do you consider becoming a published writers as your end goal in writing?

[Blue]

There is often a lot of talk on whether or not people who have been writing as a hobby would at some point want to be a published author, whether it's self-published or traditional. If you're in fanfic spaces, you might know that there are many people who were originally writing fanfiction and then later on went to write original fiction (tho this discussion deserves a separate thread, as I think it's very interesting to talk about).

Is this something that has ever been on your mind, or do you think you could never monetize it?

Personally, the thought of being a published author has always been on my mind since I was little and was writing random things in my notebooks, thinking I would publish it at some point. As I grew older and stuck more with fanfiction, the less I thought about wanting to get into publishing (on the site of being the writer at least) and now I treat the thought of it as something that can happen, but I won't regret it if it doesn't. I still stick to fanfiction the most and even with some original stuff I have in mind, I don't desire to make it into something that will go off ao3. I think that even if I at some point only write original fiction, I probably won't try to sell it and rather just have it on ao3 or my website.

[larvapuppy]

I've never written fanfiction, but when I was a teen my dream was either to be a published comics artist or published author. This lead to me drawing and writing a lot less than I could have been, because I needed everything to be at a professional level but my skills didn't match up to that. I think it's great to have dreams but putting too much pressure on yourself can really ruin the fun of working creatively.

Nowadays I still play around with some webcomic ideas and write stories occasionally, but I didn't end up sticking with any kind of creative career. I do these things for fun and as a hobby. I'm still trying to train myself out of the toxic mindset of worrying about what other people (editors, fans, etc) would think of my work, because in the end other's opinions shouldn't matter. 

[Semper]

I intend to self publish my original fiction for sure, and that's because:

• My country's government hands out ISBNs for free.
• All published works with an official ISBN from my country gets a copy saved at both the national archives as well as my province of residence's archives.
• Which means that even if I have a digital free to read copy on my website, there will also be a physical edition professionally archived by two branches of government.
• I really want to hold a physical copy of something I made in my hands

[drmollytov]

I sold my first piece to a professional outlet at 17, so most of my life I have been a published writer. But yeah, I definitely spent ages 7 to 17 wanting to be published.

That said, I probably produce 20,000 words of stuff I never intend anyone to read for every 2,000 words I sell or allow in public view (like my blog). So I do not think a desire to get paid for writing is required to write a lot or to write well.

[Blue]

My country's government hands out ISBNs for free.

That's so cool actually?? I had no idea something like that could be possible! If someone wants to be writer it does make it easier for them. And everything else mentioned is so amazing. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before.

[Semper]

That's so cool actually?? I had no idea something like that could be possible! If someone wants to be writer it does make it easier for them. And everything else mentioned is so amazing. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before.

It is something one would have to register for (which does include registering an address, which can be handled by having a PO box), but yeah it's pretty cool! I'll be making an account on the government's ISBN site soon, since I have plans to self publish a small comic later this spring.

[candycanearter07]

I don't even know what my goal is in this or why I started

[_ghost_]

"End goal" implies that I only write in order to publish, which isn't true, but I did vote yes, absolutely, publishing has always been what I intended to do. I was a huge bookworm as a kid, and when I first became aware that books were made by people and that it was something people do as a career, I knew that was what I wanted to do, too. I spent a lot of time telling myself it wasn't going to happen and that I should just focus on something else, but I really always knew I wanted to be a writer more than I could ever want anything else.

What that looks like could vary a lot. Being traditionally published is obviously the way to go from a career perspective, if I can, but I also really like the idea of putting things on itch.io on a  pay-what-you-want basis or just having short stories on a personal blog. I've thought about publishing work serially, maybe having a patreon for early access to something that would shortly be available for free. I only ever think about "money" and "publishing" in the same contexts because I have to, because I'm going to have to pay the bills somehow, but I don't really see it as a business. I very much do not want to ever write "for profit."

All of this is hypothetical, though. I've only ever been published in the on-campus, print-only journal that no one is ever going to see if they weren't also in it. I'm hoping to start working on that and submitting to literary journals later this year, though.

[patchworkghoul]

I've thought about it but publishing isn't the reason that I write. I write because I feel like I have to, anytime that I've ever taken a break from writing I haven't felt myself. writing is how I process thoughts and understand the world, if I don't get it out on paper it's sometimes difficult for me to remember things too.

that said, I make zines! I've self-published tons of writing, lots of my fiction and nonfiction, ideas and thoughts and things like that. I've also printed and bound full novels that I wrote (but just for myself). I do think it's something really special to see your writing in book form, even if you don't have the desire to market or sell it.

as I get older and it's been 30 plus years that I've been writing, I sometimes consider publishing nonfiction with everything that I've learned about my field and interests. I do have some ideas that I haven't seen published before so I think I would contribute to the body of knowledge, but now of course I lack the motivation that I had when I was younger :)

[BlazingCobaltX]

As a teen big into fandom spaces, I've always imagined publishing my original works and amassing a giant following and fandom around it. I've daydreamed so often about the types of discourse would happen around the stories, which characters would be favourites, et cetera. Over time, however, I had to accept fiction writing is not my strength (900 words seems to be my session average), and with that I put the dream of getting published to rest. I should be happy if I get to finish any of my original stories at all.

So here's what's funny: I went into this thread only thinking about fiction, and only halfway thought "Wait, I already am published." I'm the first-name author of at least two reports and contributed to several other publications as well. These things have way less fanfare around them, though. In academia, you kind of write stuff, hold some presentations about it, and move on fast to the next assignment. And so far, I've written my stuff as a salaried employee and did not receive any sort of commission or bonus. Just guessing, but I think book publishing is a world apart from what I've done.

