# why do you fail?



## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

i was thinking about this today, and thought it might be an important question for each writer to answer.
i mean...some writers like to blame everything but themselves for not having success.....but this thread i'd like 
to be dedicated to what you as a writer KNOW is wrong within you which leads to a disconnect with being 
accepted within the literary community...as a commercial goal. 

i'll list mine. they're obvious, even to me.

1. VANITY.

my writing is much like narcissus staring into the pool. i sometimes do take criticism into consideration, and i've actually learned 
from this critcism...but mostly....my ego is my fault. 

2. STUBBORNNESS

i tend to cling to 19th and early 20th century writers as all that is "real". they are what i know as "literary" and i have this unbudging
belief in my mind to cling to their style of linguistics. 

3. VANITY.

yeah. i know. i already said that. but i'm vain enough to believe it needs repeating.


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## Apple Ice (Mar 16, 2014)

I have yet to try or fail. If and when I am to fail though it will be because of

Laziness: I'm very lazy

And perhaps because I'm not good enough, but I don't believe that because if I did it would mean I was right.


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## Nickleby (Mar 16, 2014)

The only ways to fail as a writer are to do less than the best work of which you are capable, to not finish a piece at all, or to stop writing entirely. Not getting published only means that you haven't found the right venue at the right time. If you finish a piece and you are happy with it, you have succeeded.


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## Gavrushka (Mar 16, 2014)

Writers are complicated creatures, and a paradoxical mixture of vanity and insecurity. - We oscillate wildly from embracing our prose to vomiting our dismay upon them.

Why do most writers fail? I think the main reason is they lack patience and tenacity. - They rush to make a first impression, which (if a bad one) they think can never be undone. - In their hubris, they release works based on the adulation of sycophants, or simply narcissism... *BUT* I think this is a necessary part of the humbling procedure for many gifted writers. - We _need_ rejection to identify where we really stand on the road to literary greatness rather than where we positioned ourselves. - This is the point where we can learn and develop, or point a finger externally and blame factors beyond our control, and thus stand unmoving, willing the finishing line to move closer.

There are far more talented writers than there are successful authors, and many will take their stories to the grave, as they could not stomach the arduous journey to success.- There is no teleport, no taxi service and a writer must rely on the slow evolution of their writing skills over a period of many years or even decades to take them towards success.

SO what's my weakness? 

1: Patience.

And what's my strength?

1: Patience.

===

I could well be taken by old age before I hurdle the bar labelled good enough, but I'll never stop trying.


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

Apple Ice said:


> I have yet to try or fail. If and when I am to fail though it will be because of
> 
> Laziness: I'm very lazy
> 
> And perhaps because I'm not good enough, but I don't believe that because if I did it would mean I was right.



ok....do me and yourself a favor......TRY. i "tried" on a drunken whim, girl. my ex thought i was SO good at romantic lines and sexting, she told 
me to write a story. i was a reader. i loved lovecraft and poe. i wrote a short story....it got accepted by lovecraftzine. i "fail" in my mind because 
i'm not doing this for a living yet. that's MY failure. but YOU gotta try. ok?


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## Jeko (Mar 16, 2014)

1) I don't write enough.


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

Cadence said:


> 1) I don't write enough.



lol. ok. i should have added that one too for myself.


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## Apple Ice (Mar 16, 2014)

Well that is probably the best reason I've ever heard for someone getting in to writing. Thank you for the encouraging words. I will make sure to try at the very least, and if it doesn't work out I can just sit back and think, "At least I never have to write another fucking word." Which in itself will be quite nice.


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## A_Jones (Mar 16, 2014)

Terror.  I am terrified that I am not good enough.  Like a anorexic girl standing in front of her full length mirror, I worry that I am just not good enough.

Fame.  I struggle with fame.  I want it.  Do I want to be the next JK? HELL NO!  But I want to be known.  Not at the supermarket, but at a book convention.  I want a fan base.  I want to give autographs.  It is ridiculous.  I tell myself it will never happen.  That my true wish is to be able to pay the bills with my writing.  But truly.  With how invisible I was when I was in grade school, its not surprising that I want to look back at those people and say "suck it!"

But at least I know it is stupid to feel that way.  Right?


