It's almost like being schizophrenic. When I get in the mood to write, I almost hear voices, and I can usually imagine my character in full force-- what they look like, what they smell like, where they come from, their families, etc. Sometimes I see the world that they're in so vividly and in such detail. I could discuss with you how the realm of Elenaria operates much more intelligently than I could with our own federal government. I get all of these ideas, people, and places bouncing around in my head that I HAVE TO WRITE. It's almost like an exorcism to get them to quiet down for a little bit.

I hate the process, but I love the result. I enjoy writing and in a perfect world I would love to be a full-time, serious, successful, and often published author. But, in the imperfect world I've crash landed in, I'm stuck with my day job...

... Until I finish this book at least.

(Sorry for rambling. It was better than working.)

I'd submit that any of the ones who actually write qualify as serious. (The ones who only talk about it do not need to be taken seriously.)

There are those who can't not write (and those who sneer at anyone who is not that serious).

There are those who have a life, but love to write, too. (I submit that they may have more to write about that others may find worth reading.)

There are those who make money at writing, but not a living (most writers who write professionally don't make a living at it--it just doesn't pay that well).

There are those who make a living at it, but may not be considered very good writers by those who are "serious" about quality.

I think I'd put myself in the category of those who earn some money at it, but who have a life (and part of my life is helping other writers--something I enjoy doing as much if not more than I enjoy writing).

There are writers who consider themselves "super-serious" who would look at writers who make money writing as mercenary and commercial. <shrug>

Being super-serious is a pain in the rear, along with it goes a need to write that borders on the obsessive. Heck I won’t even bother with the borders. It is a compulsion so strong that it cannot be ignored. The search for perfection in the craft is a driving force that leads one on a journey through every how to book written.

But, I have learned that, no I do not write like Pierce Anthony, Isaac Asmove, Marion Zimmerman-Bradley or a host of others. I once fooled myself that I did---I grew out of it by the time I was 16 (thank the deity). I also once thought that I knew it all. I bought writers digest and tossed it aside because I was oh so much better than that.

So being super serious means accepting that you are not a master and never will be until you can look at what you write and go---“Yuck, this stinks!!!” Then you will be on the road to taking the very first important step—you will be willing to learn.

IMHO—anyone who is super-serious is also willing to learn—really learn and not just pretend that they are or say that they are. They live with it each day and writing is so much a part of your life that it is always there like a standby switch ready to kick in at a moments notice.

Shawn

--many thoughts swirling around, must take time to sort them out, come back with an answer later--

I have no illusions about writing for a living, at least not until I start selling! Besides, my "day job" (I'm a graduate student) is in a field I enjoy. I'm not sure if I would want to write full time.

As far I writing goes, I enjoy creating new worlds, problems, societies, gadgets. I derive more pleasure from plotting my spaceship's orbit and deciding whether to use a gas-core or liquid-core nuclear reactor than I do from the physical act of pecking at a keyboard.

Even so, I really do enjoy the act of writing. I like subjecting other people to all the harshnesses of space and time. I hope I'll hone my craft to the point people will want to read about my fictional characters getting held down and screwed by the laws of physics, and then saving themselves at the last minute.

The major problem I face with my writing, as you've surely guessed, is that my characters are puppets on the strings of my plot, not people. I hope that as I practice my craft, this will improve. (It's my single largest, though by no means only, impediment. Advice? PLEASE? [Yes, I've read OSC's book.])

My favorite writers -- the "Hard Science Fiction" writers (Poul Anderson, Niven, Benford, etc.) -- are all older than I am. I hope to fit into their niche someday.

When you're writing a story about a way cool idea, though, it's a challenge to turn the story over to characters you hardly know.

So my advice, if you want to improve your characterization, is to get to know your characters as well as you possibly can.

There are character questionnaires published every so often in writers magazines. You can also just use personality tests such as the one for the Myers-Briggs personality groups. I'm sure there are plenty of such tests on the web.

You can have conversations with your characters and ask them what they think they would do in the situation you are setting up with your way cool idea. (In fact, you could even interview your characters and find the ones that will go along with what you want to do in the story, more or less--so they'll be interesting and not puppets.)

A friend of mine, after reading a couple of chapters of a novel I was working on, asked me how I thought one of my characters would answer a question she had. For fun, I decided to let the character answer her, in writing. It was an interesting exercise for all three of us.

Characters are never going to be as well-rounded and complex as real people, but it is possible to make them much more complex and interesting than they all too often are.

I've actually had this person's character in my head, yelling at me to add scenes in the story that *she* (the character) wanted. And pestering me to write more.

It's to the point I had decided to put this story on hold (it's actually the sequel for an incomplete fan fiction I was writing before it) and found my will for writing just got sucked out of me. I tend to do most of my writing at work, between taking customer calls. But even though it was quite slow at work, I just had no will to write. It's like the inspiration to write dried up with my decision to put off ending the third story and returning to the second.

Another fan fiction for another web comic was going along quite nicely and then the character just quit. In my head, she decided she wasn't going to go another step. She got put in limbo (as it were), and it's now a literal waiting game. It sounds odd, and I know it is odd, but until the character and the story wants to be written... the story is on hold. (To the bemusement and dismay of some of the fans, I'll add. *chuckle*)

I'll stop boring you all to tears now.

I've put what Tangent calls "professional" writing (by this I take it he means original work, with a setting and characters completely created by you) on hold as well, while I write a novel-length piece of fan fiction based around a computer game. Still, all is not lost. By not having to think too hard about the universe itself I'm able to concentrate on my characterisation and interaction (which needs work). Plus it gives me time for other ideas to mature, away from the pressure of actually having to write stuff.

Let's see. In one fanfic for a web comic, I've retroactively killed a favorite character, frozen him alive, and tormented him several times with situations that are determined to make his life miserable.

--------

Writers must be crazy in some way or form---

Shawn

As for writers "having" to be crazy in one form or another, that's a stereotype. I don't think it's a prerequisite for being a writer that you need to suffer or be crazy or something.

I was being funny! It’s past 1am here. Night all.

Well look at that, more Homeworld fanfiction...

By the way Xellos, have you got any further with the Cata fleet logs?

And your story was fascinating, I must say.

As for work on the Cataclysm Log story, they have been put on hold for the time being, while I work on other projects. While I know there was a big demand for them at one time, to be honest, the face of the Relic Boards has changed enough that there's not much demand for me to finish up those stories. So I can take my time with it now.

Heck, I hope this week (after a recent... change in my work schedule) to finish up on one of my "professional" (ie - publishable with minimal problems) stories, and begin work on the next draft. I tend to be fairly good with revising my own work, so once I start work on it, I doubt it will take nearly as long, even with my continuing to write the CRFH stories.

Thanks for asking though, does the ego good on occasion.

Just waiting for the next part of 'The Trip'... after you linked me to your CRFH stories I went and read the whole comic from the beginning in one sitting... insane. Worth it though.