Just starting out as a writer, would love advice and examples on how to best succeed.

[Salisha]

Hi, I've been writing and roleplaying for almost a decade now, and I'd like to put what I've learned into practice writing story commissions relating to shared world I've helped build and develop with others, one that allows for a variety of kinks and themes that I enjoy writing and expanding upon. I'm about to post my first story (an adapted RP log) which can be found here. Userpage of Salisha -- Fur Affinity [dot] net

I'm thinking of offering free stories to begin and build my catalog, but beyond that, I'm not sure how to go about it, or how/what I should charge. So I would appreciate any help or advice people can offer. <3

 

[hara-surya]

OK, first off I'm either the best or worst person to give you advise.

I belong to the Harlan Ellison "Pay the F***ing Writer" School of Writing. I feel that too many amateurs give away their writing, which makes it hard on professionals who take the job seriously. While I do give away some of my stories for free, most of what I write is for sale. Self-publishing ebooks is easy to do and there's no reason not to these days once you feel confident enough to do it. (It took me 25 years of writing.)

First: Read. A lot. Everything. Things you never would normally read. Fiction and non-fiction. I grew up on science fiction and these days one of my favorite genres is romance. In my writing one of my favorite characters in an urban fantasy story was inspired by, among other things, a novel and character named Fay by Larry Brown, which is about a teenage runaway in 1980s Georgia. I spent a year researching Byzantine Constantinople, Zoroastrianism and prostitution in the Roman Empire for a novel. I love non-fiction about Transhumanism, string theory, cosmology and memoirs by porn stars and truck drivers. Seriously, reading anything and everything can help your writing. And don't fall into the trap of "I don't read my genre so I won't steal ideas" because of a reason I'll explain below.

Second: Write until your fingertips fall off. Ideally, start a writing habit like saying "200 lousy stinking words a day." Like reading, write about everything. Even if it never leaves your hard drive or notepad. Also, I don't do that because I'm lazy.

Third: Dream journal, some of my best ideas I literally dreamed up.

Fourth: Read books on how to write. They help immensely. I could make recommendations, but I won't other than to say Writer's Digest has a nice series of books. I have a formal education in writing and found it immensely helpful, but I don't view it as a requirement.

Five: Ideas are a dime a dozen and a nickel on Tuesdays, and most people want to make their own anyway. Ideas are cheap, don't think everyone's trying to steal them; they don't want them and even if they take one it won't be what you thought of anyway. In 1991 Neil Gaiman put out a comic book about an orphan boy wizard named Tim Hunter who was drawn with round glasses being contacted for his schooling via carrier owl, and it's mostly forgotten. Six years later an unknown writer has a virtually identical idea, except she called the boy Harry Potter and at one point she was a billionaire. Besides that, their stories are nothing alike.

Six: Accept constructive criticism, grow a skin against haters. I joined a writer's club almost 20 years ago, went intermittently until recently and found them both amazingly useful and a total waste of time. Broadly speaking, they gave wonderful advice, but repeated the same thing too often, but the club was so cliquish I ended up leaving. A good club can be wonderful, a bad one has you leaving hating every word you've ever written. Don't stay in a bad one, but don't ignore sound criticism.

 

[DariusTheLoony]

Okay I will give you the best advice that I would give to my self.

The best way to make it in as a writer is to make sure that you listen to your heart and do whatever job that you can do in your best abilities is never a bad idea to go past those abilities but you have to know that it will be comfortable for you.

Always have a way of currency and know what you are expecting in the way of money like the fact that if you feel that your writing is not that good then keep it at a low rate until you feel that you are at that close to pro level, but if your writing is good then keep it pricey.

Also get paid before you start writing because you never know when the person you are working with might cheat you out.

Before you even start ask them for what they want to be written.

Last but not least love what you do because if you lose that feel because of money or greed you'll never want to write like you did before again and that's the worst thing for a writer to lose the passion that made them want to write in the first place.