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## Schrody (Mar 16, 2014)

Well, I kinda already am rejected from Croatian literal community, this market is too small, and every year someone writes first Croatian fantasy novel. One particular Croatian writer said all nasty things, because I dared to go through the self-publishing, and not traditional way. I guess he's just jealous. Also, many writers and literal community values only some genres, if you write fantasy, it's rubbish, that said from the author who doesn't even know what fantasy is. Yeah, I'm an outcast, and I'm not going back. Succeeded or failed (and that yet has to come), at least I know I tried. 

Reason I don't write as much as I would like is mainly laziness and I'm not always in a mood for writing.


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## Apple Ice (Mar 16, 2014)

Jones, I often have that dream of fame also. Just to be able to feel nice about those who shunned me and whatnot. Sometimes the dreams get really stupid and outlandish and I have discipline myself because I know I'm too intelligent to think about such shallow and silly things. But hey, it's nice to think about it once in a while.


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## A_Jones (Mar 16, 2014)

Apple Ice said:


> Jones, I often have that dream of fame also. Just to be able to feel nice about those who shunned me and whatnot. Sometimes the dreams get really stupid and outlandish and I have discipline myself because I know I'm too intelligent to think about such shallow and silly things. But hey, it's nice to think about it once in a while.



Its so true. Im like, hey you are way too smart to think such stupid thoughts.  But sometimes when I am at work stocking shelves and my boss is treating me like crap, I imagine being a famous writer and having them want my autograph and me taking their paper and writing "nope".... *sigh* yeah....


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## Lewdog (Mar 16, 2014)

Because it's everyone else's fault.


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> Terror.  I am terrified that I am not good enough.  Like a anorexic girl standing in front of her full length mirror, I worry that I am just not good enough.
> 
> Fame.  I struggle with fame.  I want it.  Do I want to be the next JK? HELL NO!  But I want to be known.  Not at the supermarket, but at a book convention.  I want a fan base.  I want to give autographs.  It is ridiculous.  I tell myself it will never happen.  That my true wish is to be able to pay the bills with my writing.  But truly.  With how invisible I was when I was in grade school, its not surprising that I want to look back at those people and say "suck it!"
> 
> But at least I know it is stupid to feel that way.  Right?



get rid of this attitude. seriously. have you seen some of the published writers out there? they're crap. i'll tell what amazes me? some of the
best writers in history didn't get "famous" until they were already dead. they were dirt poor and living like social "failures" all their life. and when i see
documentaries about them now....it's like they tended to blame the rest of society for them being "failures", even though they were actually great writers. 
so i thought this thread might be good to kind of "push that attitude away" and deal with ourselves. i need to do it myself. i hate what the literary world
has become. and i think i do have something to offer. but i think i have to understand where i "fail" in order to achieve. that was the thinking that started this thread.


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## popsprocket (Mar 16, 2014)

I don't write nearly enough.

I don't really give a lot of projects their due diligence. Even if the idea is good and I could make it good, I don't sit down and write enough of it to reach a point where it flows well enough that I'd be able to finish it in a few weeks. Which leads me to:

I'm easily distracted by new ideas. I keep this issue contained as best I can by always writing the new ideas down but never pursuing them too quickly. I tell myself I'm letting the ideas stew and develop to keep myself from leaping at them.


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## A_Jones (Mar 16, 2014)

dale said:


> get rid of this attitude. seriously. have you seen some of the published writers out there? they're crap. i'll tell what amazes me? some of the
> best writers in history didn't get "famous" until they were already dead. they were dirt poor and living like social "failures" all their life. and when i see
> documentaries about them now....it's like they tended to blame the rest of society for them being "failures", even though they were actually great writers.
> so i thought this thread might be good to kind of "push that attitude away" and deal with ourselves. i need to do it myself. i hate what the literary world
> has become. and i think i do have something to offer. but i think i have to understand where i "fail" in order to achieve. that was the thinking that started this thread.



Yes, its true.  When I think of my work, in reality all I really want is to reach all the right people.  Unlike many I do not write for myself.  I wright out of obligation.  I know I have something to say.  And I know I say it well (just not sure if I say it well enough).  As long as my work reaches the right people.  I will be happy.


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## Bishop (Mar 16, 2014)

I don't fail.

