Is there anything wrong with writing stories?

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Joe90
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26 Nov 2014, 1:02 pm

I've been into writing stories recently, mostly about made-up families and issues they face, etc. But my mum said that I won't be able to write stories when I move in with my boyfriend. I asked why not, and she said that he will think it's strange or something like that. I asked what about writers then, and she said that professional story writing is ''OK'', but not just writing stories for fun, apparently.

Is this just my mum's opinion? Or is writing stories in your free time considered socially unacceptable?


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downbutnotout
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26 Nov 2014, 1:14 pm

Not sure what she thinks writers do before they get published. Play video games and then magically strike a deal with Penguin Books to become famous?



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26 Nov 2014, 1:19 pm

Writing is the only thing that gives my life meaning.

I like what DBNO said; writers have to write for fun before they get published. Anyone who doesn't write for fun probably shouldn't be a 'professional' writer anyway. If you don't enjoy it, you'll probably suck at it.

Write all you want. Never let anyone take that away from you.



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26 Nov 2014, 1:52 pm

If it's strange to write, then all the authors out there were strange. yay for strange people or there wouldn't be any books published and any bookstores :lol:

I like to write and I do write and I put in my own issues and make up issues just for the drama and anyone who knows me, it's not surprising my stories are filled with drama. I also base my stories off my fantasy. I mix it.

But I am not someone who will publish my work for money, I just write and will share it with anyone who is interested.

Is it strange to create a Mii character off your protagonist and make it look like them and put them in Tomodachi Life and Super Smash Bros. 3DS. :lol: That is what I did.

I had been writing off and on since I was ten.


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Raleigh
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26 Nov 2014, 2:47 pm

I think it's great that you're writing. I would continue writing stories for as long as you enjoy doing so and don't worry about anyone else's opinion. It's right for you. Perhaps your mother is worried about the amount of time you spend on it? I know I can get hyper focused on my writing and ignore everything (and everyone) else.


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r2d2
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26 Nov 2014, 3:01 pm

I actually wrote a few stories myself in the past six months. I think it is a great exercise. Actually I created a fictitious childhood - based on the real me - high strung and all - but growing up in a much more enlightened time and environment.

Writing gives opportunity to really get to the bottom of one's own soul.


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LokiofSassgard
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26 Nov 2014, 3:43 pm

Your mom must be crazy... no offense. I write all the time, and I have never gotten published. There's nothing wrong with writing for fun.


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26 Nov 2014, 3:46 pm

Strange? Then I am strange and proud of it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with writing stories. Maybe it's only strange to your mom because it doesn't interest her. Some people have trouble understanding things they aren't interested in.

I have done both, written for my own enjoyment, and written in an attempt to make money, and I have to say that writing what I want to write, for me, is much more enjoyable. Writing for money is hard work, and there's no guarantee of income from it even after that hard work, and there's a lot of rejection. Writing for publication (or the hope of it) almost ruined my enjoyment of writing, so I'm always cautious about encouraging people to do that. But writing for yourself, just because you love it, you can't lose. So fine, if you ever want to try to do it for money, but there's no good reason not to do it just for you. We watch TV and read books for hours and hours with no hope of income, so what's the big deal?

Want to write stories? Go for it. Enjoy. :) Besides, any man who doesn't appreciate you writing just because you enjoy it is probably someone you don't need in your life anyway. Why wouldn't he want you to do what you enjoy?


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lelia
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29 Dec 2017, 4:21 pm

I'm sorry your mum feels that way. Maybe she just wants you to do more of the necessary housework. Or maybe she doesn't care about that and simply doesn't understand writing, writers, hobbies, or imagination. Some people don't have any imagination, and they can't "imagine" what other people are doing with theirs. At any rate, it's not worth fighting about. Once you're out of her home, you can do whatever lets you survive.



rebeccadanielprophet
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29 Dec 2017, 4:54 pm

That's just silly of your parents. All writers write and write for a long time before getting published. I have a 424 single spaced page novel started, I'm calling it Beautiful Madness. In fact I should work on it now. :P


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naturalplastic
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29 Dec 2017, 5:03 pm

Absolutely!

Don't write UNTIL you become a published writer!

And...don't get a job until you have experience!

And don't go near the water until you know how to swim.

And don't exercise unless you're physically fit! :lol:



League_Girl
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29 Dec 2017, 5:09 pm

How does she think books get published in the first place? The author writes for fun and in their spare time and they sometimes decide to get their work published. JK Rowling was no professional writer. She was just a regular person who wrote for fun and then a friend told her she should try getting it published. Then it turned into a career when she started getting commissions so she wrote more books and had to make them advanced for adult audience because they liked them too. I doubt she was trying to make a career from it.

Don't forget lot of people also self publish through Amazon.


I am sure there are lot of unpublished authors out there. Look at fanfiction.net and fictionpress if I remember the name correctly. I have never published anything but only post them online. If I actually wanted to make some money off of it, I would have to write a whole new story and then publish it online to sell like at Amazon for ebook.


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rowan_nichol
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29 Dec 2017, 11:25 pm

Joe90 wrote:

Is this just my mum's opinion? Or is writing stories in your free time considered socially unacceptable?


Seems a daft opinion to me, acase where one fakes a smile and at the same time files the words said to the bin and gets on with writing the stories as before



kraftiekortie
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30 Dec 2017, 11:39 am

That doesn't make any sense.

Of course it's "socially acceptable" to write stories in your spare time.

Where does your mother get these notions?

Imagine if you could make money out of them? :D That would be nifty!



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30 Dec 2017, 2:16 pm

Writing is often part of therapy.



redrobin62
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30 Dec 2017, 2:51 pm

Writing is extremely therapeutic for me. If I'm not writing short stories, I'm making comments on WP or in various newspapers like the Seattle Times, Forks Forum, Port Angeles Times or writing in my blog.

There is nothing wrong with writing short stories for fun. Even professionals had to start somewhere.