Ok, this might be a silly question, but I have been wondering for a while.

How does being a "professional writer" in any capacity affect your writing as a hobby? Have you noticed that you tend to write your fiction with a little more, attention to detail, I guess, or is the last thing you wanna do when you get home to write?

--
-Pasha
"I invented Warp Drive, whatta ya got?"
"I'm the Norse God of Mecha."
"Well, I guess you win then."

>How does being a "professional writer" in any capacity affect your
>writing as a hobby? Have you noticed that you tend to write your
>fiction with a little more, attention to detail, I guess, or is the
>last thing you wanna do when you get home to write?

I haven't noticed all that much of an effect, other than the fact that the stress level of my job saps my energy and slows me down creatively. As far as direct interference, not really - it's a totally different kind of writing.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>I haven't noticed all that much of an effect, other than the fact that
>the stress level of my job saps my energy and slows me down
>creatively. As far as direct interference, not really - it's a
>totally different kind of writing.

If I might jump in, I'd like to corroborate the first half of this. In recently completing the Book From Hell, I found I had no creative energy whatsoever to spare for any other kind of writing -- even documenting my code at my day job, something I normally can do without a second thought.

-- Bob
-------------------
I have seen the face of evil and it is a yellow bloated weasel with a lightning bolt shoved up its ass. -- Widgett, on Coming Attractions, about Pokemon

'Profesional Writing'? There is a such thing? Dear god... Since when does writing have to be profesional except in a form that exists in an office setting?

Oh, and don't mind me, I'm just being naive. ^_^;;;

"Human suffering is such a unique prviledge." -Rene D'anclaude, Armitage The Third.

"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch." Capt. Bart Mancusoe, The Hunt For Red October.

>

'Profesional Writing'? There is a such thing?

Did you think the people who write the stuff in newspapers, magazines, and radio and television scripts did it for free?

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>>

'Profesional Writing'? There is a such thing?
>
>Did you think the people who write the stuff in newspapers, magazines,
>and radio and television scripts did it for free?
>
Don't forget books, although sometimes the royalties are so small that you might as well have written it for free.

>Don't forget books, although sometimes the royalties are so small that
>you might as well have written it for free.

I'm looking forward to a humongous $0.46 per copy, myself. (That's on a $22.95 book.)

-- Bob
-------------------
I have seen the face of evil and it is a yellow bloated weasel with a lightning bolt shoved up its ass. -- Widgett, on Coming Attractions, about Pokemon

>>>

'Profesional Writing'? There is a such thing?
>>
>>Did you think the people who write the stuff in newspapers, magazines,
>>and radio and television scripts did it for free?
>>
>Don't forget books, although sometimes the royalties are so small that
>you might as well have written it for free.

'Royalties'? What are royalties? I get paid in this ambiguous credit that means that someday, I'll get a check from our CFO, when the company has the money to pay the staff writers. Of course, I am a stockholder, which means that I have a nice paper certificate and I get to listen to the CFO argue with the Art Director and the Line Developers about paying the freelance artists and writers too much (his opinion) or not enough (theirs).

Ah, the joys of owning your own game company ....

Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor (and Writer, and Shareholder), Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com

True, I forgot about publications and the such. But I would never really want to take such a job unless it were something I truly enjoyed doing. I don't intend to become a starving artist; if I want to publish a book it'll be because something I had a blast writing and got excellent feedback from all my friends. My girlfriend, for example, has written a trully excellent pokemon fanfic that she is going to attempt to have published. Don't worry, it is nothing what you think it might be and she hates Ash with a passion. Here's a link incase I've piqued anyone's curiousity.
http://www.cheshire-kat.net/mew2/tales/myfic.html

-Raven
Don't mind me, I'm like Radical Edward in the head.

"Human suffering is such a unique prviledge." -Rene D'anclaude, Armitage The Third.

"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch." Capt. Bart Mancusoe, The Hunt For Red October.

>True, I forgot about publications and the such.

forgot... about... publications.

well.