That isn't to say I write perfectly. I make horrible mistakes and sometimes write very poorly. But I don't fail. I write everyday and hit my goal everyday. I get better everyday. I read, which teaches me what works (and sometimes what doesn't) and I write to find my own style. I might still be searching in the dark, but that doesn't mean I've lost. Just means I haven't won yet.

I succeed at writing my very best, everyday. Sometimes it needs work, sometimes it doesn't, but there's always fixing it later.


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## Schrody (Mar 16, 2014)

Apple Ice said:


> Jones, I often have that dream of fame also. Just to be able to feel nice about those who shunned me and whatnot. Sometimes the dreams get really stupid and outlandish and I have discipline myself because I know I'm too intelligent to think about such shallow and silly things. But hey, it's nice to think about it once in a while.



^ This. I guess it's a normal thing.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 16, 2014)

I am not a writer so I don't have this problem. I have never looked at what I did as so many words or that it would be valued by others. The purpose of what I write is probably not for the normal reasons. I write stuff that just clogs my mind so it  has a place to go. If I were to classify what makes  a great writer it is one that tells us what we already know deep in our hearts but have never been able to put to words or been able to convey to others. The good writer does it for you. Like a joke that falls flat, telling the story differently does not matter.  If a joke works it is remember and passed on no matter who the author is.  I guess you only fail if you find it more valuable to be remembered for the guy who said or the fact that it was just said.


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## Jon M (Mar 16, 2014)

Apathy, laziness, and sometimes health issues interfere--though I don't necessarily view that as a failure. Mostly laziness, though. I still have this naive belief that if I write well enough and ignore all that marketing and queef letter stuff the right people (read: agents, people with $$) will eventually find _me_, and I can just go on being brilliant all the time. 

_pfft_


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## Bishop (Mar 16, 2014)

Plasticweld said:


> I am not a writer so I don't have this problem...
> The purpose of what I write...



...Huh?

Though I agree with your overall statement. As Gil Grissom said, "Anyone who's good at anything does it for themselves."


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## Sam (Mar 16, 2014)

Failure implies negativity. I try to avoid negativity when it comes to writing. Sure, with the amount of novels I've written over the years, I should be a world-famous author by now. But, like I said in another thread, fame and fortune aren't the reasons I write. The only way I can fail is if I don't give everything I have every time I sit down to write. 

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." ~ Samuel Beckett.


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## thepancreas11 (Mar 16, 2014)

I have not succeeded YET because I have yet to find what it is that's keeping me from succeeding, if that makes any sense.

My mind finds itself quite backwards to other minds, which is both it's simultaneous strength and weakness. That is to say, I'm a strange bird. I can come up with ideas for days, but I struggle with making them communicate with other people on the level that they communicate with me, or even nearly as much, really. That's probably because I haven't read enough to know how to write well, but it might also stem from the fact that I have only just begun getting MY OWN pieces read by anyone else.

If I had to blame it on anything, I would say:

TIME

It is only a matter of time. I haven't been doing it long enough. I haven't been getting enough critiques. All I need is time. Eventually, through the forum's help and my own effort, I shall succeed, come Hell or high water.


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## Dave Watson (Mar 16, 2014)

If we're talking about "failing" meaning not being picked up by a publisher or being able to live off our writing, then I'd say I've failed (so far) because I'm just not good enough yet. I've only been doing this seriously for the past three or four years, trying to write while juggling a family and getting my degree, and while I, and seemingly a fair few other folks, think I _can _actually write, I've a long way to go. That, and of course the hordes of agents and publishers who couldn't tell a good story if it bit them in the arse! 

Then again, I would say my fledgling career to date has been far from a failure. In those past three of four years, since I made up my mind that I would give writing a serious shot, I've written two novels and a few short stories, flash fiction pieces and a handful of articles. Thousands of people have read what I've written, many of whom have been kind enough to tell me they enjoyed themselves, and although I've made less than £100 from it all and may still end up working in a call centre somewhere, I think I've done not too bad so far all things considered. And I'm just getting started!

Don't think you need to be famous or even published to be a writer. In my opinion, all you need to do is put pen to paper on a fairly regular basis, let yourself go and see where you can take it. You only fail if you quit before you've even tried.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 16, 2014)

Bishop said:


> ...Huh?
> 
> Though I agree with your overall statement. As Gil Grissom said, "Anyone who's good at anything does it for themselves."





