, but only like reading non-fiction. I'm worried there is an issue with this.
I hardly ever read. I would lie and say I don't have time, but I fiddle away at least an hour browsing the chans when I should be reading. I guess after a long day I just want to do something mindless.
I know the best course is just to fucking write and read and I don't expect any pay off for a good few years, but I have spent 8 years building a world in my head and really want to share it with the world.
1) read more
2) write more
3) ????
4) no profit!
honestly though just write. its gonna be shit and you're gonna hate it. then you edit it and you hate it a little less. so on and so forth. also, I'd recommend you write with pencil and paper instead of on a laptop or tablet or, god forbid, phone. it will help you in the end. if you're not creating you're simply not creating. so create.
I'm in the same boat as you though except I also am a songwriter. for 5 years now I've been struggling with actually creating when I want to. I'm moving into my first apartment next week and I'm looking forward to cultivating an environment where I will actually fukken write.
/lit/ is gonna shit on you though
I became an avid reader like fifteen months ago and I can't stop. I stopped watching tv and I don't spend much time on 4chan anymore.
Here's how I did it.
-Remember the average person reads like zero books a year. If you read 5 pages a day, you are 5 pages above the average person
-Don't force yourself to read. Commit to read 5 pages a day. I swear after three days you'll feel like reading more and after a month or so you should be reading 50-100 pages a day for pleasure
-Read various books at the same time. When I grab a difficult book or one that makes me sleepy I grab another and switch. This should refresh your head. Keep them thematically different. I read economics and fiction.
-It isn't a race. Reading slowly won't make you sleepy that fast. Try to acknowledge what books are for you to read fast and which aren't.
-Buy the physical copies. When you get the books from your own money you'll feel the need to read them to avoid the feel of wasting your money.
-Start with books highly discussed here so you feel motivated to discuss.
>>7628392
>/lit/ is gonna shit on you though
Well you didn't, and that's a great start. Any reason you think pen and paper helps? I used to do it all the time with notes on my world, but I have terrible hand writing and my hand cramps very easily. I do like the lack of distraction, but I could also use my laptop and not access internet.
I have to admit, after sitting at a computer all day the idea of real pen and paper is exciting. I also like to draw, so it could double as a sketch book.
>>7628339
>Building a world in my head
Suggests fantasy aspirations
Good sign in that genre fiction will potentially reward you despite your lack of artistry
Google Dan Harmon storytelling, he will teach you to write suspensefully like a coked-out screenwriter
If you have novel fantasy world ideas, a touch for the prurient, and conviction, you have a chance at success
However if you want to write artistically valid stories you are currently hopeless, just try and be a good dad until you have time to read again
>>7628431
Thanks. For now it's just a hobby. I started with the idea of "not tolkein fantasy" and ended up with what I have. There are few characters and personalities and I think writing will help the world come to life as of right now it's all just concept and notes.
Even if I never get published or I try to self publishing and get no buyers I can at least share the stories with with my son.
>>7628422
>dat low quality pepe
>>7628449
If you're interested in non-Tolkien fantasy, you can read up on what people like Karl Edward Wagner, Fritz Leiber, L. Sprague de Camp, R. E. Howard, and several others did. You might appreciate the less "mythic" scope of the stories.
>>7628595
Thanks mate.
Bump.
