My Story

[ksmith]

In his LJ, jaylake asked the burning question, "Why writing?" I replied here. Don't know if there's much more to add.





I am a living, breathing graduate of the Writers Digest SF Novel Writing School, circa the mid-90s. alfreda89 was my instructor--I hope she doesn't mind my mentioning this. I waded through the assignments, cobbling together characters that eventually morphed into Jani and Lucien and Tsecha and the rest. I don't know how this stuff rates against what I write now, but alfreda89 sometimes chuckles that she has kept my student files and considers them blackmail material. I don't think I want to know.

I envy the folks who started writing in their teens. I didn't start seriously until my early 30s. Over time, I grew to realize that it is my Perfect Job. The mistakes are mine, but so is the credit. There are no meetings, no impact goals, no self-assessments. I don't have to put on make-up, and I can stuff my hair up under a hat. I can spend 8 hours a day in a room by myself, making things up.

I don't have to work with people I don't like, and they don't have to know the joy of working with a grump like me.

If I could figure out a way to make a living wage at it, I'd be a happy girl.

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Some folks don't have much good to say about Writers Digest, or their programs. I used to subscribe to the magazine, and enjoyed Nancy Kress' column. But I outgrew it after a while, and stopped taking it.

As for the school, it did what it needed to do--it got me started. It introduced me to a professional SF/F writer who told me that I had the potential to write professionally. That helped keep me going. That being said, WD doesn't make money when you stop buying their products, so they do keep trying to sell you things. And some of their advertisers are dodgy. I wouldn't sign up to become a WD poster child anytime soon, but it worked for me.

There are a lot of other programs available now--lots of folks on LJ seem to have done well on the Online Writers Workshop.

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I looked into OWW too. My novel is pretty well laid out, I just need feedback and a bit of motivation to keep me going and there just isn't any up here in this little mountain town. :-(

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

I didn't attend my first SF con until 1995. It was Intersection, the Glasgow Worldcon. I didn't know anyone--all I had was an email intro to Elizabeth Moon courtesy of alfreda89. I only broke down once, at the very beginning of the con, when I realized what the Scots interpretation of "walking distance" was--45 minutes through neighborhoods you wouldn't want to drive through in broad daylight with the windows rolled up and the doors locked.

I understand the riverfront is pretty nice now. Ten years ago, it was desolate. I was staying at the Marriott, which was waay the hell down the road from the SECC.

ANYway, I didn't have much feedback in the beginning either. Went to the Santa Barbara Writers Conference in 1993 and 1994--I don't know if they still have a live conference or if they're all online now. It helped spur me, but after two years, it wasn't enough. Didn't know about cons. Didn't know any local writers or other folks who wanted to write. I decided to go to Glasgow when I realized that yes, I did have an SF novel on my hands, and I had better learn more about the genre.

My personal philosophy? The top rung of the ladder I'm on is the bottom rung of the ladder I want to climb next. Other writers have posted that they would write even if they never published again--I don't know if I could do that. I think I would write with the hope that eventually I would publish again because to me, being read is part of the deal. I don't need to tell the stories to myself. I already know more about them than I will ever be able to get onto the page.

I want to be a working writer. I need to do what I can to make that possible.

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Sounds like me too. :-) Although I had plenty of writing friends when I lived in NYC, I didn't belong to a writing group or attend my first World Con until after I moved to L.A. in 1991. My first convention was World Con in L.A. in 1994 (or was it 1996??)

My L.A. writing group was great...that's part of the reason I know I need feedback now. They helped me get my short stories in shape and published but for the last number of years I've been trying to get this novel into shape. I currently make a good living as a non-fiction writer but (as usual) what I really want to do is concentrate on my fiction.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

But I outgrew it after a while, and stopped taking it.


It's absolutely perfect for people at a certain development of their career. I found it after I'd passed most of their advice, so I ended up writing and teaching for it. There's a five year or so cycle the themes of the articles will roll through. Your articles get reprinted once or twice in other, quarterly or special editions they put out--then they pay someone else to write another article on the same topic.

Elizabeth used to get a subscription every few years when she could get it for a dollar an issue, just to see what they were advocating at the time. I just never had much use for it--probably because I worked hard at meeting pros, and knew that a large percentage of the advice wasn't where I was going.

I still wonder where I'm going...