I guess I just don't agree with Gil Grissom, or to put it correctly Gil does not agree with Bob!


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

Dave Watson said:


> If we're talking about "failing" meaning not being picked up by a publisher or being able to live off our writing, then I'd say I've failed (so far) because I'm just not good enough yet. I've only been doing this seriously for the past three or four years, trying to write while juggling a family and getting my degree, and while I, and seemingly a fair few other folks, think I _can _actually write, I've a long way to go. That, and of course the hordes of agents and publishers who couldn't tell a good story if it bit them in the arse!
> 
> Then again, I would say my fledgling career to date has been far from a failure. In those past three of four years, since I made up my mind that I would give writing a serious shot, I've written two novels and a few short stories, flash fiction pieces and a handful of articles. Thousands of people have read what I've written, many of whom have been kind enough to tell me they enjoyed themselves, and although I've made less than £100 from it all and may still end up working in a call centre somewhere, I think I've done not too bad so far all things considered. And I'm just getting started!
> 
> Don't think you need to be famous or even published to be a writer. In my opinion, all you need to do is put pen to paper on a fairly regular basis, let yourself go and see where you can take it. You only fail if you quit before you've even tried.



no. i've been picked up by various weakling magazines and publishers. i'm still a "failure" in my eyes. i think this is important. it's not that i want to
"sell-out" in anyway. it's just that i see it that if my words don't cause "change" in a really viable way during my lifetime, i'll consider myself a "fail". 
this is important to me because i think my writing MEANS something. so it can't just be..."pen to the paper". the ink means nothing. the words mean everything.


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## InstituteMan (Mar 16, 2014)

dale said:


> i "tried" on a drunken whim, girl. my ex thought i was SO good at romantic lines and sexting, she told
> me to write a story.



When I was young, I wrote pretty much solely to impress girls. Okay, I started writing because I loved to read and was good at school writing assignments, but then I discovered that high school girls really dug poetry, so I became a poet. I was a spindly guy in bad clothes with a libido, so when I discovered that words could get me somewhere, well, there you go. I started writing as voraciously as I read. InstituteWoman was impressed. Still is. :unconscious:

Over the years I got away from it, you know? Once I was married with a career and kids, the drive kind of went away for a bit. I would call that the biggest reason why I have failed in the past - lack of drive. A bit of a career change and kids growing up, and hell, maybe even a bit midlife crisis type stuff (even though I don't particularly feel in crisis) has had me back at it after only sporadic attempts for 15-20 years.


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

InstituteMan said:


> When I was young, I wrote pretty much solely to impress girls. Okay, I started writing because I loved to read and was good at school writing assignments, but then I discovered that high school girls really dug poetry, so I became a poet. I was a spindly guy in bad clothes with a libido, so when I discovered that words could get me somewhere, well, there you go. I started writing as voraciously as I read. InstituteWoman was impressed. Still is. :unconscious:
> 
> Over the years I got away from it, you know? Once I was married with a career and kids, the drive kind of went away for a bit. I would call that the biggest reason why I have failed in the past - lack of drive. A bit of a career change and kids growing up, and hell, maybe even a bit midlife crisis type stuff (even though I don't particularly feel in crisis) has had me back at it after only sporadic attempts for 15-20 years.


oh yeah. basically...everything i write is for girls, in one way or another. that's just the kind of romantic fool i am. BUT....that doesn't change
the topic of the thread. lol. or maybe it does. hold on.....i gotta think this thing out.


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

wow. thinking about that....the only story i wrote for a man was for my dad....and coincidentally....that's the only story i've ever wrote
NOT been accepted for publication. jesus. hmmmm...i'm not sure how to analyze that, as far as my writing career.