IHNTA.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>True, I forgot about publications and the such.

Do you ever read anything that's not a fanic? How do you "forget about publications"?

>But I would never really want to take such a job unless it were something I truly
>enjoyed doing.

Well, you know with the economy these days you'll be lucky to even find a job, nevermind something that you'll even slightly enjoy. You can't be picky. Some jobs are a lot better than being broke.

>My girlfriend, for example, has written a trully excellent pokemon fanfic that she is
>going to attempt to have published.

Pokemon Fanfic, that's all I have to say about that one.

-Giz

>has written a trully excellent pokemon fanfic that she is
>going to attempt to have published.

One word. Copyright. And now I'm going to shut up.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter
My LiveJournal
"Pika Pika-" *punt*

LAST EDITED ON 02-16-03 AT 02:30 AM (EST)
 
Sorry, but I'm what your grandparents might call 'scatter-brained'. To give you an idea, stick Radical Edward, Tom Greene, and a lot of god-awful animation into one small space and you'll have what's going on in my head in a nutshull. And people wonder why I miss details? Don't ask me how I can function as a member of society like this. All I know is that about every ten minutes my trains of thought are either derailed or are nowhere near the tracks they started on.

Oh, and about the last remark about pokemon fanfic, It's a lot like anime here in America. You have the absolutley horrible stuff that's meant for S&G to begin with, then gets tossed through translators and censors and wind up on your brain like a toxic waste dump... And then you have those wonderful fansubbed diamonds in the rough. Damaged is one of those, trust me on that one.

Besides, if I had just thought that UF was just some POS written by a fourteen year old (No offense, Gryphon) then I certainly would have been a shallow person, true?

-Raven
Don't mind me, I'm like Radical Edward in the head.

"Human suffering is such a unique prviledge." -Rene D'anclaude, Armitage The Third.

"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch." Capt. Bart Mancusoe, The Hunt For Red October.

>Sorry, but I'm what your grandparents might call 'scatter-brained'.
>To give you an idea, stick Radical Edward, Tom Greene, and a lot of
>god-awful animation into one small space and you'll have what's going
>on in my head in a nutshull.

And you're thinking of buying a gun?

Reconsider.

>Besides, if I had just thought that UF was just some POS written by a
>fourteen year old

Actually, I was 18 at the time I wrote that particular POS.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>>Besides, if I had just thought that UF was just some POS written by a
>>fourteen year old
>
>Actually, I was 18 at the time I wrote that particular POS.

I know you probably get tired of hearing this, but UF core isn't a POS. It's a good laugh. Not as polished as SOS, or Twilight, but it's good. I *like* the fact that it's full of in jokes. Even though I'm sure I'm missing half of 'em. :-)

--
-Pasha
"I invented Warp Drive, whatta ya got?"
"I'm the Norse God of Mecha."
"Well, I guess you win then."

>>>Besides, if I had just thought that UF was just some POS written by a
>>>fourteen year old
>>
>>Actually, I was 18 at the time I wrote that particular POS.
>
>I know you probably get tired of hearing this, but UF core isn't a
>POS. It's a good laugh. Not as polished as SOS, or Twilight, but it's
>good. I *like* the fact that it's full of in jokes. Even though I'm
>sure I'm missing half of 'em. :-)

now I am not trying to be offensive but what is POS? I
hazard a guess for it to be er...Piece Of Shit....

No offense meant. Its just that a lot of abbreviations
people on forums use just sail clear over my head.
(having no internet-capable PC of my
own contributes a lot to this problem)

*sighs* Folks, to prevent any misunderstandings I do not think UF is crappy in any way, shape or form. I was only using that to illustrate a point of veiw I might take if I were some shallow person.

-Raven
Don't mind me, I'm like Radical Edward in the head.

"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity" -Edgar Allen Poe.

"Human suffering is such a unique prviledge." -Rene D'anclaude, Armitage The Third.

"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch." Capt. Bart Mancusoe, The Hunt For Red October.