Author Topic: When did you think- I might be able to do this?  (Read 4794 times)

idontknowyet

When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« on: September 23, 2018, 08:52:58 AM »
Writing has never been my passion. Matter of fact if you talked to me  anytime before this year and asked if I would ever write a book, I probably would have laughed in your face. Today I went back to a book I haven't worked on in a few months and started reading the scene I left off on. It shocked me. I couldn't believe I had actually written that.   I might just be able to do this.


When did you start believing you could?
 

guest247

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2018, 09:01:51 AM »
September 2013, when I published my first book--a book of haiku. five years and  over 50 books later, I still believe.
 
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Maggie Ann

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2018, 09:04:30 AM »
I woke up at 3am with an idea for a book and sat down to write it. I knew from then I'd be able to do it.
           
 
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Post-Crisis D

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2018, 09:16:20 AM »
I believed way back in high school.  After graduation, I took a year off to become a writer.  Later, life happened and I became a counter sales person, bindery person, printing press operator, videographer, BBS operator, typesetter, forum administrator, web developer, editor and pretty much every thing but a fiction writer aside from short stories I occasionally did in my newsletter or website(s).

Then someone who was publishing books on Kindle said that I wrote better than they did and I could make a ton of money selling books on Amazon.  And that's when I started too.  Last I heard, they were doing very, very well selling books on Amazon.  So far this year, I've earned enough to buy two postage stamps.

So now, I believe I'll buy a lottery ticket.  Not with my book earnings, of course.   :grin:
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Lorri Moulton

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2018, 09:30:15 AM »
Writing has never been my passion. Matter of fact if you talked to me  anytime before this year and asked if I would ever write a book, I probably would have laughed in your face. Today I went back to a book I haven't worked on in a few months and started reading the scene I left off on. It shocked me. I couldn't believe I had actually written that.   I might just be able to do this.


When did you start believing you could?

I wrote non-fiction, but the first time I thought I could write fiction was working on a short story for my dad.  Then, I tried dialogue and never looked back.

Still get caught up in research sometimes (old habits) but I do enjoy it!  :icon_smile:

Author of Romance, Fantasy, Fairytales, Mystery & Suspense, and Historical Non-Fiction @ Lavender Cottage Books
 
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Mark Gardner

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2018, 09:50:51 AM »
Writing has never been my passion. Matter of fact if you talked to me  anytime before this year and asked if I would ever write a book, I probably would have laughed in your face. Today I went back to a book I haven't worked on in a few months and started reading the scene I left off on. It shocked me. I couldn't believe I had actually written that.   I might just be able to do this.


When did you start believing you could?
I still don't. It doesn't;t matter how many cons I get invited to; how many small press/trad contracts I sign; how many advances I get; how much royalties I get; how many "real" authors I hang out wth; I still have to keep telling myself that I'm a real writer.

For many successful authors, imposter syndrome is real.
 
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NeverGiveUp

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2018, 09:54:10 AM »
My first book was intended to be a short, simple storyline/guide to follow a video game my husband and I were developing. Fifty pages in I realized I might have something. Sales have been up and down and all over, but my reviews keep me going. The game idea faded away, but the writing project stuck with me. That was 2013, and I'm 14 books in (in different series).
 
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Rosie Scott

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2018, 10:51:33 AM »
It kind of went in steps for me. Writing has always been my passion and I've believed in the novels I've written since the single digits of age, but there was always that feeling that I was writing books that family and friends would only pretend they enjoyed. Then I started publishing paperbacks to have extra copies to lend to people in 2010, and strangers suddenly started buying my books unprompted and I got a really great detailed review. That's when I thought, "hey, maybe I could do this for a living." When I started being able to pay my bills with royalties last year, it switched over from hobby territory to "this is a valid option for me now." So I've always believed I was capable, but the fact that strangers actually like the nonsense that spews from my imagination is what made me realize I'm not completely mad.  :icon_lol:

Fantasy/sci-fi. Writer of bloody warfare & witty banter. Provoker of questions.
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Max

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2018, 10:56:18 AM »
I knew I could do this when the first book made almost 3K in the first month.
I figured I needed to do that again. And again. And again. I don't know what I've had done if it hadn't taken off as it did. Probably just plugged along, but without as much fire in me.
 
