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Love Writing But Feeling Disheartened

NAS39135

Hello, 

I've been writing since I was 13/14 years old (35 now) and I love it! It is an obsession, but having two small children I don't do as much as I'd like to. 

I have wrote novels - none are published because the industry is a minefield! I attended a writing conference back in 2017 and an agent said unless you're publicly known and a face such as a well known celebrity then there's no chance of being a published author. I was crushed. 

Before social media existed it was simple - write a novel, work on editing then send it to agents and if you're lucky enough it'll get published and it the shops. But now, you need an author platform just to be considered being good enough. 

Now writers are worrying about AI taking their places but that's happened long before now. If celebrities can get published just because of their fame then AI was inevitable. 

What is the point of art if it's just going to fall on deaf ears? 

I had an indie author tell me that I was best off entering writing competitions but I can't write short stories. I have entered some but not won any. 

Sorry for the rant. I just feel sad that it takes so much unnecessary steps for writers to actually write. 

Parents

  • What sort of novels do you write? If genre (e.g. SF, fantasy, horror, crime), one possible route might be via fandom. Groups like the British Fantasy Society have lively online communities that support and encourage writing among members. And the big fan conventions like Eastercon, Fantasycon, and Worldcon are great opportunities to meet agents, editors, and publishers in informal settings.

    Another possibility would be to find the right kind of writing group. But you do need to be careful here. Some are little more than mutual appreciation societies or therapy groups. A few are destructive cliques. But the one I’m most familiar with is a mixture of published authors and would-be authors with the former happy to support, advise, point out publishing opportunities, etc.

  • in reply to Wordsmith

    The book I'm writing currently could be considered as literary/magical realism as the main character is a woman who wishes she'd made different choices and gets the opportunity to "rewrite" her past. 

    I do have a fantasy serial in mind, so thank you for sharing Relaxed️ 

    I have tried writing groups but I was overwhelmed by the act of having to read aloud and listen to others reading excerpts of their novels. Not because I found it boring or anything, just because I Stuck out tongue closed eyesuldn't take in what they were saying, so when they asked for feedback, I couldn't give it properly. And I hate the sound of my own voice so Stuck out tongue closed eyes

    I am part of groups on Facebook but they're terrible. I've stopped interacting with them now because it has become a place for gate keepers to show their superiority. I feel for people joining and asking questions and being met with the response that their question was stupid and could be googled. 

Reply
  • in reply to Wordsmith

    The book I'm writing currently could be considered as literary/magical realism as the main character is a woman who wishes she'd made different choices and gets the opportunity to "rewrite" her past. 

    I do have a fantasy serial in mind, so thank you for sharing Relaxed️ 

    I have tried writing groups but I was overwhelmed by the act of having to read aloud and listen to others reading excerpts of their novels. Not because I found it boring or anything, just because I Stuck out tongue closed eyesuldn't take in what they were saying, so when they asked for feedback, I couldn't give it properly. And I hate the sound of my own voice so Stuck out tongue closed eyes

    I am part of groups on Facebook but they're terrible. I've stopped interacting with them now because it has become a place for gate keepers to show their superiority. I feel for people joining and asking questions and being met with the response that their question was stupid and could be googled. 

Children
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