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## Riptide (Mar 16, 2014)

I get bored too quickly


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## dale (Mar 16, 2014)

really? i think we might just fail because we ain't jewish. i mean...my mother is jewish...but i don't really like her much. so that kind of nullifies my jewishness. so i just write my words. i keep trying to find the "key", though. i think maybe like scrhody said.....it's a matter of laziness and will. just kidding about that jew thing, btw. i really am 1/2 jew. my point to the thread is.......i think.......it takes MORE than just a story...and even more than just great writing to appeal to success. we as writers, HAVE to connect. and i have a real problem with this, because i rarely connect personally with anyone. i do believe i'm a good writer. but.....i think i don't connect well with others because i see things different. i don't like the world. i AM negative. but this whole thing is important  within contemporary literature, because we wouldn't really be trying to write, if we didn't want to connect. some writers pretend they don't care if anyone reads their work. but i don't lie like that. why would i write if i didn't care about other eyes reading? why would i do that? so i think it might boil down to "laziness".
in all honesty? i think it's laziness.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Mar 17, 2014)

Nickleby said:


> The only ways to fail as a writer are to do less than the best work of which you are capable, to not finish a piece at all, or to stop writing entirely. Not getting published only means that you haven't found the right venue at the right time. If you finish a piece and you are happy with it, you have succeeded.



Some people (like me) won't be happy with a piece until they see it on a bookshelf.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Mar 17, 2014)

fear of success, or so a nice man with an advanced degree tells me.


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## dale (Mar 17, 2014)

lasm said:


> fear of success, or so a nice man with an advanced degree tells me.



"fear" is also a good answer. whether fear of success, or anything else. fear is the primary motivator of society, in all it's endeavors.
lol. i just don't think it's my personal problem. i actually think a "lack of fear" is my problem. but....fear is a major problem...especially
for females with no male protection. ha ha


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## Folcro (Mar 17, 2014)

I don't read enough, don't subject myself to enough varying ideas, closing my mind to what I know I enjoy.

Also, I spend too much time blaming myself and not enough time realizing that everyone else is wrong.


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## Gavrushka (Mar 17, 2014)

dale said:


> really? i think we might just fail because we ain't jewish. i mean...my mother is jewish...but i don't really like her much. so that kind of nullifies my jewishness. so i just write my words. i keep trying to find the "key", though. i think maybe like scrhody said.....it's a matter of laziness and will. just kidding about that jew thing, btw. i really am 1/2 jew. my point to the thread is.......i think.......it takes MORE than just a story...and even more than just great writing to appeal to success. we as writers, HAVE to connect. and i have a real problem with this, because i rarely connect personally with anyone. i do believe i'm a good writer. but.....i think i don't connect well with others because i see things different. i don't like the world. i AM negative. but this whole thing is important  within contemporary literature, because we wouldn't really be trying to write, if we didn't want to connect. some writers pretend they don't care if anyone reads their work. but i don't lie like that. why would i write if i didn't care about other eyes reading? why would i do that? so i think it might boil down to "laziness".
> in all honesty? i think it's laziness.



So many writers lack empathy for the reader and, I think it is something that develops over a very long time. - I am only now beginning to get an inkling of how my words feel in the minds of others. What strikes me most, is the story doesn't really have to change much, nor the way I write. - Let's face it, apart from the one or two who are driven by financial dreams from the off, we write for ourselves first and yes, out of vanity too. 

I think understanding what the reader wants is more knowing the aspects of the story to emphasise more. - It's hard to explain.- I've read your words, seen your ability, and I am sure if you had a half dozen vicious beta readers beating you up on how a particular scene developed, you'd recreate it in a matter of hours and thus be reborn. - AND there is nothing more lazy than having a half dozen readers offering suggestions so it's win / win! 

As I've read some of your work, I'm already aware you have enough ability, and that was the one area you're stuck with. - The other areas are in your control. - Work ethic, gaining reader feedback and making small adjustments to satisfy commerciality...

...So it's really down to you whether you want to be successful or not.


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## dale (Mar 17, 2014)

Gavrushka said:


> So many writers lack empathy for the reader and, I think it is something that develops over a very long time. - I am only now beginning to get an inkling of how my words feel in the minds of others. What strikes me most, is the story doesn't really have to change much, nor the way I write. - Let's face it, apart from the one or two who are driven by financial dreams from the off, we write for ourselves first and yes, out of vanity too.
> 
> I think understanding what the reader wants is more knowing the aspects of the story to emphasise more. - It's hard to explain.- I've read your words, seen your ability, and I am sure if you had a half dozen vicious beta readers beating you up on how a particular scene developed, you'd recreate it in a matter of hours and thus be reborn. - AND there is nothing more lazy than having a half dozen readers offering suggestions so it's win / win!
> 
> ...



