Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
Sorry Kaz but my Holloway experience was a one day visit thing. I went there for my prison service tests, which I passed with flying colours. The problem being that I could not cope with this lock/unlock/lock culture. I had to turn the prison service down, really couldn't do it.
My aim: (in all honesty)
I will write it as it is, and also as it's not, subject to poetic licence.
I will satisfy this gnawing within myself by writing: as the ink is the only black-beast capable of preventing me from standing on my chip-shop-box with a loud-haler.
I will continue on this path until I finally re-gurgitate the desire to do so - whatever it was I ate in error all those years ago.
I will endeavour to never inflict my soul upon anyone else and will, therefore, never be accused of literature, punishable by publication.
My writing goal is (at the moment) to write stuff that I like.
My life goal is to live on the north west coast.
There are no jobs for my profession (day job) there, so if goal 1 could part-fund goal 2 I'd be very happy.
I want to write something that fellow writers tell me they enjoy without the qualifying 'but'. I've read some fantastic books but I've also read some dross and I wonder what the secret is. How do some rubbish books make it when other excellent ones dont. When I work that one out I'll follow the formula and hopefully get the approval of my peers.
I would say my aims have changed since I last posted on this thread.
My biggest ambition would be to live off my writing, but I'm with you RG I want to write what will make people think. I don't want to make millions if it means having to write the kind of books I hate.
I would be quite happy to write as a second job, if I can work as either an editor or be an academic working within a University.
Davaaris, I think it genuinely down to persistance, but (there it is again!) I agree with you about the dross. I've lost count of how many books (reading, not writing) I've abandoned because they have had a brilliant first chapter, but have gone flat on their face in chapter two and three.
I love writing and just writing and thinking about it is great but I do want more. I dream of seeing my book on the shelf and maybe (probably) I would never be able to live off my writing but working part time in support of it would be enough. I can always hope/pray/dream for more. Hmmm.... living in Edinbrugh, writing full time.... hmmm.......
My aim is to write as many novels as i can, to see my books in stores, to have the acceptance letters, to hear kids talking about the books i write, and to make a living from writing. Same as everyone else but just a little my way.
"Do you want to have a book published? A good review of it? Fame &/or fortune? To be able to live off your writing? To see your novel in the bookshops?"
My aims are: to inform, to surprise, to amaze, to document women's hidden history, to rescue individual women from obscurity. To produce something of worth, of value to the community, something that is also a work of art in its own way, to create something that didn't exist till I created it.
Of your list, reviews are the most important to me, the rest don't matter, especially fame.
My aim at the moment is to simply finish the short story I'm writing; and get the novel, that's been in my head for over 6 years. out of my head and onto paper...or screen.
I dream of taking the crime market by storm then going on my holidays and seeing someone reading one of my novels on the beach! I'll be honest - I want to make good money and I take it very seriously, but it's early days yet and it's all still a dream.
Sorry Out of Control - not my kind of music - I prefer Stevie Wonder (and no doubt, showing my age).
My aims as far as writing is concerned is to just keep doing it in whatever form it takes. I tend to stick to non fiction, as it is what comes easiest. At the moment I am working on an article on my favourite island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel. Whether anyone will be interested in publishing this (or even better paying to publish it) I do not know, but that would certainly be nice.
As for anything else - I have no plans to publish any more books for the moment - I thought about publishing my blog, but as only 10 people a day look at it, it doesn't seem worth the effort. I will stick to writing on it then, and making some changes to my website.
I can still get a thrill from seeing my existing book on the shelves, and knowing that despite my lack of effort of late, some people are still buying it.
I know but any opportunity to pass up some promotion as it's not doing too good and could break their 19 consecutive top ten record as this is their 20 single...
Just thought Id bring forward a couple of earlier posts:
2006
What is your aim? Do you want to have a book published? A good review of it? Fame &/or fortune? To be able to live off your writing? To see your novel in the bookshops?
2006
Someone asked me a couple of years ago what my aim was. As I'd just told her that I'd had some books published, and one had been favourably reviewed by Gay Times, I was somewhat baffled by her question. But I suppose getting to Number 1 on Amazon.com's gay fiction list would be nice. And having a film or television serial made of one of my books/stories. And winning a writing prize. We can all dream ...
2009
Progress
A story selected for Best Gay Romance 2009. Reviews of two of my books published in the Sunday Express. Number 1 on Amazon UK gay fiction list and gay romance list. Winning a short story competition with over 1,000 entries. Still waiting to be picked up by a producer. If you see what I mean.