Kind of unearthed a bias in myself here. Shout out to all the nonfiction and academic writers!

[_ghost_]

As a teen big into fandom spaces, I've always imagined publishing my original works and amassing a giant following and fandom around it. I've daydreamed so often about the types of discourse would happen around the stories, which characters would be favourites, et cetera. 

I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about this, too. It wasn't until later that I realized that huge fandoms are very much outliers and most things, even very successful and popular things, don't really create that kind of space. With books it's even more rare. There's usually a YA series or two that manages it at a time, and a movie deal is often involved. I remember being somewhat disappointed when I realized that, but as I've spent more time in writing workshops, and as I've gotten more interested in retro web spaces, I've realized that there's something really cool about a much more personal space. I don't want to just scroll for hours seeing other people's theories, I want to have conversations about it. I want to talk about the writing process without it feeling like I'm just talking to a nameless crowd. There's something about discussing what I'm working on with people that have been reading my writing for a while that I think would get lost if there was a massive fandom where I just can't feasibly interact with everybody.

Over time, however, I had to accept fiction writing is not my strength (900 words seems to be my session average), and with that I put the dream of getting published to rest. I should be happy if I get to finish any of my original stories at all.

This is a really good amount, though! I genuinely can't say that I write that much at a time, and I'm taking multiple writing classes for an arts degree! This is, depending on font, roughly between 1.5 pages and 2 pages, and I was once advised by a full-time author that I should be writing two pages a day if I want to make a career out of fiction writing (I'm usually doing something closer to 200 or 300 words, which is less than a page, and I don't write everyday... oops.). Obviously fiction isn't for everyone, and I love that you've found your place in academic writing, but I definitely think you might be selling yourself short in regards to how quickly you can write fiction. Speed and quantity don't matter. Knowing how to begin revising it is the hard part, in my opinion.

[varve]

Once upon a time I did want to be a published author. My story writing changed over time, I burned out for a while, I'm back at it, and... while sure, it would be cool, I don't like the sense of needing to always outdo myself, the deadlines, and especially the promotional stuff authors have to do to get their books seen.

So, I write for fun now.

[Corrupted Unicorn]

Not a writer, but an artist instead. I've been having a lot of thoughts regarding this lately.

I've always wanted to be a "professional" artist because art is the thing I love doing the most. Especially in dire situations, art has helped me keep my head from wandering into unhelpful, miserable trains of thought, to the point I often say art is one of the main reasons I keep on living (if not the)

Of course, my art is important to me, but my art is not necessarily important to anybody else. This pains me more than I'm willing to admit. So in my head, the only way to make my art matter to other people was to be professional. And my drawings are... not up to snuff  This was also a great source of pain to me. The anxiety of not being good enough both pushed me to improve my drawing skills and to never publish anything from me, not even on the Internet as a casual thing, because anything less than perfect would deck me points from any potential wandering employer (points I didn't have in the first place!). This also lead me to my tendency to not interact with any community whatsoever.

Maybe that's why it looks like I've been doing nothing all these years. And of course, there's the risk of getting exactly what I wanted, and draw for a living, and that making me eventually lose the joy of it. I've learned about this, and how to treat it if it ever happens, but it's a fear I should take into account.

I don't know. I want to have a "chance", but I no longer want to depend my entire income on this. I want to find some way of reliability (you know, the physical world: food, bills, lights on, roof on my head...) while allowing myself to publish art on the Internet, be present, no longer being a ghost, a lurker, someone who sees but never interacts.

Someday soon, I'll be free from my own misconceptions.

[grubbyfox]

oh hell no, lol. i mean, i've fantasized about getting truckloads of money for my books. but i've known people/i've got friends who are published writers - and def does not look like something i'd enjoy.

they have to follow the guidelines/criticism of their publishers, they have to change things accordingly to what will sell, they'll constantly have people tell them what is wrong/not wrong with their works until it reaches a point that will sell to the "masses" - the audience.

i write fics to soothe my soul and entertain myself. i wouldn't change anything in my stories, and i dont want others to read it - or comment on it, hahah

[MrsMoe]

I definitely do, and I've found it hard to call myself a "real" writer until I do, but it's become a major source of anxiety for me and it's gotten to the point where I've ruined the joy of creation for me quite a bit.

It's been this way for both writing and art, really. I would give anything for the things I write or paint to reach a wider audience, but all I do is worry that I'm not good enough. There's a few short stories under my belt, but they're all about 3-5 pages long and I've never had the confidence to write something full length yet. I draw and paint a bit, but I sincerely doubt that what I make is good enough to put on Instagram or any social media other than here (especially my pencil art....oof). My family and friends that I beat myself up too much over what I make, but it's really hard to take pride in yourself as an artist when you haven't made anything truly exceptional yet. That and thinking about how people are gonna perceive the things the things I make is something I think about constantly. Pretty much every time I come up with an idea for a novel or a screenplay, I gradually become extremely harsh about it until my brain goes "this is stupid and bad and everyone will be able to tell" and I throw it away.

So yeah, I do consider getting published to be the end goal to becoming "valid", but there's this weird uroboros situation going on in my head where I need to feel valid before I can get published. My sister has suggested writing fanfiction, just so I can make something purely for myself and nobody else. I thought that was a good idea at first, but it WON'T be for myself. Other people will be reading it and making critiques, and they'll especially hate it if I write people ooc or forget important lore. So, yeah. Don't know what to do.