 bub....i know...vanity and laziness are my faults. and stubborness. in some ways....i also think these attributes are what makes me "good", though. some of my threads are just me "thinking out loud" on things. ya know? my next novel i'm trying to make appeal more to people. my 1st one? people found "disturbing" and even "crazy". so i sit here in my antisocial mindset and wonder how to appeal to the masses in a REAL way. because to me?  READERS are what it's about. i just don't see the sense in writing if no one reads it. what's the point in it? i could just think the crap and be done with it, if i only the "idea" mattered. but no....it's about the "idea" being read. that's why i write it down. and now i'm really drunk and babbling. i'm signing out.
i rambling.


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## Gavrushka (Mar 17, 2014)

Let a group of readers provide their thoughts _before you release it. - _I've never released a damned thing, as I've never written anything worth reading even though I have a little talent. - I'd hate to spend an extended period of time writing something and then speculatively publish it. Why take that risk when a week or two of reader-suggested edits _could_ change the way it is received?

I don't know about you, but there was a time when I really thought I was destined to have a dramatic impact on the literary world. - I would sob with pride at the awesomeness of my prose, and so I sent my first 170,000 word story to a top London agent. I was rejected... I was dismissed as a pointless and talentless person and how I mourned. - It'd be fair to say I've never felt so low.

It was a watershed moment for me. - I could take up golf instead, or I could struggle for years or even decades to try and become the writer I'd thought I was. I chose the latter and, since then, four years have gone by...

...And I'm still shite! *snickers* ... NOOOO! I've improved immensely, but still have a long way to go. - 600,000 words are completed and edited out of a pot of over a million. - Around 65,000 of those hold a little value, whereas the rest will need rewriting at some point. 



> and now i'm really drunk and babbling. i'm signing out



LOL. I hope your head is in one piece when you wake. - I've written this silently just in case it is otherwise...


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## W. Dallas (Mar 17, 2014)

Anyone who takes the time to write 90k plus words for a novel wants others to read it and appreciate it.  We all want to be noticed for what we do, what we are passionate about.  I think my problem is I refuse employ utilitarianism 'whatever is best for the most people'  My tastes overrule that.  I couldn't bring myself to play commercial music when I was in a band, instead trying to 'make it' playing niche progressive metal.  Now I write equally niche novels and believe I don't live in a vacuum, if I love it a lot of others will as well. Is that true? Perhaps not. 

 "The difference in an artist and an entertainer is- an entertainer makes money"- W. Dallas Mullican


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## Outiboros (Mar 17, 2014)

Easy. Mine would be ANXIETY, SOCIAL INEPTITUDE and LACK OF TRYING.

I'm not writing for the money, so I wouldn't say I'm failing, but the one reason I've never approached an agent (or anyone else, really) with my stories is because I don't think there's any point to it. I'm not a native speaker, and it shows, so even at the starting line I'm already at a disadvantage. I don't think my writing is that bad, but I won't bother an agent with mediocre. I'd like to have some more feedback from the people I know, but then the second point comes into play again. Writing is just an extremely awkward point to bring up to people who don't write themselves.

But I don't dream of fame. I write because I enjoy it, and because I see myself getting better; I write to get the stories out of my head and to finish those that I've got on paper. I succeed at writing. I just fail at being read.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 17, 2014)

As a businessman I have found the key to success and it is taking care of others and always being second. I see many writers here with great talent when it comes to the mechanics of writing. I have read just enough of the forum to realize not everyone has something to say that I am interested in. While it is said that a good writer can make anything interesting, anything that is viable will be interesting to many. I think I have some witty thoughts, think I have some good stories in me. I am not sure that I have enough of it to get someone to part with their hard earned money to listen to what I have to say. If you only think your work is based on what you create, then you should be in the business of selling them just as any business person. Taking care of a lot of people and making them first is a lot of work, takes a lot of energy and seldom are they concerned with you. The model has worked well for me in business. Not sure I have any desire to go that route with writing.


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## TheYellowMustang (Mar 17, 2014)

When I do try to get published, if I do fail, I'm sure I'll look back and think "I played way too much The Sims 3."