Yes because I click on it, I have to go to page one to go to page to to read it, and also Jay on the One Word Comp and Do you use music as guideline pages, coudl you read please as some of my posts have gone together if that makes sense and they're important questions I'm afraid no-one will answer, thanks.
(Is that what you was on about by "Is this thread difficult to navigate?")
Yes, Jay it's doing the have to go to the previous page and then go rorward again, to get to the end.
Need a few more additions to get it to the next page.
I find setting an aim for the year is helpful, as long as it isn't too ambitious. That way if life interferes and prevents me from doing everything, I can still achieve something. If I do more, then great.
Comments
To know that someone thought it was good enough to publish and I'm not just messing about.
When people ask what I do to be able to say 'I'm a writer' without feeling like a fraud.
Don't want fame, fortune would be nice but non-essential, really just want the little glow that says 'I did that - and it was good.'
I will write it as it is, and also as it's not, subject to poetic licence.
I will satisfy this gnawing within myself by writing: as the ink is the only black-beast capable of preventing me from standing on my chip-shop-box with a loud-haler.
I will continue on this path until I finally re-gurgitate the desire to do so - whatever it was I ate in error all those years ago.
I will endeavour to never inflict my soul upon anyone else and will, therefore, never be accused of literature, punishable by publication.
Cool.
If I happen to make money along the way, so be it, but it's not the reason I get out of bed in the morning.
I am compulsed to write. If I didn't, and there are times when I haven't, then I would, and did, go mad...
RG
However, my day to day goal is not to disappoint my self too much :-)
Other than that, my goal is to make a living from my writing (8 to 4 jobs are killing me!).
My life goal is to live on the north west coast.
There are no jobs for my profession (day job) there, so if goal 1 could part-fund goal 2 I'd be very happy.
My biggest ambition would be to live off my writing, but I'm with you RG I want to write what will make people think. I don't want to make millions if it means having to write the kind of books I hate.
I would be quite happy to write as a second job, if I can work as either an editor or be an academic working within a University.
And Random Guys.#
It's the reason we all write!
My aims are: to inform, to surprise, to amaze, to document women's hidden history, to rescue individual women from obscurity. To produce something of worth, of value to the community, something that is also a work of art in its own way, to create something that didn't exist till I created it.
Of your list, reviews are the most important to me, the rest don't matter, especially fame.
Helena Wojtczak
I dream of taking the crime market by storm then going on my holidays and seeing someone reading one of my novels on the beach! I'll be honest - I want to make good money and I take it very seriously, but it's early days yet and it's all still a dream.
Start calling it a goal. Goals can be achieved. Dreams can often remain dreams.
My aims as far as writing is concerned is to just keep doing it in whatever form it takes. I tend to stick to non fiction, as it is what comes easiest. At the moment I am working on an article on my favourite island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel. Whether anyone will be interested in publishing this (or even better paying to publish it) I do not know, but that would certainly be nice.
As for anything else - I have no plans to publish any more books for the moment - I thought about publishing my blog, but as only 10 people a day look at it, it doesn't seem worth the effort. I will stick to writing on it then, and making some changes to my website.
I can still get a thrill from seeing my existing book on the shelves, and knowing that despite my lack of effort of late, some people are still buying it.
My daughter gave me a CD of The Script for my bday last week
My aim is get published and to keep enjoying writing.
I do have writing aims though (Look up)
2006
What is your aim? Do you want to have a book published? A good review of it? Fame &/or fortune? To be able to live off your writing? To see your novel in the bookshops?
2006
Someone asked me a couple of years ago what my aim was. As I'd just told her that I'd had some books published, and one had been favourably reviewed by Gay Times, I was somewhat baffled by her question. But I suppose getting to Number 1 on Amazon.com's gay fiction list would be nice. And having a film or television serial made of one of my books/stories. And winning a writing prize. We can all dream ...
2009
Progress
A story selected for Best Gay Romance 2009. Reviews of two of my books published in the Sunday Express. Number 1 on Amazon UK gay fiction list and gay romance list. Winning a short story competition with over 1,000 entries. Still waiting to be picked up by a producer. If you see what I mean.
(Is this thread difficult to navigate?)
(Is that what you was on about by "Is this thread difficult to navigate?")
Need a few more additions to get it to the next page.
And then to have them published, of course, and enjoyed by other folk.