Ditch job, become an author!?

[Pigsmummy]

I haven't voiced this in RL, I would love to ditch my well paid job and write some gritty fiction. I read a lot, hundreds of books of different genres, I also really enjoy theatre. I have the outline story of about three books in my head currently and in my day to day life find situations that I would love to write about.

Where do I start? Do I type up my outline and try to enter competitions? Do I write chapters then send them to a publisher? (I work in sales so have developed a thick skin regards rejection). How much might a publishing deal be worth? (kicking myself that I didn't get this nailed before ebooks came along).

I have wanted to write for a long time (most of my adult life) but suppressed the desire, i have a good job, been in this position for 6 years, my colleagues would be astounded by my lack of motivation and enjoyment of my job as i hide it well, I often sit through high level meetings wishing the time away so I can get back to my Kindle.

Is this madness? Has anyone done this?

I am 39, married with one DC btw

OP a good start would be to sign up for a creative writing evening class. I did this and it was inspirational. I ended up doing Short Stories as that was all that was available at the time I could go, it was amazing and I loved it.

Based on positive feedback from the class, I thought it would be a doddle to knock off a Mills & Boons.
I did write a short novel, but it needs a lot of editing and I have also entered a number of short story competitions. I haven't won or been shortlisted. I am a lot humbler about the process than I was at the start and as a result I have stalled.

Writing is hard work and sadly not as well paid as one would imagine. Go to a class to get some discipline and knowledge on what to do, then do it for the love of it and see where that takes you. If you are lucky enough to be based in London then there are loads of courses.

I need to get back to it - I was a lot happier when I was writing, but letting go of those dreams of hitting the publishing jackpot is hard.

Very naive. Very. If only you knew ...

The best advice I know is from Stella Duffy. Her blog is compelling reading. Humane and wise. And funny. Here's her advice:

How to Write a Book

and
The How to Write a Book Thing Again

This is a bit like saying you want to be a surgeon because you watch Casualty every week, isn't it?

Writing a novel takes a huge amount of time and effort and the chances of ever making a penny out of it are microscopically small.

Writing an article, on the other hand, takes relatively little time and effort and the chances of selling it are relatively good.

Food for thought?

I wrote a romantic fiction novel about 5 years ago and sent it to 5 agents. I got 4 rejections and they hurt so tough skin helps. One of the top agents in the genre (who represents best selling authors) requested to read my whole manuscript. Now agents only take 2 or 3 new authors a year so it was a pretty big deal for me to get that far. We had a telephone chat and she asked me to cut the amount of words. She read my revised manuscript twice before then not proceeding further so it's very competitive. An agent gets your manuscript read by the publishers based on their reputation so it has to fit their criteria. But the top agents are the ones that are more capable of getting you a good advance.

I would advise you to write everyday and not to give up your day job. Research agents and when you are ready to approach an agent make sure your manuscript is set out the way that an agent would like to see. Lisa Jewell had some good advice on her website about format etc.

Above all Good Luck!

Sad you can't make a living from writing, even if you get published.

Actually to answer your specific questions:

Where do I start?

You start by writing. Write every day. If you write 500 words a day, that's 3,500 words per week. That's 14,000 words per month. In a year, you'll have a first draft.

If you want to be a writer, write.

Then rewrite.

And rewrite again.

How much might a publishing deal be worth?
Not enough to live on.

I have wanted to write for a long time
So why haven't you?

I know someone who did a similar thing to what you are proposing except that she worked 4 days a week to do it. She kept her job as a safety net while she built up her writing profile and that is the most sensible way tk do it. You have financial responsibilities atm & it would be silly to throw away the safety net of a job. Anyway, you still need to connect with daily life & people to get material & inspiration for your book.

Don't ditch the job.

Write 3 chapters and a synopsis and send to publishers/agents.

Good luck!

I write just for the love of it. 99.9% of what I've written is undoubtedly total rubbish but it keeps me out of trouble. Doesn't stop me wondering if I should be a bit more constructive about what I'm doing.

Good luck.

Already good advice but writing is extremely tricky. I am a writer and I struggle - I work as a journalist, copywriter etc. But straight authors struggle - it's time. Unless you have the luxury of working on your book without having to work, most people do both. You also need an honest appraisal of your ability - how far you have to go.

But you know what - I couldn't do anything else.

Write a synopsis - for yourself. Get your characters exactly as you want them to be - get a moodboard for this if you have to and stick people up on it who look like your characters so you never forget the eye colour, hair style, age, date of birth (you'd be surprised). The same goes for where your book is placed. Detail your plot and sub plot - decide which tense to write in - the first person is best if its your first go but remember if you do that, you can only have one perspective throughout, one characters viewpoint. This is easier, some say that in the third person but its whatever really suits you.
Its like laying the foundations. Doing the prep... Once you are happy with all that take book 1 out of your set and write it up on your evenings/weekends. Once you have done that be prepared to scrap it and start again. Re-writes are common so don't worry - it helps to have an entire first manuscript down to show you where you can improve/have gone a bit astray. If the writing is crap, its okay - its writing, its down, its the first draft done. After the first draft you can hone it, improve it, as said.
If you have any holidays owing at work and take them, write all the time, do not actually go on a holiday!