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Rinelle

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2018, 06:24:39 PM »
When I read a book and discovered it was self published, and realised I didn't have to query publishers!
 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2018, 06:42:28 PM »
I had no doubts I could write. I'd been doing it in one way or another most of my life.

When I began writing my first novel, it pretty well wrote itself.

What I doubted was if anyone would ever want to read it.

I wrote book 1, and put it out there.
I wrote book 2, and put it out there.
I wrote book 3, and put it out there.
OMG I got 16 sales today!

I knew for sure I could do this when the release of book five gave me a month income larger than I'd ever been paid for a year for a corporate job before. (Mind you, 20 years ago.)

Mind you, when I went wide because of page-flip, it was like falling into a hole, and I started thinking year 1 was a complete fluke. Cue 20Booksto50k.

But then I went back into KU when they fixed flip, and released a book which went to #132 in the paid store, and book 2 went to #97.

At that point, into my 4th year at this, I knew I could really do it.
Genres: Space Opera/Fantasy/Cyberpunk, with elements of LitRPG and GameLit, with a touch of the Supernatural. Also Spiritual and Games.



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Simon Haynes

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2018, 06:49:09 PM »
Bit of a long story ...

I went to school in spain, which was 'sit there and rote learn' There was no creativity whatsoever.

The first time I wrote a proper story was in 1984, aged 17 or 18, and that was for a class assignment here in Australia. The teacher seemed to like it, and I ended up studying creative writing at uni.

Big mistake. That just meant fiction writing = homework.

Anyway, some years after that I finally sat down to write a novel 'just for fun' in 1994, and I didn't finish it until 1999.

I got sick of submitting and waiting to hear from publishers, so I self-published in 2001 - ebook and print. Roughly 10 years before ebooks were even a blip on the radar, that was. It did get me a trade publishing deal though, which lasted until 2010.



 
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Gerri Attrick

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2018, 07:12:48 PM »
I still don’t.

I have 15 books out in 3 different series, and so far this month I’m still only in double digits earnings-wise.

Then again, I’m 65 years old, have COPD and other ailments and trying to understand marketing is like trying to read Klingon - while wearing a blindfold.

I’m hoping that when I release my next book, hopefully in another week or so, that things will pick up. I still won’t think that I can do this, though. :cry:
 
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Pandorra

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #13 on: September 23, 2018, 08:29:07 PM »
I'm not sure I really think of it that way, I know I can write but writing and being what people consider a 'real author' is subjective, some people will like my books and some won't, just as some people would call me an author and others would say its a hobby (or call it a million other things)... and I am not very good at writing to market vs. what keeps me interested so I just write what I want/when I want while setting goals that seem logical and achievable.. when I reach those, I set the bar higher.. and then again .. so far, that system seems to be working for me and I am perfectly content, even somewhat proud, of all I have learned and accomplished in the past year. But I don't really ask myself if I can do it, I just jump in and do it and then see how far I can get. Thinking too much or too big just slows me down and leaves to much room for doubt or to talk myself out of it.

So I guess it really depends on what 'it' is... Can I write? Yes... Can I write well? I sell enough books to make it worth doing... Can I make a career out of it? We'll see when I reach that part of my goal.

If your asking if I think I will ever become a name brand all I can say is I hope so, but in my head I am not sure I would ever believe it even if I did. Somewhere in there I am even thinking, "yup the day I make it big is the day I finally kick over and die so my family gets to live off my work after laughing in my face..."

As with everything, I am sure writing has a plateau.. a place where I will realize I am as far along as I can possibly get and I will have to reevaluate my goals vs the reality. When/if I get there, I'll come back and let you know!
« Last Edit: September 23, 2018, 08:51:45 PM by Pandorra »

