INTERACTION

Interesting article on how to succeed as a writer by not trying:-

http://www.bookdiva.co.uk/2012/08/want- ... py+amateur

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http://trumpetville.wordpress.com
http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/casenotesblog/

I've always felt like a happy amateur.
Good job I have felt that, as I'd be an unhappy amateur, otherwise!

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

What a dude. Thanks for posting that article, Pete.

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Theaker's Quarterly Fiction

Although my happiness at my amateur status took a slight dent this week upon reading in The Polysyllabic Spree that Nick Hornby gets paid two or three hundred quid per review. If only I'd gone to the trouble of having a few hit novels...

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Theaker's Quarterly Fiction

And of course, you felt compelled to share that information with all the other (until now) happy amateurs

More seriously, I've always felt that doing stuff you enjoy is the best way to proceed, and if anything more comes of it than that, yay!

But don't let it be something you aim for, as that way I fear for most of us lies disappointment.

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http://trumpetville.wordpress.com
http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/casenotesblog/

Oops, sorry!

I'm pretty happy with my writing at the moment. I've finally started to get over the stagefright that struck when I began reviewing for Interzone, I've got a nice new in-brief section bubbling along for the next TQF, and I even wrote a couple of short stories last month (although they'll be staying under my hat for a while!). Like the author in the article, I squeeze it in where I can.

Must be cool though to sit down at 9am each day and have writing as your day job. I've always loved the way Nick Cave has an office where he writes songs from 9 to 5 every day.

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Theaker's Quarterly Fiction

Actually, given that I am a freelancer, maybe I should just treat my writing projects as freelance jobs and work them into my normal day... After reading a hundred pages of law reports a half hour of writing will make an excellent afternoon treat. Never really thought of that before. I can be Nick Cave!

Anyway, just thinking out loud - sorry for disrupting the thread!

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Theaker's Quarterly Fiction

Think away. I enjoy the windows in to other (happy) amateurs' writing lives a hell of a lot more than I enjoy similar tips and bites from the pros Actually, I just like finding out how other people who aren't (obviously) obsessing over finishing the next great novel fit this part of their lives in.

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Jo Thomas
http://www.journeymouse.net/

Thanx for that.... a really interesting and positive article. I feel vindicated in my lack of publication-directed effort! Having written mostly poetry, the career-path motivation was never a reason for the writing... but having written, what to do with it? Competitions are tempting (I won first prize in a big one once) but that costs you, and the one success is not likely to be repeated....

Now I've just done a MA in Fine Art and Photography, and produced a word-based art project involving my poetry and psychedelic video-art, and Special Relativity.... it's a conceptual art work, and I am publishing it as a free iBook before the end of this month..... and I feel completely unconcerned about its "success"... I'm just really happy with the piece!

And my lack of promotional effort stands as my shield from all the stress of trying to succeed.... a life-long drop out, it's my comfort zone

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http://www.asydhouse.co.uk
http://vimeo.com/asyd
http://asydhouse.deviantart.com/

I prefer to keep colour instead of turning these into links (which have such dull colour!) so just copy and paste addresses to visit my art etc.