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## J Anfinson (Mar 17, 2014)

With short stories I don't worry so much about how they turn out because they're not a huge time investment for me. With my novel I'm too much of a perfectionist and it's killing my productivity. I feel like I have to know what I'm writing is right, and that changes almost daily, leaving me needing to change a lot of things. I need to learn to not expect so much of myself on a first draft.


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## WhiteSmoke (Mar 17, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> Terror.  I am terrified that I am not good enough.  Like a anorexic girl standing in front of her full length mirror, I worry that I am just not good enough.
> 
> Fame.  I struggle with fame.  I want it.  Do I want to be the next JK? HELL NO!  But I want to be known.  Not at the supermarket, but at a book convention.  I want a fan base.  I want to give autographs.  It is ridiculous.  I tell myself it will never happen.  That my true wish is to be able to pay the bills with my writing.  But truly.  With how invisible I was when I was in grade school, its not surprising that I want to look back at those people and say "suck it!"
> 
> But at least I know it is stupid to feel that way.  Right?



Ugh that's my problem too. I don't exactly want to be the next JK Rowling, but I want to have a large fan base with people who ship my characters and who post fan fiction and stuff lol. I'm not sure if that even makes sense. I just really want a lot of people to read my writing and to have it speak to people, and for them to fall in love with my characters like I have. Because I have such hefty goals I often sit here and compare myself and feel like my writing is not good enough and over think everything. Tbh I was a much better writer when I was writing just for me because I didn't over think every little detail.


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## ViKtoricus (Mar 18, 2014)

I blame everything on a lack of luck...

I'm serious.


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## thepancreas11 (Mar 18, 2014)

Care to elaborate amigo?


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## Gavrushka (Mar 19, 2014)

ViKtoricus said:


> I blame everything on a lack of luck...
> 
> I'm serious.



I spent three years believing this too. - I made little conscious effort to improve my prose, and just kept churning out hundreds of thousands of new words each year. I mean, if it was down to luck, I was already doing the right thing, and in time my chance would come.

They were not wasted years, but they certainly weren't the most productive.

The change came when I first really looked at my words, and compared them with successful authors... Previously I'd snarled at the lucky break the likes of Sanderson and Gemmel had enjoyed... But the more I looked, the more I understood; my words were crap. *MY WORDS WERE CRAP!* - Without a doubt, that was the most important day of my literary career. - I studied, I learned and my words grew in value.

*I'm serious *when I say it's down to huge amounts of hard work, tenacity and a decent amount of talent. - Believing it is luck will let the grass grow round your feet...

...What I will agree is that when you've done all the hard work, you do need a little luck too.


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## stormageddon (Mar 19, 2014)

I count myself as failing only when I can't write. The only thing that stops me writing is depression, and the only thing that stops my depression is writing. So with that taken into account, I suppose I fail because I'm an idiot.


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## dale (Mar 19, 2014)

ViKtoricus said:


> I blame everything on a lack of luck...
> 
> I'm serious.



lol. yeah right. everytime i walk down the street and don't find a suitcase with a million dollars in it, i know it's just my "bad luck" to be poor.
 nothing to do with my laziness or lack of initiative or talent. all the successful people of the world are just the lucky people that find those million dollar suitcases stashed around for the "lucky ones".


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## Tettsuo (Mar 19, 2014)

I fear I'll never be able to reach all of the people I'd love to reach.

In regards to failing... you're a failure when you stop trying and give up.  That's what failures do.
If you're still trying, you haven't failed yet!


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## Equinox (Mar 19, 2014)

"Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." -Alfred Pennyworth, _Batman Begins_


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## ViKtoricus (Mar 20, 2014)

thepancreas11 said:


> Care to elaborate amigo?



Alright.

I don't believe we, as humans, have much control over our lives. Freedom, in my opinion, is an illusion.

The fact that I love writing does not mean I chose to be this way. It means that I simply have the genetic predisposition to have a brain with an aptitude for writing.

I call it luck.

And with that belief, prayers become more valuable. (I'm a Christian.)





dale said:


> lol. yeah right. everytime i walk down the street and don't find a suitcase with a million dollars in it, i know it's just my "bad luck" to be poor.
> nothing to do with my laziness or lack of initiative or talent. all the successful people of the world are just the lucky people that find those million dollar suitcases stashed around for the "lucky ones".