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guest390

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #14 on: September 23, 2018, 11:00:32 PM »
I wrote my first novel in 2011 at the onset of the first indie wave. Not too many of us left still putting out books. The timing was just right and my series did exceptionally well – ending after six books. I then began a second series. I had acquired an agent, so she tried to sell it to the Big 5. They turned it down. Audible said yes, however, and the first book ended up a top five finalist for fantasy book of the year in 2015 on Audible.com.
I tried co-authoring a series with a friend, and while I love the books, they didn’t sell particularly well. The Big 5 also turned it down.
I began a third series (still working on that) along with a sequel to my first. Here’s where it gets interesting. Audible offered me a handsome sum for the sequel. And even more for the new series. As I had sold the audio rights none of the Big 5 were interested. But Tor asked my agent to let them know when I had something new. As it happened, I had a few chapters of a new project written. So I banged out the rest, had it edited and proof read, then sent the submission.
Now it gets interestinger. Typically, it takes months to get a reply. But my agent informed them she would be pushing the book at BEA, which was in two weeks. The manuscript was sent on a Friday. We were told Monday they were interested. And we received a deal memo on Wednesday.
This leads us to the present – I just sent the second round of revisions to my editor at Tor. And I’m trying to finish the last four books I still owe Audible.
So if you want to be an overnight success, it takes seven years. And I'm still not sure I can do this...
 
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Trioxin 245

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2018, 11:22:32 PM »
To be honest, it was before my first book launched. I have been meaning to share  a "year of writing" post, which will explain it more in detail.
 
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CTSinclair

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #16 on: September 23, 2018, 11:30:43 PM »
I still don't. I may have finished writing my first short story, and I may be trying to self-publish it in December of this year, but I don't think I will actually feel like "I can do this" until I have finished a book and published it.

Then, I will feel like I can do this. Up until then, it's just "these stories need to be written". Lol
Inspiration comes from the things you love most in this world. For me, that is my wife. Thanks to her simple presence in my life, my works are filled with wonder and amazement.

Don't ever let the road pass you by, don't let your feet stop, and let them take you to wonders.
 
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Joe Vasicek

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2018, 12:31:41 AM »
For writing: when I took Brandon Sanderson's class at BYU, and finished my first novel (which will never see the light of day, so help me).

For publishing: when I saw my first sale on my KDP report dashboard. Someone I didn't know had paid money to read something I'd written?

 
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DrewMcGunn

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2018, 12:51:11 AM »
It was a little more than two years ago. I was reading a book, thinking, "who wrote this crap?"  The story's structure was descent, but the grammar and sentence structure needed a lot more polish. I looked it up and saw it was self-published.

That experience reignited my inner Walter Mitty and I started thinking about completing a story (instead of stalling out... my previous record  :undecided:). I chose to write it on an Alternate history forum, primarily for my own entertainment and to see how it went. The feedback was great and my inner Walter Mitty was on cloud nine.

I knew I could do it, at least it would be no worse than that first self-published book that I read. It was around that time that I found that other forum and realized there was a lot more to publishing a story than simply writing it.

After the story was finished, I took the time to work with a cover artist and editor, before releasing my pièce de résistance on an unsuspecting world.

Four books into things, I'm still learning. I'm not sure if I'll be able to turn this into a full-time gig, but now I get emails from strangers asking me to finish the damned series. That has to count for something. Right?  :grin:


Drew McGunn
 
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Shoe

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #19 on: September 24, 2018, 12:56:15 AM »



When did you start believing you could?

I'll let you know.
Martin Luther King: "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
 
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Becca Mills

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #20 on: September 24, 2018, 02:36:48 AM »
It was 2012, and I was reading lots of urban fantasy instead of working on the academic book I was supposed to be writing. I got wind of indie publishing and thought, "Pft. I could write one of these things. How hard could it be?" So, yeah ... more a process of working from "I can!" to "Er ... maybe not so much" for me.  :rolleyes:
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Anarchist

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #21 on: September 24, 2018, 03:19:11 AM »
For publishing: when I saw my first sale on my KDP report dashboard. Someone I didn't know had paid money to read something I'd written?

Same here.

First sale = idea validation.

It then became a matter of creating more products and funneling targeted traffic to the sales pages.

"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” – Thomas Sowell

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guest120

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #22 on: September 24, 2018, 03:24:33 AM »
Right now I KNOW I can do it. Thirty seconds from now I'll be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt I won't EVER be able to do this. A minute after that I'll be certain that I can do it. Five minutes after that I'll throw my work in progress in the trash. Ten minutes after that I'll fish it out and call 'five-minutes-ago-me' a complete idiot.

Rinse and repeat...24/7/365.
 
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Angstriddengoddess

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #23 on: September 24, 2018, 05:24:33 AM »
Yesterday morning, I exposed myself. In public. :shocked:

As an author, that is.