Never allow anybody to take a dream you have got and smash it to bits - so what if only a tiny percentage of writers actually get published? You may be one of the tiny percentage. Nobody knows - so write and write and write some more.
Do not give up your job - so all of the above and when you are ready buy Writers and Artists Workbook - has a list of publishers in it for all genres and their specifications for submitting (synopsis and 1/2 chapters - check with them (call them up) how they like it typed up - double spaced or not? Even down to what quality paper they prefer and pay postage and return postage for it so they can send it back to you with recommendations for improvement... I hope they call you up and offer you a million pound deal!
Good luck - happy writing.

If you are a writer, you will write. Otherwise, you're a reader.

There is lots of good advice here. We're all different, but . . .

1 don't give up your job
2 start writing
3 keep reading
4 write the best thing you can
5 get an agent
6 never begrudge them the money because they're worth their weight in gold

Good luck, it's the best job in the world really . . .

I find the 'I'd like to become a proper writer (but I've never actually done any writing) thing quite odd.

Since I learned to make words on a page, I wrote stories and poems. The only time I have ever stopped was when I was studying English at university, where the business of reading and writing critical essays meant that I did very little of my own writing.

It's as if there wasn't a choice about it. I have worked in other fields, but a lot of my employment has been in the (badly paid) literature sector.

Unless you aiming very specifically at producing a stream of highly commercial genre fiction, even if you get published very few people other than your peers will have heard of you. You will earn almost nothing.

The other thing people don't realise is that even if you have a good standard of literacy in your everyday life, it doesn't mean you can write in a creative, imaginative way. One of the freelance jobs I do is appraising manuscripts and offering feedback. It is extraordinarily difficult to create convincing characters, sustain dramatic tension and pace, construct a narrative arc, create believable dialogue.

It's great to have dreams. Making them come true - at a time when the publishing industry is in difficulty - is another matter entirely.

frau I don't think that's always the way it is fr writers. I never tinkered or wrote poems or shorts. In fact the first thing I wrote was a screenplay at 30. It wasn't very good but someone suggeste the MC was great and I put her in a novel, so I did. Since then I've pretty much been a professional writer.

I

I suppoose what I'm saying is that until the point I wrote that screen play and novel, I'd only been a reader.

Its so exciting that we have some real life authors here, I am desperate to know which books you have all written.

Op, please go for it, you simply have to write, write, I love "Bruce Robinsons line, write damn you, what else are you good for..."

Don't listen to the dream crushers, just write and see where you go.

i went to a writers group in london it was very interesting. Lots of chat and talking one's self up, until we had to read our own work out...wow, the people you thought had it all sewn up, seemed so confident....not the case and so on.

You need a cracking story, a good story will tell itself, you need pace and ability to keep reader turning page. good luck!

please authors wont you hint who you are....

word

I can imagine you are a great author, you are a natural, you wrote some very funny things on a thread about shoes on or off once, you created some very funny mental images of posh people all at a do with no shoes on, and funny socks.

Oh I can see that some people will have the skills/innate ability, but for one reason or another it has been lying dormant.

I suppose the other thing is if you really want to see if you can earn your living, it's good to be quite focused about the help you get.

For example a local creative writing class might give loads of encouragement, but not actually be quite so good at saying what isn't working and what you need to change. Whereas one of the agencies that provide critical appraisal might give you more market-focused feedback, but you'll have to pay more for that.

I have just read so many excruciating manuscripts, and so many that are just so-so and dull, that I am inevitably a bit jaded.

And there are so many people trying to make money out of people who have the same dream as the Original Poster...

It's a bit like having an illness. Everybody wants to sell you their therapy or cure. But only some of what's an offer will do any good at all.

There is an article in the latest Tesco magazine about a woman who became a published author in 2013. She published the first installment as an ebook and gained interest from literary agents. Now she's published three books, with the first going straight onto the New York Times best seller list, and sold well over half a million copies. She's since quit her office job but don't do that till you're a published author!
Check out the article here, it has some useful tips:
viewer.zmags.com/publication/14a823a6#/14a823a6/64

I have been a published author for seven years.

There have been two years when I have earned enough to support myself (not my family). Last year my writing earnings were about £8000. I am considered, among my published friends, to be one of the more successful of our group, mainly because I have done well from foreign rights.

Do not burn bridges with your day job--can you work p/t?

Have you thought of children's books or YA area?

It's by no means easier (harder if anything to write) but it is an area that's growing and seems to be bucking the trend slowly from ebooks.

I'm a (successful) children's illustrator and I do indeed earn a good living for my chosen career (30k ish), BUT I've been doing it nearly 20yrs, and all the books that have done well have sold dozens of co-editions. I have a very excellent literary agent who found me about 10 years ago.

I know lots of authors and frequently meet brand new authors who are just having their first book out. I know 2 that have been found from the slush pile so it's not totally impossible.

I agree with everyone else. Totally go for it - but please please don't give up your day job. If you really want to write you will find a way.

Everyone cites JK Rowling, but she used to write in the middle of the night when her kids slept and then round the click when she got an admin job. She just had an idea she had to write. After 40 or so rejections she got lucky and then equally lucky that the world wanted to read it.

Some great advice on here - I concur with everyone else. Don't give up the day job.

Very few of my writer friends make anywhere near enough money to give up their day job, despite being extremely talented and dedicated. It is a tough beat.

Which isn't to say that it can't be done, but you will have to be realistic about it.

Join Twitter and start networking - you won't get a book deal because of it, but it will raise your profile, and a lot of publishers are keen for their authors to have a social media presence.

It will also help if you decide to go down the self-published route. There is some great info about this on this site