90% of wealthy people are wealthy because they had the chance to be wealthy.

I'd like to see a starving kid from Somalia become the next Bill Gates without having the "luck" to have a kind-hearted person adopt him and teach him entrepreneurship.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Mar 20, 2014)

ViKtoricus said:


> Alright.
> 
> I don't believe we, as humans, have much control over our lives. Freedom, in my opinion, is an illusion.
> 
> ...



By your reasoning, wouldn't your prayers be things you were already predisposed to? Aren't you just genetically predisposed to have a brain that chooses to pray in response to problems?


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## dale (Mar 20, 2014)

ViKtoricus said:


> Alright.
> 
> I don't believe we, as humans, have much control over our lives. Freedom, in my opinion, is an illusion.
> 
> ...


90% of the wealthy are wealthy due to proper breeding. that's not luck. that's eugenics.


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## Jeko (Mar 20, 2014)

> I call it luck.
> 
> And with that belief, prayers become more valuable. (I'm a Christian.)



From my experience, Christ and luck have nothing in common.

My Christianity actually has a lot of influence on my writing; it may be a limitation in some respects, but it takes priority. In the same way that sleep gets in the way of my writing habits, I guess.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 20, 2014)

In the business world I have failed more than almost anyone I know. Yet I have been called lucky and successful by many. I am on business number 12. I am 55 years old. with the exception of 2 that I sold for a lot of money the others went down the toilet, I do know what it is like to lose a million dollars. Even when things were going horribly I never thought it was luck. when everything was going well I knew it was not luck. I think we are all given a few breaks in life what we do with them is what matters. I also know the only reason I am successful today is from what I learned through my failures.


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## thepancreas11 (Mar 21, 2014)

I fail because I have an unhealthy love of all that is corny.


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## T.S.Bowman (Mar 21, 2014)

thepancreas11 said:


> I fail because I have an unhealthy love of all that is corny.



It seems to me that Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony have made quite a good living from the "corny". LOL


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## Plasticweld (Mar 21, 2014)

Personally I love all that is corny, reality is a bummer sometimes.


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## Qetris (Mar 26, 2014)

I feel that many things hold me back, to one extent or another, from writing to my true potential.  The first that comes to mind is my shyness.  I know I'm gonna have to keep on trying to interact with more people in order to both gain more ideas for my writing and spread the word about my writing.  Another is my obsessive nature, which largely gets me too focused on the smallest of details, leading me to not produce new writing as much as I could.  I have, however, learned how to use some of my weaknesses to my advantage (for example, spotting minor grammatical errors that could've resulted in my manuscript being tossed).


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## David Gordon Burke (Mar 31, 2014)

This is a great thread.  
In my humble opinion, there is no small failure.  The failure is grand.  The failure is harsh.  The failure is inevitable, dire and inescapable.  It is the moment when you place your work into the public eye, knowing full well that not only can it never compare to history's finest wordsmiths, it is indeed laughable to even consider it in that light.  To have your prose scrutinized by anyone even vaguely familiar with the work of Faulner, Twain, Steinbeck, Hughes, Verne, Bierce, Lovecraft, Shakespeare, Chaucer or Hemingway is to invite ridicule of the most personal sort.  
Yet into that public arena you place your magnum opus and like an autonomous Kid Sampson you freely step into the spinning propeller of public scrutiny.  

If you can come out the other side untouched, secure in the belief that your prose has some value regardless of critisism, if the failure can scorch you to your very bone and boil the marrow and you can still read your own work and without delusion or illusion find merit there.... that is the true success.  It's called ART.  It's probably why many people begin to write.  It's often the last reason more people continue to write.  

David Gordon Burke


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## bookmasta (Mar 31, 2014)

Why do I fail? Because I'm a writer. Nothing is going to be perfect the first time around. Or even on the second or third for that matter. Not everything will pan out the way I hope. Rejection will be inevitable. Some people won't like my work. Others on the other hand will. To reach the standards I have set for myself, I will fail inherently as my skill isn't yet up to the standard I wish to achieve and that's okay. The only way to get better is to learn from failure and improve on it. Therefore, failure shouldn't be perceived as an end, but rather a beginning where the only way to go is up.


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