I went to a local library for a book signing event. I was convinced that everyone was going to point and laugh at the impostor who'd only published two books--and she even had to publish one of the books by herself, which obviously means it was a lousy book, right?

Of course, as anyone but the little voice in my head could have predicted, nobody said that, or even implied it. And some people actually bought my books! With money! And they don't even know my mother!  :icon_exclaim:

So even when I don't think I can do this, people still buy the books. I suppose it counts if /they/ think I can do this.
If you're not part of the solution,
you're part of the precipitate.
 
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elleoco

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #24 on: September 24, 2018, 05:36:50 AM »
If anyone had asked me, I think I would always have said, "I could if I wanted to," but writing a book was never on my radar as something I wanted to do.

What happened to me was that my sister and I were having one of those book discussions that devolved to, "I could write something better than that." For some reason we went a step further and challenged each other to prove it, to actually write a book. My overdeveloped competitive instincts kicked in, and I wrote a book.

After I won the bet, that would have been the end of it for me, who never did write a book, got enthused and dragged me to a writers' conference. I didn't even know such a thing existed. Even so, my exploration of the traditional publishing world put me off so much, I put the idea away, and it stayed away until I heard about indie publishing years later, when there I was with two finished and one half done books on my PC.

My apologies to KBoards refugees who have seen this story before.

Kate Elizabeth

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2018, 05:45:27 AM »
When I first started writing professionally many, many years ago, I heard back from one agent and two publishing houses, who requested the full picture book manuscript.  Although they all ended up passing, I realized that I was that much closer to being published.  Plus, I could write a pretty darn good query letter.  Oh, and the Christian women's magazine that requested the humorous essay I had queried, ended up folding, but still, they were interested!

When I self-published my first romantic comedy short story, with a horrible cover, I wasn't sure what to expect.  But that Sunday morning, I sold my first copy, and gained a $0.35 royalty.  That was more than I had ever earned in the past for my writing, and I knew that it was just the beginning.  I stopped off at the local convenience store on my way to church, and I couldn't keep it in anymore.  I burst out to the clerk that I had just sold a book.  She told me congratulations.  It felt so, so good.
 
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David VanDyke

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2018, 06:41:37 AM »
When I realized two friend were doing well on KDP and I knew I was just as good a writer as they, I had to try. Once I was selling 10 a day on average, I really thought I had a shot at quitting my soul-sucking day job and going full time. When I hit 50 a day on average, I started making plans. When I crossed 100 a day, I gave my notice.
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spin52

Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2018, 10:06:41 AM »
I never wanted to do anything but write, but I was also realistic, so I went into journalism as a way of writing AND being paid. Eventually I was forced to quit that due to a family situation, and having nothing to lose, I decided to try fiction. I wrote five books which garnered zero interest from agents and then read an article about KDP. I sold my first e-book the day after it was published and the light bulb went on. I can do this!
Six years on, I'm neither rich nor famous and never will be, but I've never had so much fun.
     


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Michelle Louring

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #28 on: September 24, 2018, 05:30:33 PM »
It was never really a question of believing for me.
I started writing my first book because I was bored, and then I finished it I realized that I had too many loose ends to leave it as a standalone, so I started writing the second book... and then I just sort of got stubborn. I still think my writing is crap half the time, but I've now put too many years into it to let that stop me  :wink:


Crazy owl lady. I also occasionally write Fantasy books, but the owl is really all anyone cares about.

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Tulonsae

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Re: When did you think- I might be able to do this?
« Reply #29 on: September 24, 2018, 07:26:59 PM »
Is the question when did I think I could write a book? Or when did I think I could/might be published?

I started my first book (still unfinished) in 6th grade. And I have the beginnings of many more novels. Eventually, hopefully soon, I'll finish one. I'm still writing in the same "world", but since I started creating it in the late 60s, I recently (as in the last 8 years) have been doing a major overhaul on the technology. (It's science fiction.)

As for getting published, I'm not sure. I started studying self-publishing seriously in 1996 and was wondering if eBooks would take off. And then I got distracted by major life things (for many years) and missed the beginning of this whole indie author wave.

I still don't know if my books (once they're written) will sell. But you never know until you try.
Genre: Science Fiction
 
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